Hi chat members , My 2006 prius has 225k miles and original shocks. I had the car since it had 93k miles, and i never felt it had a soft ride, not even when comparing it to my gen 1prius, that always had more miles than the gen 2, both with original shocks. Given the rough ride " by design", i would really appreciate your thoughts on whether it is worth it to spend the money on new shocks, and if so, is there a way to buy a brand that will be more comfortable than the OEM shocks? I have a really bad back, and i feel every bump, even those little lane seperators light reflectors ( pavement markers) go straight to my gen 2 chassis and into my neck and spine. Did you get a huge improvement by replacing shocks on your gen2? If so, what brand was it? BtW, the shocks do not leak, and the car does not bounce a few times when shaking it, it stabilize after 1 bounce ,so the shocks are not " completely shot" like the suspension is hanging on the springs alone. Thanks!
Yes i have Bridgestone ecopia e150, with 35 in front, and 33 in the back, while cold. On the costco air pump, they recommend to put +4 PSI from the above numbers, if the car was driven more than 4 miles. So I always set to 39PSI front, and 37PSI back, after driving there to fillup the gas.
The gentleness of your ride will improve drastically if you drop your tire pressures to 32 front/30 rear. Your mpg will reduce slightly, but feeling every pebble on the road will practically go away. Adjust a psi or 2 to find what works best for you. It's always a compromise between comfort, harshness and mpg.
