Front end too low to the ground?

Anyone replaced the scratched plastic under the front spoiler?

 

On mine, I have scrapped the front bottom a few times, then I came into a parking stall, rolled into a tire stop, cracked the front right bottom of the fender, I got a couple of deep cuts and a bit of paint missing, but I will clean it up, but didnt even hear it happen.

 

It's a kind of IQ test that improves understanding. Pretty soon you'll learn to park differently.

 

When I first saw how low mine was, I decided then and there that I won't be trying to straddle any roadkill unless they are very, very flat.

 

Try driving a Plus Performance packaged Prius. Shorter springs and a body kit that makes the body lower to the ground. Talk about having to be careful My wife complained that I swerved and dived on the brakes for a squirrel yesterday. I told her my cars sits too low to take any chances. I could not imagine driving one of those low rider Prii that others on this forum own.

Mike

 

Listen to your wife! What's more valuable, your family's health or your Prius's front spoiler?

 

I didn't want to kill the little critter so I made sure I missed it The Prius is fully capable of swerving around a raccoon at 70 mph without any issues in handling. I had to do that one night popping a hill on US-8 in Wisconsin in a rental 3rd Gen last fall. The raccoon was dead center in my lane and I knew what damage it would have done to the car so I acted quickly and saved both the car & the raccoon The Prius handles so well that it didn't even squawk a tire yet I missed that raccoon easily.

Disclaimer:
I have lots of autocross experience and road racing crotch rockets under my belt to I am totally confident in my driving abilities. Now I would not recommend everyone crank on the wheel to miss a raccoon while your doing 70 mph but some people have the experience or training for such evasive maneuvers and should be safe in doing so.

Mike

 

So true, you need to own a lowrida to develop that reflex.

 

C'mon, you're really going to say that riding a motorbike gives you ANY performance driving skills in a Prius?

I can't take that claim seriously...

 

Mike, I agree with you.

If you have a lot of experience with harder to control vehicles, the "skill" translates to may other "easier" to control vehicles. I have fould my esperieces from years, ago, at the high performance pursuit course at FLETC very helpful in many situations. However, I've sen others, with less experience get into serious life threatening accidents, because they are not constantly aware of situation and are not ready to take a "controlled" evasive action. Most drivers are much better off just driving over minor road debris, than to take an evasive manoeuver. I've shown up on many accidents, where the driver overcorrected and "killed" themselves and others.

 

You enter, apex & exit turns in a similar fashion whether on a bike or in a car, just that you don't drag your knee around corners in a car I know my limits riding or driving. Swerving around a critter is not an issue to protect my Prius. She's too pretty to mess up

Mike

 

Funny story ... well actually not that funny! My wife was taking my Prius last weekend to visit her sister in Cape Cod. We have a double width driveway with a single width apron. As she was backing out of the driveway the passenger side front wheel went over the transition from the apron to the curb. You guessed it, she scrapped the bottom of the front fender. This occurred in the first 30' of her trip! I just shook my head as she was pulling away. She didn't even realize it happened!!!

When she got back from the trip, she said that she got 57 mpg on the trip. I said, "Wow, that's pretty good." It was actually 51.7 mpg. Maybe she wasn't wearing her glasses!

Before the trip I had said to her that if you need to fill up with gas, you have to write down the odometer reading and the amount of gallons you put in. She said "How do I know how many gallons I pumped?" I said, "It's right on the front of the pump below the price." Her reply was, "Really, I've never noticed!"

Thank god she was able to go there and back without having to fill the tank.

 

That's not bad, at least your wife remembers to fill up. My sweetheart drove our RX300 until it just stopped in the middle of the highway. Twice. With the Prius it'll be at least a thousand miles between me having to bring her fuel in a canister.

 

The whole car is a tad lower, period. If you have 4 or 5 people ride in the car, then better watch out for speed bumps and the likes. I took some folks for a ride on my new Prius and so far I've scraped the bottom twice already pulling in and out of driveways, etc.

 

Someone should come up with some stainless skid plates that bolt on.

Mike

 

Riding motorcycles translates to performance experience when you get the Prius up on two wheels.

 

I've got access to a water jet cutter... what do you have in mind? The thing I scrape the most seems to be a plastic air dam that hangs vertically from beneath the bumper, are you thinking of a plate that covers the bumper's underside forward of this dam?

 

Exactly and with a little upward bend to make the front edge very rigid. I have no idea what gauge the material would have to be.

Mike

 

I have. Damage occurred at a transition in a long private drive, a transition from asphalt to crushed stone. Panel appears to be polyethylene or polyurethane and not structural foam or RIM plastic. Price for these simple parts was surprising, about $175.

 

It's been said that the Chevy "Volt" has 3" ground clearance.....Now, don't cha feel better?!.....