Rear Sway Bar

Move the seat all the way to the rear, using a 14mm socket remove the front two mounting bolts from the seat brackets. Gently tilt the seat back and slide the washers under the mounting brackets, replace the bolts and tighten.

It lifts the front of the seat up enough to provide support under your knees. Like I said, it doesn't sound like much, but it does make a difference.

Here's the link to the post I originally got the idea from.
Seat comfort | Page 6 | PriusChat

 

Wow, just wow. There is a bunch of e-penis being tossed around in this thread.

Dialing in the shocks/springs/swaybars as a group is a great idea on a track car, but on the street, it is a wasted effort. Especially so on a Prius. The fact of the matter is that a Prius on street tires is incapable of the cornering loads that would require a complete adjustment/matching of the springs/dampers/swaybars.

Does installing swaybars make the Prius handle perfectly? No. Does it make the car roll less? Yes. That is the result that many owners are looking for. If they got the result they seek, then it was worth it. BTW, there is no such thing as a perfect 'set-up' when it comes to car handling. Each driver wants something different. Car set-up is more analog than digital.

Mr. Harvey, why do you feel the need to tell people what is right or wrong with their car? People spent their $ and like the result. Does that upset you? Why? Running around telling total strangers that they are doing it wrong, isn't making you any friends. How about suggesting solutions instead? What have you done to your Prius that has worked for you?

I have recently installed the THSmotorsport rear swaybar. The car exhibits less roll, it allows me (and my wife) to corner with more confidence and control. I actually took the time to take some pictures of the car cornering (hard) with the stock rear swaybar. Once I am able to clear my schedule, I'll do the same with the bigger bar. For added information, my car is running Eibach lowering springs, brand new KYB struts, and 18x8 wheels with Hankook V12 tires (215/40-18). Because I'm cheap, I'll add a front swaybar when one becomes available in a local scrapyard.



While I'm new to the Prius, I'm not new to the world of performance cars. I regularly track my C6 Z06. It too has been modified for improved cornering.

If this was too long to read, here is the short story: If a larger rear swaybar makes the owner happy on the street, it doesn't matter that the springs and dampers weren't optimized for track use.

 

Thanks, I totally agree with you.

 

5:27 am On FedEx vehicle for delivery - whoohoo!

 

Definitely gonna try this as well - 6'2" - all legs....

 

I too am interested in the seat modification, but it does create a weak point in the event of a crash. I'd hate to have the front of the seat detach from the car.

I'd use stronger (better grade) bolts and use one spacer vs. multiple washers.

 

i was kinda hoping to get the seat's rear brackets lower. my head is too close to the roof. but i'm too lazy to do any heavy mods on em.

i personally appreciate harv's input even if we don't agree. if he's driving a prius he's good in my book.

keep looking for a used front bar. you will love it!

 

I totally agree with you putting a larger rear sway bar on your Prius without the intention to track the car or any car is a bit too much like masturbation to me. a cheap thrill. I have not spent any money on my Prius other than the cost to purchase it or general maintenance. Building a race car is expensive and requires a lot more than sway bars. Personally I have never found the need to improve the handling of my Prius. I think that the fact that Toyota spent millions of dollars paying top end engineers to design the stock suspension components and suspension geometry is OK with me. If you think that spending $150 bucs on upgrading your sway bars on your Prius is a good investment then you must be a really good investor or really dumb.

Don't take anything I say seriously. It is only my opinion. I would be just as brutally honest with my real life friends as I would with my Internet Friends.

 

Seriously!, Warning! Do Not Try This At Home!

 

I guess reducing body roll is a cheap thrill, now that you mention it. body roll really drives me nuts. but also, turning causes the outside wheel to be pushed into the wheel well, correct? the heavier sway bar forces more of that drop to the other wheel, and causes the car to squat a bit, which lowers the center of gravity, which also increases the cornering ability. this isn't about building a "race car" but just making the car more enjoyable to drive. if i got to spend 2 hours a day in my car, it might as well be as enjoyable as possible. some folks might think upgrading the crappy oe stereo is a waste of $$ too. but its all about the driving experience.

toyota didn't spend $millions for the engineers to design everything to work optimally, but rather to design a car that will make profits; it has to do everything just good enough to sell. there have been aftermarket and even factory upgrade parts available for over 60 years for all makes of cars because the manufacturers don't build them perfect.

 

Well put shovlhed, I don't have a long commute most of my driving is done in the city at or below the legal speed limit. Like I said before, don't take anything I say seriously it is only my opinion.

 

Ah yes, the typical 24yr old know-it-all. You disagree with someone so you resort to insults like you did in Lockview. What you refer to as brutally honest is, in reality, incredibly ignorant.

Welcome to my ignore list.

 

So is this another one of your...

 

Which race cars are we talking about? Have you any idea what goes in to a race car? I'm almost done with my first race car and I'm out only $4k, including initial purchase price.

This is "Prius Chat" not "Harvey Chat". We're here to talk about the Prius. We're not here to get your opinion. If you have experience that you can add to a discussion, please do so. But if you're just here to spew opinion and copy-paste from other websites, you're going to end up on a lot of ignore lists.

 

This is one way of looking at it. Another way of looking at it is to say that turning loads the outside tire. One has to be careful about any suspension component that unloads this tire, as less load means less traction.

 

Not that this has ANYTHING to do with the topic of REAR sway bar... but...

Also Wilsid & NeoPrius did the 24mm front sway bar upgrade...

Found this when I was looking for some notes on the installation of the front sway bar...

Figured with all these instructions, I should be able to figure it out. Thanks!

 

it's all about meeting needs, I have a long commute about 120 miles round trip every day. I have to fight idiot drivers and if you dare try and drive at or below the speed limit you'll get run over or ran off the road around here. So I need to be able to make safe quick maneuvers, and I just generally hate bodyroll. I do value your opinion even if it isn't the same as mine, but we have different wants and needs. Hope you have a good weekend!

 

*idiot drivers means people in big rangerover SUVs driving about 75 to 80 mph who run right up behind you tailgating everyone in their path.

 

Wow, this thread has sure taken off...

SPH-D710 ? 2

 

hey!!! tell us about your experience w/ the front sway bar!!! and also you did mention putting a straight pipe on your car. how did that work out? any performance gain or did it just sound cool?