Lowering Prius IV on stock 15's

You must be reading car and driver. My wife and I were laughing the other day about how much better the Prius was than any of those reviews from the "profesionals" would lead one to believe. The car handles very well unless you are going to try and play sports car in the twisties. If that is the case IMO you bought he wrong rig. One thing I learned when a bit younger is that when you change one thing on a car it often affects other aspects, sometimes in a vey bad way. The Prius sits pretty darn low as it is. I would be very surprised if she did not start bottoming out if you lower her.


RAL

 

In short, you'll be fine. Noticeable difference in handling, still a comfortable ride. Won't be as soft but won't destroy your back either.

SPH-D710 ? 2

 

Some have lowered theirs and upgraded the wheels to 16" mostly because they just don't like the looks of the oem but want to keep the mpg. Perhaps you could lower it and just get some better tires than the oem ones. I had a Corolla with the crappy 15" Good Year Integrity tires. As soon as they were done I got Michelins and the difference was night and day, same wheels. I'm sure you could find a better tire but may lose a little mpg. Lowering should definitely help but if you keep the oem rubber I don't think you'll get the full benefit. It seems on Prius that improvements come with compromises.

 

i suggest adding suspension upgrades before lowering. cheap and easy mods: Rude person's's center brace, front brace (Rude person's or tanabe), or even tanabe or cusco strut tower bar. i listed the cheapest and most effective first.

 

One of the reasons why it feels as if it doesn't handle or hold the road well maybe because of the 15" wheels. I am actually impressed with how my Prius handles all stock 17's. The mpg loss I've read range from 1-2 to 5.

More specifically, handling wise, what did you want to improve? body roll, overall stability?

 

Interesting to read about people's perception of what "handles well" means. Most manufactures like Toyota build cars for the everyday driver. I owned an Acura TSX a while back and I thought that car "handled well" until I added a thicker rear sway, strut tower bar, 18" wheels with low profile tires and coilovers. That car went from "handles well" to "oh, now I know what those BMW guys are talking about". Could I have bought a BMW? Sure. Would I have spent about $20K more on it? You bet. For me, I liked the Acura and for just a few thousand more, I had a hooked up car that would handle just as well in the turns as a BMW.

So, comparing the Prius with past experience, to me it handles like a small car should, but its still a pig.

I miss this car

 

Joe Rocket you already said it. The Prius handles as it should. I find it feels firm and solid. The ride is comfortable with not too much road noise. If I wanted something for aggressive driving the Prius would not be on the short list or any list. After reading several "expert" reports on the Prius I almost did not even test drive one. I expected it to be a wallowing pig without enough power get out of its own way let alone go up a hill without stacking angry drivers behind it. From what those fellas reported when you did manage to get up to a decent speed you would be driven mad by wind howl and road noise. I am not to sure what car they were driving but I found a well manered gas sipper that is surprisinly comfortable and while no race car has enough power to do what needs to be done.

RAL

 

Lowered on stock 15s.

 

Lowered on 15's with covers removed.



17's....i've since switched back to 15's...kind of like the look in its own right

 

Lowered on stockers. My last tank avg. was 50.7 mpg calculated.

 

I agree, if I didn't have this to play around with on the weekends I would be a bored bored man driving the Prius everyday. The upside to the Prius is that it only costs around $35 to fill while this costs me $75... and the Prius' auto transmission is a plus too.

 

Can I play?

 

Pick me!

 

That's one sweet Neon. What does it run in a 1/4?

 

LOL, this thread sure got off track, but I'll play too!

Btw, my 2010 will most likely be lowered on stockers for a while.

 

Cranky Old Man Rant:

Listen, I know it's generational. And so if you like doing it? For whatever reason? Keep on doing it. But I admit, I don't get this fascination with "lowering" vehicles.

I own a Honda Fit....with as it left the factory suspension. And what I've noticed is that almost anyone under the age of 30 wants to lower their Fit.

Which I just can't believe. "As Is" The Fit sits so low I have to be extra careful going down steep driveways or going over a speed bump. I can't believe anyone would really want to lower it more.

Aesthetically? I don't get it either. Whenever I see a vehicle that has been lowered? My first impression is "What is wrong with your suspension?". I don't know when it seeped into the collective consciousness that having any ground clearance was an "undesirable" thing.

But I'll end my 40' something rant. Lower away. It will give me a head start on you as we leave the parking lot.