I test drove 2 C's and one regular Prius. The steering on the C seems a little stiff to me. I am wondering who else first thought that when they first got behind the wheel of a C and how long did it take to get used to? Thanks!
The C's steering should feel direct and not heavy. As probably with all cars, it varies a little with speed and road surface. If it feels heavy the first thing I would check would be tyre pressures. Dealer sticker pressures feel soft when cornering. It is noticeably lighter if you add 8-10 psi, with better economy. GT-I9300 ?
Power steering varies quite a bit car to car because (1) the difference in steering gear ratios and (2) the amount of assistance applied to turning the steering wheel. My guess is you are coming from a vehicle with high level assistance to the Prius C. Check your old vehicle's turns lock to lock vs the Prius C and you;ll probably find the C less. The time it takes to get used to the faster steering is measured in hours, not days. The advatage BTW of faster steering (less lock to lock) is much quicker response to turning and initially that can be disconcerting. take the time and enjoy. And yesh good point made that the tire pressures have a lot to do with steeri feel. The higher the pressure the easier to turn.
I had the opposite impression... the C's electric steering feels "detached" and too easy... especially on the highway. SCH-I535 ?
That is incomplete advice. One should NEVER exceed the max. safe pressure on the sidewall of the tires......cold. If the Toyota recommendation is 35, then 45 might be over the limit. I got no problem with +5 but folks should be aware of the limit.......AND that very high tire pressures put additional strain on the suspension components too. I think the steering feel on my C is pretty neutral. You can't trust an impression like that from just one test drive. The tires might have been low or the street might have had an unusual surface.
I created a thread in the past with the same problem. I got to go back to the dealer to check it out but they said it's normal. Then I raised the tires' PSI and it helps quite a bit but not like from other cars I've own Avalon, Accord, Ford Van, ...
All tires have a maximum pressure on the idewall, typically50 psi; car manufacturers test various pressures that yield the best combination of handling and comfort is posted on a sticker on the door frame. Exceeding that 'recommended pressure by as much as 15 psig is permissble to increase cornering or mpg at the expense of comfort. But exceeding the tire maximum is not recommended.
The tires on my C actually say 51. I wouldn't call that "typical" though because my Elantra says 44. Quite a difference. Point IS that you should not blindly add air without checking. [edit] AND if you change the brand or type of tires, the new ones may not have the same max. pressure rating as the old ones. Don't ASSume.
The Prius C, like most modern cars is decidedly understeering and thus is heavy steering. As the steering angle and speed increases the steering wheel is harder to turn. Its easily corrected, by disconnectig one side of the front antisay bar but not removing it.
