2010 gen3- When to replace struts/shocks?

Alan,

I would think that after 150K the struts and shocks are probably fairly worn. Not sure which tires you have there. Got the Michelin Primacy MXM4 on our Prius. Have them aired up to 51F and 50R (17" tires and wheels). Rides and handles like a dream even in a strong cross wind. Much much better than our old Gen II was. Every time I passed a 18 wheeler or was being passed, I would have to counter steer to stay on the road. Not with the Gen III we now have. Not sure if it is the tires, new suspension or just what but this thing is rock solid on the road. Even when the streets are wet it stays firmly in place. Feels real comfortable and safe too out there on the highway even at 75 or 80. I usually don't drive the Prius that fast, but it is good to know that it does handle well at those speeds.

Ron

 

Although I really think the problem is with the tires Alan, I was asking my service manager about the shock/strut issue with the GenIII's and essentially they have a super long life, not really determined by miles as far as their experience but likely by road conditions. Unless you can see any staining from leaking oil on any of your shocks, likely they are still fine.

It's funny, but I recently replied to a replacement tire question elsewhere here and mentioned the user should at least take a look at the tires I went with for replacements. They are ultra high performance snows actually designed for year round use. The handling and over all responsiveness of these tires are remarkable. In your neck of the woods I don't think you need the snow and ice performance of these particular tires, but if you have any of the time limit left to switch to a different tire assuming your purchase is recent enough... check that out first I'd suggest.

The tires I bought this time around are Nokian WRG3's and I run them at the door frame pressure cold... get excellent fuel economy and sharp but comfortable and quiet performance. I can't see changing to another tire when it comes time to replace these once worn out assuming I still am driving my 2010.... 5 years on her and likely get 5-6 years on these tires, but maybe the GEN 5 Prius will be tough to avoid....

Tires make a huge difference on this car I find.

Roland

 

Absolutely, the tires on the Prius make a big difference in ride, economy, longevity and traction. Choose carefully and be educated about the tires you are going to purchase BEFORE you spend your hard earned money.

Ron

 

I remember the old "bounce" test for shocks, but it doesn't hold very true on newer cars and vehicles with good suspensions.

My best "test" to know when your shocks need replacing is when you hit bumps and you notice your wheels skip more than they should because the shocks are letting the tire bounce rather than holding them in place. If you hit some "chatter bumps" and you have a skip or two, that's fairly normal. If it lasts longer than that, your tire is likely bouncing from the shock.

Depending on your driving habits (pickup trucks tend to get it worse than cars), by 100K you need to be watching for this. No need to replace them if they are not bad, but if you replace one, replace all.

 

Just had the 200,000 KM service and my shocks are still fine despite considerable KMs on rural dirt roads. It depends on what sort of terrain you drive and the luck of the draw on the assembly line.

 

Also, while this indicates bad shocks/struts, if you have severe nose dive under heavy braking, that's an indicator that they need changing.

It's not easy for me to explain, but in physics, once there is nothing left to absorb your forward momentum, the weight of the car shift more onto the front tires. This can overpower the traction that the front wheels have to help you stop. The springs and shocks/struts absorb enery and keep the full weight of the car from transferring into the wheels directly.

It's easier to illustrate with a motorcycle. Brake hard enough and the back wheel comes off the ground (and this is why motorcycles on the street put the vast majority of braking power on the front wheel...as momentum shifts to the front, there is less weight holding the rear tire to the ground...reducing the effectiveness of the rear brake).

If there was no suspension, turning or braking at any significant speed would get ugly very fast on what we are used to as wheels/tires.

 

I replace my original rear shocks last week. 120,000 miles and thought it was time. The ride was not horrible, but felt like it was riding rougher that it use to.
When I compressed a new and a used shock next to each other, they both seem to have the same level of slow speed compression.(Me pressing down at both at the same time and approximately the same force)
Rebound speed was different between old and new.(Sorry I forget which one was slower...)

Once installed, the ride it different. The is smoother ride and the ride height has increased. How much??? Not sure, but I noticed more room above the tire and the rear fender.

They were very easy to change out the rears and the cost was not too bad.
I did notice that the Toyota shocks are manufactured by KYB(Same shocks on my snowmobiles and MX bike ) Very good quality. Too bad they are not (easily) rebuildable. LOL! Cause a oil change and a Nitrogen recharge is all they need.

Fronts are next.

 

I run my Nokians at the pressures listed on the door frame placard, 35psi front and 33psi rear with cold tires. (or not having been driven for over 3 hours)

And yes Alan, my car has the 15" wheels just as pictured in my avatar... blizzard pearl ATP Canadian package.

Roland

 

Hi windstrings, although theoretically and statistically possible, it is unlikely that your shocks would suddenly go bad just at the same time as you get new tires.

At least part of the "mushiness" of the new tires is, with absolute certainty, due to them being new. The thicker tread of new tires absorbs quite a bit more of small bumps, and deforms much more from side to side when cornering than the thinner tread of nearly worn out tires. This results in a smoother ride, slightly less cornering traction, and significantly slower and less precise steering response.

If you replace worn out tires with new tires of exactly the same model, you will notice a big difference. I have done that, and I was surprised at the big difference.
.

 

Check out this little blog written by a fellow with a 2010 Prius, and he bought a set of Nokian WRG3's.

Hakkapedia blog | Page 2

I found it very helpful before taking the plunge myself. Plus I read European reviews and checked for Youtube information and reveiews of any and all tires that might be good for our cars.

The elephant in the room when it comes to tires is now upon us, at least those of us with 2010 cars.... age of the rubber.

There are fellow PCers here, who drive very few miles per year, they may also change tires and or rims for 6 months of the year to cope with winter conditions. The tires they have no doubt 'look' great and are not worn out in terms of tread depth... but they are now over 5 years old.

There have been people killed, sometimes killing other road users because their tires have failed due to age.

This can happen in hot weather, or even if you have to turn suddenly to avoid an obstacle on the highway, the tire basically self destructs.

Very sadly, many tire retailers have and apparently still will sell people so called new tires, that have sat on a rack and are actually older than the recommended 6 years.

If anyone hasn't heard of this issue with tires, learn about the 4 digit date of manufacture code stamped on your sidewall. The first 2 numbers are the week of the year, and the second 2 numbers are the year itself.

I drive close to the average number of, miles, kilometers up here, and by having one set of tires on all year, not extending the number of years I might run by changing to winter tires.... I can use up and get my money out of the Nokians I have now as they have a treadlife that lines up with my driving pattern so that after 5-6 years they should be worn out before they get too old to be safe.

Guess I am also suggesting, that if you don't drive a ton, why select something with a mega treadlife limit if the thing will be on your car for 10 years and could end up killing you because it is too old to be safe to drive on. Getting killed is worse than having to dispose of a tire that still looks good to your eyes and wasting some money. So be aware of how old your tires are in addition to how much tread you have on them to help with rain snow and slush, as well as keeping them properly inflated.

Ok... enough preaching.... be safe and well out there folks.

Roland

 

That is a lot. Good for you, but when you read all the messages here, it is clear that many drive very little.
Just an honest concern that others are not aware of the issues related to driving on old tires that visually may appear fine.

Roland