2016 Handling/ Shocks

You can buy all kinds of braces and springs for the earlier v's. I would assume the same soon for the 2016's. See this post with some pics around #17: Handling of the Prius v | PriusChat

I can tell you from personal experience that the car is pretty nimble as is and can thread a needle when needed.

 

You may not have noticed this, but the v is a station wagon.

1) no, why do you want to grind off the bottom of your car? I hit the front on the ground daily, the back is less often but not impossible.

2) Not that I am aware of. The v is a larger liftback, so no larger cars use the same body. Toyota sells very few, perhaps 1/5 as many as Liftbacks, so aftermarket parts will be high as there is no economy of scale.

3) Not that I am aware of, the rubber spacers I see in a JC Whitney catalog increase ride height, not lower it.

4) I suspect Toyota thought buyers would be larger families than Liftback owners. (I use mine as a service truck, but I am not a typical buyer either)

5) The electronics that effect the suspension are actually controlling the drivetrain, as I understand it.

The v is much more stable, smoother, and less floaty than my previous Gen 2, which did U turn quicker than my v.

 

that actually means the suspension is doing what it is supposed to. stiff suspension feel is created by a) performance tires and b) artificially shortened bump stops. strut and spring stiffness and myriad other factors are secondary to these two things. the prius comes stock with some crappy low rolling resistance tires, if you desire more performance they are the first thing you should change. bump stops thing is a marketing trick common on "performance" cars and it's doubtful they added it to the prius v although i could be wrong.

libraries generally keep haynes manuals but you may have to request they purchase it since it's a 16 model.

easiest way would be cutting the springs.

if they were compatible, that would raise your ride height which would give you the effect opposite what you desire.

again, opposite effect

 

The single biggest improvement to handling that you can apply to the car is to throw away the OE tires and put a set of decent tires on it.

Also good to note that the suspension is specifically designed to enhance the efficiency of the car. Isn't efficiency the reason for buying it?

 

Pitch and Bounce Control; Better Ride, Better Handling
A new feature, Pitch and Bounce Control, works with suspension enhancements to improve ride comfort and control. Because the Prius v is a larger vehicle more likely to carry loads and passengers, front and rear suspension components have been redesigned to improve handling and ride quality. Front coil-over spring and damper capacities have been significantly increased and a new upper support has been designed. The steering gear has been attached to the front suspension member, and the stabilizer bar repositioned for more responsive steering feel and enhanced ride comfort.

In the rear, a torsion-beam suspension design has been fitted with appropriately tuned springs and dampers. The new rear-suspension system is designed to help ensure stability and ride comfort, and it has a lower mounting point to improve luggage space.

Pitch and Bounce Control uses the torque of the hybrid motor to enhance ride comfort and control. The system, working with wheel-speed sensors and in tune with the suspension, helps suppress bounce and toss motions to improve comfort for occupants. Because it helps control the balance and posture of the vehicle as a whole, it also functions to improve handling response.

Standard wheels are 16 inches in diameter, with 17-inch wheels available as an option.

 

Sounds like the op is running 20lbs of pressure in the tires, or has a 2000lb gorrrila on the roof.

 

This is not correct. Tires are a big handling impact, but not the biggest impact on stiffness, by far. Bump stops are designed specifically for the strut travel of the strut they are mated to and should not be artificially changed. This is not a recommended, or primary reason for stiffness.

There are many reasons a suspension will feel more taught, and when done properly, they make the car handle better. A partial list includes:
1) Stiffer compression or rebound valving in the struts. This and springs (#2) are the largest impact on how stiff the suspension feels
2) Stiffer springs (need to be matched with strut valving or your end up bouncing when under-damped)
3) Harder bushings in the suspension components and linkages
4) Unsprung weight
5) Sidewall stiffness of tires
6)....

A lowered car can ride as well or better than a stock height car when the suspension is done correctly. Strut valving has a bigger impact than springs (e.g. my race car with 800lb/in springs all around rides better than my streetcar with 300lb/ in springs because of the superior strut valving in the race car). Springs have a bigger impact than tires. Bushings are a trim. Unsprung weight is felt mostly over bumps and sudden transitions in direction.

You may have noticed I left out sway bars and undercarriage braces... The reasons:
Sway bars and strut bars don't do much to make the car feel stiffer, but do make it feel sharper... and when done correctly, handle better.

Under-carriage braces often add NVH because you transfer more vibration into the cabin that otherwise would be absorbed by the chassis. But they don't actually stiffen the suspension. These are really not necessary unless you regularly really stress the chassis, or your chassis is older and the welds are weakening.

 

it's absolutely correct. notice i said stiff feel, not stiffness. these are two different things.

bump stops should not be artificially changed, but as i said they are anyway. because of marketing. probably not in the prius, typically in performance cars, but i haven't actually checked this model.

 

OP,

It states using the traction motor to suppress motion with inputs from wheel speed sensors and the ride height indicator.

My hypothesis: It uses torque from the motor (accelerates, basically) when it detects dive. It obviously must not correct for breaking, hence the wheel speed sensors (although why not just use a servo on the brakes?). It could decelerate or apply front brakes when lift is detected on the front end.

This seems rather clunky to me and open for serious liability if it fails, so I'm not sure it is correct. I suppose you could try to disconnect the ride height sensor to see how the behavior changes.

Jonathan

 

Still not correct. A) I've never seen a factory car with bump-stops not designed to match the strut travel. I suppose it is possible, but it costs nothing to design this properly to begin with, and B) you only feel "stiffness" from cut bump stops if you are fully compressing the structs and they bottom out without the benefit of the bump-stop. This is more of a jarring feel when sudden. If you are cornering very hard, you might also fully compress the struts and bottom them out, but if you are cornering that hard, and you have shortened the stops, you did it on purpose (some folks do this for autocross cars, but only as a last resort).

 

Here is some mod I did to my 2015 "v" version 4. The front handle is better and the rear no longer swing around like a boat. The only thing I have in the back is a 35 lb stroller and a 10lb back pack. Maybe give that a try to see if you like it before playing with the spring. (Lower car typically your tired will wear uneven if not properly done. Cheaper on mod then new tires)

Laile Motorsport Beatrush goodies and more...! | PriusChat

 

nobody especially autoxers would shorten the bump stops aftermarket, when they pay a lot of money to do the opposite. why do you think miatas are so popular for autocross? it certainly isn't the 100 ft lbs of torque...

Fat Cat Motorsports - Suspension FAQ Part 1

 

Agree - this is a poor choice. I wasn't condoning it at all. But I've seen it. I've been racing cars (mostly autocross) for over 20 years, and before I raced cars, I raced karts, nationally. I always discourage this. I was just making the point that nobody changes bump stops for "marketing" and that OEMs design bumpstops in line with the struts. The whole bump stop conversation was very mis-informed, and I was attempting to correct mis-information.