Ground Clearance?

It does seem pretty low, but I haven't had a single problem.

 

I haven't had any problems either.

 

Pedestrians tend to thump when you go over them. Other than that, no problems. The ground clearance is comparable to most cars. There are so many SUVs around that normal ground clearance doesn't look normal.

Tom

 

Only time I've bottomed out on a speed bump was with over 800 pounds of relatives in the car. Also the front bottom does not scrape as much on parking barriers as my minivan did, so it must be a little higher up.

 

I try to run over polite people that are considerate and try to minimize the thumping -- mimes are especially agreeable to run over.

Actually, the question makes me remember a news story a few years back concerning the fact that many smaller cars could possibly get wedged under the back end of a SUV in an accident. Relates somewhat to ground clearance. I haven't seen anything lately to be concerned about but I'll do some research.

 

I can get out of my friend's driveway, which is quite steep and empties onto a street curved the other way (driveway might be 8 degrees, street is maybe 2 degrees, total = 10 degree change in a matter of one foot). If I go too fast the front will scrape the bottom (entrance angle I think is the term that applies). That's the only place I've ever had a problem (except getting too close to some higher concrete blocks/curbs when parking in parking lots). No damage that I know of. Driving on roads hasn't been a problem with potholes and debris. Same with speed bumps, it bothers the driver more than the car. I've dragged bottom on fresh snow without noticing. I remember some major dips in a couple residential streets in Texas (inverse speed bumps I guess) that might be a problem, but I haven't been there in years, and that's the only place I've seen ones like that.

I came from a Subaru Outback that had 7.9" clearance but it hasn't been a problem.

 

I haven't hit anything "normal" on the road, but our last snowfall was about 6" and the front air dam did plough the back alley for a few days.

I don't take extra precautions either. Not like I had to with my 1993 RX-7! Our roads tend to be pretty rough, due to the extreme weather conditions. Especially now, with "global warming", where we get frequent freeze/thaw cycles. It used to just get cold and stay that way!

 

I scrape the front spoiler on driveways on occaision.

 

My driveway scrapes the air dam every time, even at slow speeds. Also, watch out for parkinf lot curbs. Mine almost always hits.

 

That's one reason why I always back into parking spaces (fuel economy is the other reason). You can use the backup camera to consistently avoid hitting anything with the bottom of the car.

 

I understand the ground clearance to be about 5 and 1/2 inches..
Roughly 16 CM?

 

????? How exactly do you save fuel by backing in to a parking space... aren't you going through the same motions except in reverse order?

 

I got down and took a good look at the underbody of my 2008. Much to my surprise, the lowest hanging part of the car was the exhaust pipe forward of the rear axle. It hangs low the full measure of its diameter, ~1-1/2 inches.

From the perspective of getting whacked by road debris, never mind aerodynamics a cylinder is a very 'dirty' shape, the pipe runs perpedicular to the centerline for more than 12 inches.

Maybe the pipe is hung out in the breeze intentially for cooling. Maybe the pipe is being offered as a sacrificial piece to protect the rear axle. I for one don't know.

I hesitate to think about what the pipe/mufler would cost to replace. I'd check at Midas before going to Toyota.

FWIW, there are a number of prior threads on "Ground Clearance:"
PriusChat Forums - Search Results

 

I read on here awhile back that if you've got to go into reverse, it's best to do it when the engine is warmed up. I'm not sure if that's actually true, but I figure it can't hurt to try it anyway.

 

I can tell you that getting into our garage here in San Francisco, the bottom of the chassis scrapes a little bit at about the midpoint - it's a slight upslope into the driveway, then over a concrete 'hump' before pulling into the garage. This is where it scrapes the bottom. I have a huge piece of cardboard laid out on top of the 'hump' to keep metal from scraping concrete. Still, it's aggravating. I have seen some Prii parked in driveways in and around our neighborhood where I honestly don't know how people do it without ripping the front or back bumper off.

Also, It's pretty easy to scrape the small black air dam on entry and exit of driveways in and around this city - even when you are careful, it's just close to impossible will all the crazy angles, dips, and hills that we have.

 

it is pretty low. One night after leaving a friends party at a strip club out here, the parking lot had this HUGE speedbumps, I mean these thing's where beyond anything I had ever encounterd before. Anyway, luckily I noticed this monstrosity before it was to late and slowed down to 3mph, but still scrapped the the center of the chassis. I have yet to check for damage, but what can you do..once your on that hill of a hump, might aswell grind your way down. I dont think it do any damage, except surface marring probably.

 

Biggest problem I encounter with clearance at the front of the car is curbs for head-in parking - I now avoid pulling all the way up to a curb but once in awhile I forget and scrape against the curb. After the first year of owning the car I ended up having to replace what appear to be covers (this is not the right term but I don't remember what Toyota called them) that exist right behind the bottom of the front bumper because the screws were ripped out by rubbing up against the curb. I assume these covers are there for aerodynamic reasons.

 

No, that's silly advice. It doesn't make any difference. Perhaps if we were talking about backing up a long steep driveway I could make a case for doing it with a warm engine, but not backing into a parking space.

Tom

 

When backing up you are powered by a MG only (there is no "reverse gear"). So having the engine warm is rather superfluous.

Canadian Prius comes with "mud flaps" (package "B" and "C" anyway). They scrape on curbs when I park as I try to get as close as possible to them in the end spot so the moron beside me has no excuse to dint the doors. It usually startles me when they scrape, as the noise is rather loud - enough I often think I've hit something as I'm backing in (I prefer to back in to a spot as I control when I'm backing). Unless there is a "pull through", in which case no backing up is necessary. Nothing on the sides or back of the car is low enough to contact the curbs, except the mudflaps. The front is another matter!

At any rate, the mud flaps are now showing some "chewing" on the bottoms, due to being dragged over curbs.