rear suspension with it's rigid tension bar.

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Technical Discussion' started by Former Member 68813, Aug 25, 2012.

  1. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    I fixed a slow tire leak today and in the process I examined the rear suspension closely. I had one rear corner jacked up and could easily see the difference in position of both rear wheels compared to the frame. The difference was only in the range of 1 inch. Mind you one wheel was in the air, and the other was bearing the doubled weight.

    I also examined the substantial torsion bar with it's C-shaped cross-section and closed edges. I don't see how any additional anti-sway bars could benefit this very stiff arrangement.

    I know that members that installed rear anti-sway bars raved about performance increase. Did anyone do a blinded test on a different driver that was not aware of the upgrade?

    This reminds me this old story on placebo effect in 2nd gen Prius (scroll to the bottom 3 paragraphs):

    Prius plate
     
    #1 Former Member 68813, Aug 25, 2012
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  2. Dark_matter_doesn't

    Dark_matter_doesn't Prius Tinkerer

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    If you go into the Mods forum and search on "rear anti-sway bar", you should find at least one long thread about putting them on 2010's. I bought a Toyota one intended for a 2008 Scion xB which is apparently identical to the one in the Prius Plus package. There was discussion about just how much an additional sway bar in the rear would help, and it does seem to help though a double-blind test with two vehicles, one with and one without, might be interesting.
     
    #2 Dark_matter_doesn't, Aug 26, 2012
  3. Jonny Zero

    Jonny Zero Giggidy

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    A lighter wallet can lower the total load on the vehicle and improve handling.
     
    #3 Jonny Zero, Aug 27, 2012
  4. s3nfo

    s3nfo Member

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    On the rare occassion when I take my wifes Gen 3 for work and she has to drive my Gen 2, which used to be hers 3 years ago, she always complains about "how hard I am on cars" and "The ride is a lot stiffer and the steering is too tight". Maybe she suffers from pre-placebo effect since I've never told her I added a stiffening plate and rear TRD sway bar. I'll tell her what I've done one of these days so she can be downgraded to just placebo effect.
     
    #4 s3nfo, Aug 27, 2012
  5. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    Are you talking about Gen 2? I'm not familiar with its rear suspension. I was talking about Gen 3.
     
    #5 Former Member 68813, Aug 28, 2012
  6. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    That is certainly true (to a limited extend, LOL).

    One mod in my Prius that was a night and day difference was pumping the tires from the stock 32PSI to 40PSI or more. The handling is so much improved, I do it in all my cars. It's free too.

    The only thing is I never tested that in a blinded fashion, so it could be a placebo effect too, I guess.
     
    #6 Former Member 68813, Aug 28, 2012
  7. s3nfo

    s3nfo Member

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    Well, yes, I'm talking about my Gen 2, not my wife's Gen 3, but you can understand my confusion since you said in your post "This reminds me this old story on placebo effect in 2nd gen Prius (scroll to the bottom 3 paragraphs):"
     
    #7 s3nfo, Aug 28, 2012
  8. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    In that case, my prius should be floating in the air like a hovercraft. :0 lol
     
    #8 spiderman, Aug 28, 2012
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