I am looking at adding the TRD suspension springs and rear sway bar. Anyone have any feedback on how it handled afterwards? Was it worth it? Did you notice anything?
I went from driving a Porsche to a Prius. The soft ride is putting me to sleep. My commute changed and it wasn't practical to use the Porsche as a daily driver.
There are a few guys here who have.. at least one other also on Tein coilovers. If they dont respond here, you may have better luck in the Accessories and Mods forum. There are also a number of other mods that would help the "putting to sleep" part.. such as the front strut tower bar, front and mid under chassis brace, and upgraded front sway bar (which you can also use from a RAv4 Sport, I believe).
I've installed the TRD springs/sway bars along with the Tanabe strut tower bar and under brace. IMHO, It does make a difference and feel it's worth it. Pros: - Less body roll when turning. - Less body flex going up/down driveways. - Car feel more stable at higher speed in windy condition. Cons: - Watch your speed going over speed bumps. - The springs drop the front end a bit so be careful pulling into a parking spot with a tall parking block. - Potential for the struts to wear out prematurely.
I would inquire about the drop difference in the rear vs. a regular Prius. My onmly gripe with the TRDs and Eibachs is that they make the car sit level which makes it look like it is sagging lightly in the rear. Will the PIP be worse due to the heavier battery? Example: Finally: Installed the TRD Springs and sway | PriusChat The H&R springs ride lower in the front and higher in the rear than the TRDs/Eibachs so they may be a better option for the PIP. This is just a guess though. Here is a pic with TRD, H&R and TRD spring equipped 2012 Prii. We measured the wheel well gaps and the TRD cars were both higher in the front and lower in the back than Sean's H&R car.
I really think it's an optical bionary caused by how massivly recessed the rear tires are (combined with heavy shadowing). Looking down at an agle from standing the rear looks lower, but step back 10 feet and crouch down on one knee and it looks much more level. My extremely percise and highly calibrated Android level app tells me the car is almost perfectly level. I found a level piece of ground (which is irrelevent since it's a reference point) then put the level on the lower rocker inside the front and rear doors and checked for level. it's almost perfectly level with a hair rake to the front. So close a full vs. empty tank of gas could probably sway it.
I had H&R springs on my MR2 Turbo. The ride was poor, due to their very high spring rate. I've never heard any complaints about the ride quality with TRD springs on any platform. TRD springs installed by a dealer will not invalidate your 3 year bumper to bumper warranty. If your struts fail prematurely with H&R springs, you might have trouble getting them covered under warranty.
