Thoughts on TRD Rear Sway bar....

A sway bar controls body lean. It shouldn't make your ride bumpier or noisier.

SCH-I535

 

That's not entirely true. A swaybar is a torsion bar that controls body lean by effectively increasing the spring rate while cornering. It won't have nearly so much an effect on ride quality as springs or dampers, but it will have some effect.

 

Makes cornering truly enjoyable. Get it.

 

I can tell you, having the bar installed myself, that the rear of the car feels more planted to the ground when fast cornering or when driving fast on curvy roads, for example, the stretch of the pacific coast highway between San Simeon, CA to Leggett, CA. Not as noticeable in feel as stock springs to TRD springs transition.



Will it make your Prius feel like a whole different car? Should you go out thinking you have the handling capability of a Porche? No. IMHO, not a worthy investment if you plan to drive the Prius like 90% of the Prius drivers you see on the road.

Only noise you'll get from the sway bar is if the end-links are not tightened to spec (or installed improperly). Then you'll hear popping noise everytime you run over a bump.

 

I had mine installed this past weekend. It cost me $250 for the part and $110 for the labor at my local dealership. Two thumbs up!

 

I have TRD sports spring installed, like yourself. Currently running on stock tires + stock 15" wheels.

Did the install myself without lifting up the car in under an hour:



TRD rear sway bar costed me $212.55 at Toyota Part World, where I also got my PLUS ground effects kit.

 

get it, and install it yourself. Then have fun

 

trd springs and sway bar = a must

 

I ordered my car in 2012 with the full Plus Perf Package. I drive many rental Prius and can say it is a night & day difference in the handling improvement by having the suspension parts. Worth every penny spent.

Mike

 

I say it's a good upgrade. Even on mild around town driving the back end feels much more solid and less bouncy.

 

I would consider doing struts first. If you are running stock tires and struts you are driving a Japanese Buick.

 

My only suspension change is the rear sway bar, added last month, and I've found that it helps the car feel more controlled in crosswinds on the freeway. This was my goal and it met it. I don't feel the need for any other suspension changes.

 

I have been very happy with my TRD rear sway bar. And, from the seat of the pants evaluation comparing last year's performance at Road America's Drive for Babies vs. this year's, I think it was worth it.

 

I would also consider wheels and tires down the road if you're still on 15's.

That where it should start actually, where the rubber meats the road. Then everything is built on this.

 

This is the exact reason I just installed mine yesterday. It makes a huge difference, I immediately noticed the solid suspension feeling in the rear.

 

Just to reconfirm/reiterate (because I missed where it might have been explictly said), the TRD Prius sway bar has a OD of 22.5mm.

 

17"s going in next year, when stock rubbers wear down further. OEM 15" wheels, struts and tires function and ride just fine in all the road trips the Four has been through; rain, snow, desert, forest, coastal, paved, unpaved, you name it.

Spend $$$$ on suspension upgrades so I can dorifuto the Prius through mad parking apexes while in EV mode at my favorite local grocery store's parking lot or do timed circuit round trip commutes to work and back in LA traffic? Nah, I will pass. My current set up works exceptionally well for what I use the Four primarily for - go on road trips.

This I noticed. I frequently drive up the 62-hwy to Twentynine Palms, CA and the crosswind along the stretch of the 62 between the 10-fwy leading up to Morongo Valley does wonders to an unlowered and swaybar-less Prius.