I have a 2012 4 model, and I absolutely love it... or at least almost all of it. Where we live, as I am sure is the case everywhere, the roads are getting increasingly degraded every year, and so many surfaces near us are just a mess, with potholes, cracks and rough surfaces rapidly becoming the norm. Those nice smooth blacktops are an increasing rarity on a lot of minor roads. The Prius is just fine on a smoother surface, but on some of these roads, it can be a harsh and noisy experience. Has anyone managed to find an effective suspension upgrade that helps to smooth out these rides, and that does not harm gas mileage or handling?
I was doing some searching for air-ride suspension kits, but could not find one for a Prius. Add to that, air-ride suspension requires a compressor so that's a problem for a hybrid system. Where would you even put a compressor?
Pancake tank at the spare tire and the compressor would fit under the floor in the hatch. Rodney is on air, and there are others, so it can be done for sure.
The last I checked, there weren't many aftermarket shock options for the Prius that differed much from stock. I ended up going with coilovers. While coilovers often offer adjustable dampening, they are still going to be a more performance oriented ride than stock dampers.
For increasing the suspension system's general competence (and not compliance, as the OP desires), the lack of fixed-perch adjustable shocks (Koni Sports, Tokico Illuminas, KYB AGXs, etc.), nor even uprated shocks (Bilstein B6s) for the Gen III Prius has been vexing me for awhile. I'm waiting with money-in-hand, aftermarket.
I would have loved to go with some koni's and ground controls if they were available. Ended up with coilovers instead as I wasn't going to hold my breath.
2 - 2.5k for an air setup!?! Is that if you custom make your own kit? The two complete setups I've seen were 4.5k and 5k Nexus 5
I'd just give it a while. Do you really want to throw expensive suspension mod's at the car because of uneven roads? If things are really bad, maybe consider another vehicle? If you take the plunge: what's the net gain, how much improvement will it make? And: how long will you keep this, and how will these mod's "sell" at sale or trade-in time? (Being in the Accessories and Mod's forum, this is likely falling on deaf ears, LOL.)
Like I said, I love the car and do not want to consider another vehicle. As I also said, the uneven roads harsh my mellow! I would like, in the best of all possible worlds, an upgrade that would ease the bumps and noise, that is not too expensive, would not affect performance adversely, and would not impair the gas mileage that is the major reason for buying this vehicle. I don't chuck this thing around like a sports car, it is a way to get in some comfort from A to B, for as little money as possible. If I need thrills on the roads or track I have my motorbike. It seems that such an upgrade does not exist within the parameters set, which is a shame. I would spend maybe up to a grand on such a thing, but between 2.5 to 6K, which are the prices I have seen for air ride systems, is just silly for this car.
