Purchased 2015 Prius v last month. Love it so far, but... It replaced 2002 Honda Accord. Honda had issue with over-riding parking barricades and sidewalks, etc. and scraping/damaging undercarriage. Was hoping v had more front ground clearance - it doesn't. It may actually be lower. Likely part of aerodynamic design... Is there a product or add-on to apply to front undercarriage (haven't looked under there yet to see what's possible...) that would serve as a sacrificial, wear down item to protect the original components? I expect to hear that I (or my wife who drives it most of the time) should learn to avoid over-riding obstacles, but am hoping for useful comments as well Thank you!
The bottom of my v has seen more rocks than I care to admit. Seems like the biggest problem is with heading into curbs and parking bumpers. There's a small plastic lip sticking down in front of the wheel that tends to contact the curb before the tire does. Seems like the curb height limit is about 5". That said, it seems to be able to stand up to plenty of abuse even though it makes a big racket. Yes, its an aerodynamic feature to deflect air down in front of the wheel.
Every time I pull into a parking spot my wife is wincing, waiting for the SCRAAAPE. The odds are about 50/50 of clearing curb/wheel stop. I'd expect the v's similar. There is a plastic underpanel under there, that bears the brunt, but best to stop a bit short, the fasteners on it can get chewed up, and they are pricey. The panel is really pricey.
I often wished my cars would come with those little radar parking assist items up front... just like some cars have in the rear. I have scraped the front undercarriage of my cars much more often that I care to admit. Back-up camera to the rear... and radar to the front would be perfect. /Jim
I've had similar problems (not with Prius V though, other Toyota hybrid), dealership told that tyre size change is the only option :/
AGREE.......... Had previously posted... anyone with experience with mounting a FRONT facing camera to assist with parking... did not get any response....
My wife's "play car" is a BMW Z4. I bought it for her as a surprise birthday present... but it was actually her graduation present for 17 years of driving minivans. The first day she drove it, she hit a curb and broke a fairing off the bottom. That car is so low that sometimes it feels like it will scrape if the parking space lines are painted too thick. What's worse is that the nose is so long... and the rear of the car is so short... that it is an optical illusion that you naturally pull too far forward based on your driving position compared to other cars. With the Z4, I've found that forcing myself to line up with the rear doors of adjacent cars is just about perfect. /Jim
There's a Lo- Tech item, a springy feeler you can mount on leading edge, like cat's whiskers. They can backfire though, snag something and rip off, along with a chunk of your "bumper".
OMG... I forgot all about those. It brings me back to my youth looking through J.C Whitney catalogs at trinkets for cars. Is that company still in business? Cat whiskers, fuzzy dice, gas pedals shaped like feet. An endless cornucopia of stuff. /Jim
REALLY, "sccrrraaape"? How about not running into the curb or tire bumper but just using a little situational awareness instead of "parking by feel"? My v is lowered 1 inch and I just have a care when parking. BTW, I think you guys need a hybrid Highlander, not a Prius v if you are worked about curb hitting your bumper's splitter. I lowered mine for handling reasons and the side benefit is slightly better gas mileage at highway speeds - maybe 1/10 mile per gallon if that.
It'd be nice if the Prius had a bit more ground clearance. A typical car will clear a typical curb, and it's the tires that touch first. But you lowering guys are in another league.
Amazing all the work to lower the prius closer to the ground ,, I'd like to raise it 4 inches or So to prevent damage to what we call the front bumper
