2007 rides rough after new struts

Maybe you have something loose in the interior making the loud noise? What shocks did you buy? Did you replace the dampers along with the shocks? They look like rubber boots

 

OEM or aftermarket?

 

A g2 Prius rides extremely hard. A very reliable car that has the ride quality of a stagecoach especially if you are using LRR tires or are hyper inflating the tires to increase mileage. Some people notice it some people don't. I see many posters with 200,000 miles on the original struts which hit like a jackhammer over bumps and don't notice it. And like you and me some people notice it.

Try lowering the tire pressure to 35 lbs that will help a lot. Or sell the car.

 

You replaced only front (spring & strut) and rear (spring & shock). You replaced too few parts.

FRONT:
You only replaced 14- strut, 17- strut spring.

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Optimal FRONT replacement should have included:

22- (strut mount) support
21- dust seal
20- seat
19- upper insulator
18- bumper
16- lower insulator​

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REAR:
You only replaced 1- shock, 5- shock spring

Optimal REAR replacement should have included:
11- upper support
10- lower support
6- upper insulator

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If you bought complete strut/shock assembly, it should included the parts you did not change. If you bought the Unity complete assembly, be prepared to change again very soon: low cost, low quality, short service life.

 

Monroes are awful. And This car is all tire and you will feel the difference between different tires.
I bought my car new with Goodyear integrities and they are the worlds worst tire hard as a rock.
Then I bought Kumos they are a very soft tire they felt great but poor tread life. Then was talked into Goodyeay Triple tread and they ride like crap too. The Kumos felt great . Solus K21. Cannot wait to get back to Kumos.
I buy my tires at tire rack and drop ship them to my tire guy.

Some people are really in tune with the cars feel some people could drive a stagecoach and not mind.
This is mainly my wife's car and she does not notice his bad it feels.

 

You never mentioned the details. you say they LOOK like there complete assembly's. were they complete Monroe shocks with springs attached or did you just buy Monroe struts and they moved your old springs over to them?
But there's really not much else that makes a big difference in ride other than the shock. There's the top bearing that needs to be replaced also but that affects steering. It allows the strut to turn. There's Also astyrofoam bumper stop but that does not affect ride quality it just helps the shock not to bottom out and the rest is just dust boots.
I bought every part on the front and rear strut assembly so I know in detail what's on these assembly's.
The core ride quality is the strut itself.

And again in closing Monroe struts suck. I bought KYBs and they were pretty good for about 30,000 miles and then the ride was back to crappy. But even when they were new the ride is brutal. It's a tight chassis short wheelbase car. It's mission is getting groceries not touring.

 

The KYB's are guaranteed for life, so if they wear out, you can get new ones for free (installation is on you - not free).

JeffD

 

Thank you.

 

I bought the oem stuff to replace mine, rears were only $52 each from camelback Toyota. Rides beautifully

 

In Post #1, you say

Conclusion, too few parts were replaced.

In Post #5, you say

Conclusion, complete strut and shock assemblies were used, NO additional parts needed to replace: a complete assembly will contain all new parts outlined in my post #7.

Which is it? Damper(strut/shock) and spring OR complete assembly were replaced. Go back to the shop and find out exactly what was replaced and get the Monroe part numbers used.

$1k and the ride still sucks, I would be pissed too.

If Monroe parts were used damper (strut/shock) and spring, you will likely have to buy Monroe equivalent parts listed in post #7. Trying to fit OEM parts onto the Monroes may not fit correctly.

If a Monroe complete assembly was used, you will have to just accept the bad ride, assuming the dampers are not defective to begin with. Or spend money to switch to KYB. Pretty much ALL shock/sturt makers offer lifetime warranty on the dampers; Monroes have lifetime warranty too.

172358, Monroe Quick-Strut Assembly LEFT; $118.75 at Amazon
172357, Monroe Quick-Strut Assembly RIGHT; $133.69 at Amazon
172394L, Monroe Quick-Strut Complete SHOCK Assembly LEFT; $134.56 at Amazon
172394R, Monroe Quick-Strut Complete SHOCK Assembly RIGHT; $141.97 at Amazon
$118.75 + $133.69 + $134.56 + $141.97 = $528.97
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I spent ~ $319 on KYB and Toyota parts, back in 2014, replacing the front and rear, wear components. Springs were reused, as they were fine, and for most people last the life of the car.
See post #13, Additional Front/Rear Strut Replacement Parts Needed Too? | PriusChat

 

A Lexus they are NOT that's for SURE!!!!!!

Yes, they ride rougher than many comparable cars, even when everything is good with them. Aftermarket may be rougher yet, spring rates and strut valving can make a rough ride into a HARSH one. Combine that with the fact that the most often chosen replacement struts/shocks are actually stiffer than stock and you have a potential disaster on your hands.

The tires, regardless of inflation pressure (you mention 35 psi) can have a large effect, simply from sidewall stiffness that is built into the tire. The Defender series are not known for a rough ride or as a performance tire, so I doubt that is causal.

 

Your picture shows a NEW front strut (right or left), NEW strut spring, NEW rubber boot cover (Toyota calls Upper Insulator), to protect the strut rod from the elements. A picture shows a red label with "Quick ...". This leads me to believe the shop used the Monroe "Quick-Strut," a COMPLETE NEW Assembly. A complete assembly would be all NEW parts referenced in post #7, for an optimal replacement. You should call the shop or look at your receipt, to verify if just individual parts were replaced (strut/shock, spring) or the new Monroe Quick assemblies were used.

The Prius rides hard as others have pointed out, even when the car was new, off the dealership lot, back in 2007. If you are not the original new purchaser of your current Prius, but rather a 2nd/3rd/4th/etc owner of the Prius, this is the reality of the Gen2 Prius: they ride hard, compared to many other cars. Gen3 and the vagons ride a lot better than the Gen2 Prius, IMO (in my opinion). Can not comment about Gen4 and Prime, as I have not driven/ridden in those yet. However, probably would be safe to speculate these most recent models ride the same as Gen3/vagon, or better. Gen2 unfortunately is a back breaker.

Assuming the replacement parts are not defective, and the shop did the replacement correctly, have them look at the many bushings. I say this b/c you said the car does "BAM! BAM!," over every little crack/bump in the road. I interpret the "BAM," as something hitting hard, jarring the whole car, and being metallic sounding.

 

05 nailed it.

 

My 2005 rides perfectly with oem replacement shocks. Not too soft, not too hard. I can go over railroad tracks at 35mph and not feel much of it.

I once made the mistake of replacing 10 year old bilstein shocks on my 4runner with brand new kyb shocks, the ride was so bad, I ended up selling the car

 

In my case I bounce between the Prius and other cars and the ride quality is very noticeable. My wife only drives the Prius so does not notice it so much. My new KYB's were better but that did not last long maybe 40,000 miles and then back to the harsh ride. I replaced the oems at 70,000 miles becasue the car rides so poorly. Its tolerable with a really soft tire like the Kumho's.