I live off of a long gravel road that no one will agree to fix which has potholes that are getting progressively cheaper. Legalities and moving out aside, and yes I know my rights but that is another chapter..... I'd like to increase ground clearance so that I don't have to get rid of it and protect it. I had to get rid of my R53 Mini Cooper S because of the pothole depth and I think that the Mini actually had more clearance...just the front lip was too low. Everyone just buys trucks and Subarus (I have both already) in this maddening game....but I don't really want to part with my Prius. It seems like you can't buy an aftermarket skid plate anymore (in most enthusiast communities you are hated on for not buying one but in this circle I can't even buy one LOL). I'd also like to lift the vehicle so that others can break their oil pans first and the road will get fixed. What are some ways to raise this vehicle from easiest to hardest? Thanks.
You could fit a lift kit (like spacers on top of the strut towers), and then bigger sidewall tyres. Get a metal worker to fashion some steel underbody protection? https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lifted+prius
there's some priusofforad (i think thats the website name) threads over in modifications subforum https://priuschat.com/search/250699144/?q=priusoffroad&o=relevance&c[node]=49
pretty sure @strawbrad used some OEM Toyota salvage yard suspension parts from a different vehicle to get significantly more height on his Gen 2. Practically bolt-in. I think larger tires are also possible. Think I heard a 205/70 or 75 is max for not rubbing? Ta-Daaaa...one quick search and here we go!!! Heavy Springs And Lift Upgrade | PriusChat
Since it isn't paved this sounds like a private road rather than something a municipality controls. Perhaps you could just fix the potholes yourself? Possible if it is more of a "long driveway", not so much if it is 10 miles of road. Maybe get a few of the neighbors to chip in?
I got my Prius Prime lifted by a 4x4 shop. I purchased a high-quality, made-in-America kit from Prius OffRoad. This lifted the car 1.5". Then I could run bigger tires on my Prime for an additional 1" (I wanted new tires anyway, got some good all-season tires for dirt and occasional snow). There is absolutely no difference in ride quality, other than I can feel a little more at ease on forest service roads and I can clear parking lot curbs, lol. My Prime is now 7.2" inches ground clearance (a Subaru Crosstrek is 8.7" for reference.) I don't have the equipment or skills necessary to do the lift myself, but many people do it! Here is the community: Prius Offroad Group
can you drag a box scraper each way? on certain gravel roads with the right circumstances of ownership & traffic, it works out well enough to leave a box scraper blade out on the road. You drag it behind you on your regular way in or out, and then decouple it and leave it for another run later. It can make a pretty big improvement to the average gravel road.
Start with one of those cat shields that they use in developing nations. Some of these will act as a skid plate, and they're bolt-on/bolt off. IIRC, this will protect the most exposed portion of your G2. I'm not a cat-napper - so I haven't had a reason to crawl under somebody else's G2 but that's what I would do first. When the roads get fixed, you can sell the cat plate much more easily than some custom fabricated skid plate. Next, I'd look into spring spacers, followed by perhaps some adult-sized tires. The "search" feature in this forum is fairly challenging, but there is knowledge to be mined. Spring Spacers for prius | PriusChat Disregard the buzz-kill statements about handling and "geometry" if you're just doing local ops. If you travel on the interstate a lot or engage in competitive motor-sports perhaps pay a little more attention. The idea here is to do DIY, bolt-on (meaning also, bolt-OFF) mods that will leave your car more desirable to a buyer when it comes time to sell. Good Luck!
Thanks for all of the ideas. I had no idea that the cat shield can also double as a skid plate.....great idea. I thought it didn't cover too much but I will have to check again. The road is too bad to run a box scraper and like the rest of Murica, no one can agree on anything regarding the road so the potholes just get bigger and bigger. It is bad enough where I have lawyered up, but I want someone else to crap in their back yard.
