Am I the only one who feels that the Prius has a low rear suspension? I have the mudguards and coastaltech hitch and I feel that sometimes they are danger close to the ground. I really try to stay away from carrying more than 4 people (including myself) in the car or else I feel like the rear is heavily sagging. I could take out the mudguards and hitch, but that's not really the issue. The car looks ackward when fully loaded with passengers and gear.
Yeah, I've bottomed out with 3 people in the back. I would say it's to do with the ground clearance. I'm sure my Camry would lower just as much but will have a smaller chance of bottoming out because of the slightly higher ground clearance (except for that oddly protruding exhaust pipe....)
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(silentak1 @ Oct 24 2006, 10:51 PM) [snapback]337803[/snapback]</div> Yes, I've found it much too low. There's a speed hump in a road near here and if I have only one passenger in the back I always hear a nasty bang on the floor when I go over it, even at 3MPH. I would hesitate to drive this car on a very rough road with deep depressions in it, but I've never had the same problem with any other car. It's my biggest criticism of the Prius.
I want an adjustable Citroen style suspension on the next model. Bottoming and snow clearance are real problems.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tomdeimos @ Oct 25 2006, 07:06 AM) [snapback]337878[/snapback]</div> Me too! Hope Toyota is listening, or someone finds an aftermarket solution.
The TRD kit, although it makes the car lower, bottoms out less due to a stiffer ride. The stock suspension has a lot of give for ride comfort.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Presto @ Dec 3 2006, 02:27 PM) [snapback]357111[/snapback]</div> Yeah but it's not exactly comfortable to begin.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oxo @ Oct 25 2006, 04:37 AM) [snapback]337861[/snapback]</div> I've also found it way too low, especially on the rarely repaired Western MA roads I travel. One bump I avoided almost all the time nearly took out my exhaust system one very snowy day. Luckily, the skilled repair shop near here welded it, saving me many $$$ in replacement costs... Still having fun with my 2001 - 109,900 miles and counting....
I wonder if there are any air shock kits or adjustable height coil-over kits that could be adapted to the rear suspension.
