A week ago, or so, there were several new stories about a mid-year upgrade to the Prius in England. These changes were to address "straight line stability" and other handling issues. Does anyone have any word on when/if these changes will be made on cars delivered to the US? Anyone asked their dealer? (I'd ask my local dealer, but they are awful and I try to avoid them.) There must be someone out there who can get some information.. One of our respected Prius Master Techs? I am very interested to know because I may be ordering soon, but the handling problems trouble me. I know many have no problem, but there seems to be a fair number that do. If there is an existing solution, I'd certainly like to have it included on my car. I'm not in any rush, so even if it meant waiting for the 2006 models, I'd probably do that. But, I'd like to at least confirm that it will be added sometime (I suppose there is a chance it will always be a Europe-only change?) I'd appreciate any information that anyone has....
I really think you should go over to the dealer and test drive a Prius on the highway for yourself. THEN you can determine if you feel there is a problem. I, originally, experienced the "wander" with my Prius - but it "wore off" after about a week and my Prius tracks FINE. I have a hunch that it had to do with the tires getting enough standard wear on them.... Yoda
I have to say that the early 2005 that I bought handles much better than the 2004 that I test drove. I haven't found any information about a recalibrated suspension but I thought the 2004 was awful, and the 2005 is not bad. I don't have any of the wander and poor handling complaints.
i have an 04. I experiance that wonder. I wish there is something i could to to improve the situation myself. I don't have the stock tires. I'm running on 18" Kumho low profile tires. Even with these 18" tires, i still get wonder. Most of the wonder is artificial. the car stays strait but feels like it's moving. It's a sort of a floating feeling. I do have a problem with the wheels following the road.... let me explain: I drive fine.. some may argue this. lol. If there is a dip in the road ( like when they grind old lines away ) then the wheels will try to follow it. With the extended amounts of driving i do every day, these problems can't be ignored. At some point in the day it bugs me. I did figure out that if i sit upright ( no leaning back at all ) and have my hands firmly planted at 4 and 8 on the wheel, with my arms and shoulder firmly in place; the car is much easier to steer. I feel like a dork driving like that, but it makes the car much smoother because i am providing force to the wheels at all times. I'm also moving with the car, since im firmly planted in the seat.
A little bit of "toe in" may help the situation, but at the expense of gas mileage and tire wear. Hard to say how much... Nate
Hey I resemble that remark. Actually I drive with hands on the 3 and 9. With cross winds of up to 60 mph I may look like a dork but I pass at least 1 accident a day and constantly see other cars drift into other lanes (some talking on cell phones, some just not paying attention), but all of them usually have just one hand on the wheel. The cops have now been pulling these people over (not sure if they are getting a ticket or warning). Not to mention I have not figured out what I am going to do to protect my arm rests. I am afraid of staining the fabric with grime. Keeping both hands on the wheel keeps my arms off the rests.
I truly wander. But my Pri doesn't... :wink: FWIW, when I put 17" LPs on my Solara, it REALLY accentuated the "road wander" in SoCal on pathces of road that had been prep'd for re-paving. And the rain grooves, too. I, too, noticed the "wander" when I first got "PeeDee". And I got used to it as well. Very sensitive steering and smallish steering wheel is my thinking as to contributing factors in why it is sooo responsive. I bet wider tires would do the same for the Pri as it did for my Solara. More tire to contact the road, i reckon. Just finished my longest trip in her yet ( 500+ miles on one tank! Joined the "500 mile long club!! :clap: ). Rarely even noticed it. I immediately replaced the G'years with same size Hydro-edge Michellins so I can't really compare the OE tires...i do know the HydorEdges are much quieter.. Speaking of my trip i gotta say it was very comfortable and non- fatiguing even with 200+ pounds of gear and about 125 pounds of dogs with me. Averaged 49 MPG and crossed the 1000 Mile mark as well as the "four stick" mark. And the "all green" battery marks come to think of it.. just my .02 worth...
I find that in our new 05 Prius, I have a difficult time keeping the car from wandering where as my girlfriend has no problem whatsover. The car doesn't actually appear to wander but it feels like it's wandering and so I'm constantly (unneccessarily) trying to correct. I think we've decided that I'm used to a much stiffer car and so am not yet used to the soft squishy Prius ride. Hey V8, what's the offset on your rims? If your rims are to far off in offset and/or your tires are substantially wider then you're more prone to get the tracking issue you described.
