Belly Scrapes

The Prius IS a very low car. Just one of the trade offs in the name of aerodynamics.

 

Maybe this would make a good poll question.

Haven't had a problem with bottoming out. But I never speed in or out of parking lots, either.

 

bottomed out twice in 8k miles. last week i hit a bad one and knocked the skid plates off. this car is very low, it has to be on your mind as you drive or you'll hit things..

 

This is why I'm wary of getting the TRD coilovers. I don't want to lower this low car any more. I do drive over some speedbumps daily, and don't want to get stuck.

 

Surprised the heck out of me the first time it happened. I was turning around in this driveway and the belly just dragged across the surface. I have been driving a truck for so many years and the Prius seats are higher then some cars but the car itself definitely sits lower than you think. I also drag that front bib sometimes coming out of driveways or up some of our steeper streets here.

 

tires are 185/65R15, 14 inch would be even lower.
Aerodynamics seem to always be best on cars that are really low... its a catch 22.

You could have a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT Cabriolet and have even less clearance?
http://www.theautochannel.com/newcardb/ccc...ars&titleid=326

 

OK, sure, are you offering a trade?

 

Ah..well let me think?..... humm... well if I could ah..... NO! :lol:

 

Well, I guess I just need another $410,000 and then I can trade up...

BTW, there are two of them around here where I live, one black and one silver. Darn fine cars. Very easy to overlook the ground clearance thing.

 

People getting surprised by the "low" clearance.. are you coming for a vehicle with a higher clearance like say a SUV?

I came from a Civic and clearance has been pretty much expected and the same.

 

I am coming froman SUV, and a lifted one at that. I have about 15 inches of ground clearance, as opposed to under 5 for the Prius. I REALLY need to adjust my driving.

 

Well my last car was a Honda Accord - and the Prius low clearance drives me nuts sometimes. The other day I actually skipped going in to a Starbucks because it was too hard to park. The only open spaces were skinny & required tight turns to get in, and the turn took the front scraping over the adjacent curb. Argh!

Also my driveway is a problem ... front end always scrapes unless I am super careful & back out at an angle. I guess I should fix the driveway - the car is a keeper ;-)

 

There was the time I took the Prius to a rave out in the woods. I thought the road was paved all the way, but noooo.
It did not do any damage to the Prius, but it is evident that this is what the Escape Hybrid is for.

 

My driveway is also angle only but I scraped the cars with my mid-size sedans as well. I have noticed the lowness of the Prius though - plowing over a "snow chip" left by another car felt like I ripped up the entire bottom

 

I agree in general that the Prius isn't really any more prone to scrapes than other cars with comparable clearances. If you're used to a higher clearance, yah, you can misunderestimate what you can handle.

But, I think there are two issues with the Prius that might make it a little more prone to scrapes.

1) Low "Attack Angle" - this is the angle incline you can approach before you scrape the bottom of the nose. If you notice, the real off-road SUVs often have the nose angled up, and even have angled skid plates right behind the front bumper. The Prius Air Dam is pretty low, and can scrape on driveways and parking curbs. But, I don't find this any more likely with the Prius than with, say, an old Trans-Am or any other low nosed car. Just something you have to learn. You can approach steep ramps at a slight angle to mitigate it.

2) Longer Wheelbase - The Prius has a relatively long wheel base for a car of it's length. Though a Corolla or Civic may have the same absolute clearance, a longer wheelbase will lead to more belly rubs over humps and bumps.

But, in the final analysis, I don't think it's particularly bad for what it is - a small car with low ground clearance.

 

We're developing a number of groves in Florida. I had to drive to a meeting at the far end of a grove path and went over a couple of rocks that I didn't see due to the tall grass. As I went over them I could feel them bend the floor boards up under my feet. didn't seem to do any damage but this has inspired me to buy a truck for trips to the job sites.

 

I wonder if stronger struts would help out?... prob make the ride stiffer, but alot of people have expressed how they would like more of a sportcar feel anyway.

I think if they raise the nose it may kill aerodynamics as air catches in the airpockets under the car.

Ideas:
*Maybe we could mount a small cattle catcher!
*Hydrolyics! with radar so the car will lift when it sees an obstacle coming!
:lol:

I wonder if other "high performace" cars that are low to the ground have similiar issues, or whether stiffer suspension helps?

Does anyone notice if its when the shocks or struts "depress" like encountering a driveway that the bottom hits, or does it happen if the speed is slow?