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Gabriel Ultra struts and Prius Offroad install

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by tomlichu, Jul 30, 2024.

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  1. tomlichu

    tomlichu Junior Member

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    Read about KYB front strut assembly having some potential issues with the spring bulging and rubbing the fender. I opted to buy the Gabriel Ultra struts (G57738 and G57739). Additionally, I have bought the lift kit from Prius Offroad. I did not find any posts about Gabriel Ultra struts so I figure I would make one.

    Last weekend, I installed the Gabriel Ultra front struts, new stabilizer bars (MOOG) and the front spacers. I consider myself a competent DIYer (I do my own maintenance and work on my motorcycle and Prius). Installing the spacer changed the angle of the wheel hub relative to the axle, which made it a PIA to install on the driver side but a mega PIA on the passenger side. You will need a pry bar, a mallet, and curse words (I did it alone but it was a struggle). Without the spacers, strut and shock replacement is pretty straightforward (if your bolts aren't rusted out).

    Initial impressions:
    • Prius Offroad made a beautiful, high quality spacer. I notice the functional clearance immediately (see picture).
    • Gabriel Ultras seem like a suitable OEM replacement (competitive in price compared to KYBs).
    • Ride is smoother over large bumps (particularly compression damping), but not game changer for me. Did not notice much on the rebound damping. I think my old struts still had a thousand miles left (OEM with 133k miles).
    Will get to installing the rear shocks (KYB Excel-G) and the rear springs from Prius Offroad when I have time again... I think my ride will improve once the rear gets swapped as well.

    This is the KYB fitment issue from Prius Offroad's FAQ section
    upload_2024-7-30_11-2-52.png

    I forgot to do direct comparison of the Gabriel struts like above to see if there were clearance issues. So far, I don't hear anything rubbing from my drives but I also have not bottomed out my struts yet... Will update on this eventually when I get to changing the brakes pads.

    Some pictures:
    PXL_20240727_223731059.jpg

    This is block is something that my car lightly scrapes. Note that because I have the lift kit installed in the front but not the rear, my car is tilting slightly up now. This makes the clearance pretty high in the front. I expect this gap will be a little smaller once I install the rear kit.
    PXL_20240730_020313892.jpg
     
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  2. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    I went up 1.7 in I think it is 40 something plus millimeter 47 and I can't remember now . They're red and white tall It's 1.7 in US whatever that is metric everything went back together even the extended longer top plate bolts and everything I'm using struts that don't have the big fat round springs they're more straight and uniform they are non-variable rate The struts I bought come this way I don't know if that makes it easier to reassemble or not but mine just pretty much jumped in the car and I leave the tops loose just with one or two turns on the three nuts and then I can move everything around I usually have everything below pretty much undone so that I can move everything around as I want to and then I just blast it all back together and that's it I did the fronts and the rears at the same time same amount of lift 1.7 in you will clear most all parking stones and all that. Now it's time to roll up to 2:15/60 maybe 2:15.65 tires and that should be it for this thing
     
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  3. black_jmyntrn

    black_jmyntrn Senior Member

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  4. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Yeah I imagine if you go real off-roading with a lot of these things stuff could certainly break I mean when you increase your bolt lengths from what an inch and a half to over 3. You're just asking for that kind of stuff but this setup is not for real off-roading it's for off the pavement sure but not rock climbing mudding and all those silly things that people do predominantly off-road You know riding up fence lines and stuff like that is quite a bit different than the mud bogging and all that sort of thing which you're not going to do in the Prius. Generally in the Prius you're not going to yaw the suspension that far you'll be at risk of breaking other things. But then again that's what you expect when you go out off-roading even in prepped vehicles that are made for it so vehicles that are retrofitted to look like they're made for it don't really fit in this mold that well I raised mine so I can get in and out of it easier pretty much that's it The lift kids look pretty similar these are big thick blocks and longer studs and that's about it I don't think they're specially hardened or anything like that I don't think many of them will be I would think you'd want them to be soft so that they would bend rather than just snap
     
  5. black_jmyntrn

    black_jmyntrn Senior Member

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    I cant say that I agree with you, the Prius and I go real off-roading all the time... never broke anything... The lift kit I have installed, those upper bolts are welded in place. Also, no bolts were increased.. from the source that way.



     
  6. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Oh for God's sake You're in a generation 3 yeah okay that doesn't even count in my book but there you go yeah complete another car we have anyway that there in my neck of the woods that's pretty much just a dirt roads and driveways manicured trails whatever you want to call it stomp down by animals other bigger four-wheel drive vehicles whatever yeah perfect No you shouldn't be breaking anything doing that that is a fact I'm talking like rock crawling and mud bogging and what have you they probably don't do that in California a lot maybe I don't know. I don't know how you're not going to lengthen anything when you put 40 mm spacers in the studs that go into the top bearings and plates have to be lengthened in order so some threads will show to get a nut on there is another way to do it with a sleeved long nut but I doubt anybody's really tackle this can't wait to see these pictures
    .
     
  7. black_jmyntrn

    black_jmyntrn Senior Member

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    Heh.... guess you didn't know I just swapped a Yaris motor in my 2008 and a new fuel tank plus lithium hv battery....

    I also have a way to install the manual water pump on a 2014 Prius C motor which I plan to investigate to completion and If alllll the good energy I put out there to help others ever cones back, my hope is it is in the form of me being able to complete a 1.8 L motor swap into the 2008 all the while utilizing the 2008 CVT and system and ECU and all...

    That said, I get a kick out of the internet when it tries to tell you something about yourself and they've never been a fly on the wall witnessing anything multiple states away. The best part of this part failing under moderate to heavy usage.. what it provides is a false sense of something that's not there, personally... also why, those that need to know, they know those studs are as they come from the manufacturer.

    Did you know. KOH is in California? Sigh... like I said, here to help and I've got some magic up my sleeve that'll.... heh... stay tuned
     
  8. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    What fuel tank did you put in the Prius you mean you just put another Prius bladder fuel tank in your 2008 You want to run the 1.8 l motor the ZZ engine or an NZ sits. Shouldn't be a huge problem my friend I mean it really shouldn't whether you have to make up an adapter plate been done for many other Toyota engines like the 3S GE that's been installed and almost every hot car on the planet by somebody for some reason. It would seem to me it actually want to get to 1.8 engine and it's nice transmission with the sun gear in it so something from I don't know all the way up to 2020 probably would work so you get to take advantage of that transmissions design which is a big part of the generation 3 platform least I would think. But then you're going to have a lot of fun changing plugs and getting things to plug up and communicate and all that sort of thing be a big job.
     
  9. black_jmyntrn

    black_jmyntrn Senior Member

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  10. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Yeah that's a standard JDM swap we've been doing those since the '80s That's how the engine comes cut off at that harness that's how they all come. So this is the M2A 2 l Cool nice far as I know that engine maybe is problematic as the ZZ series engine that you just left in the last series Not sure yet this is similar to engine that was used in the Camry detuned to 2 l if I'm not mistaken I haven't had time to really look into it that's probably a model that I'll be skipping just saying If I can't get close to 400k right off the bat I'm usually not too interested just saying and this is all fine and dandy because I'm assuming you have a car to drive while you play with the aluminum bottomed Prius . So then this is like a big kids erector set. So basically it's quite unuseful to people needing transportation until.
     
  11. douglasjre

    douglasjre Senior Member

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