WIND!

Hi ABQ, welcome to PriusChat. There's lots of discussion on Prius handling in windy conditions, and potential cures, if you use the Search feature. Improvements to handling can be found through correct tire inflation (many here use 42 front/40 rear), alignment (you get a free one if you ask for it, get a .02-.05 toe in), and an accessory called the BT Tech Plate, which is available through the PriusChat Accessory Shop.

Many members feel, including me, that the OEM Goodyear Assurance Integrity tires are crap. In NM, if you don't have to contend with rain or snow, they may be acceptable, but they aren't very grippy. Again, a search will turn up many tire threads. Many Prius seem to come from the dealer the same way they came off the boat, out of alignment from shipping. If the tires meet your needs and you get an alignment and still have problems, many members, including me, think the BT Tech plate vastly improves handling. Again there are many threads, but very few of the naysayers have actually driven a Prius with a plate installed.

Your milage is not bad for starting out. The car has about a 6000 mile break in period, after which milage usually improves, but this may be due to a driver break in period as you learn to drive this new car. Lots of good reading here. Check out New owner? Want MPG help? Read this first., great info from one of our own.

Congratulations on a great car!

 

<div align="center">Get the BT Plate!</div>

 

I adjusted the chin spoilers as described by Jayman in post 68 of this thread:

Highway handling thread

Before that, I found the handling squirrelly at high speeds, particularly into a headwind. Changing to better tires (Goodyear TripleTreds) also helped in my case. Now it's fine.

 

Although the European 06 handles better in windy conditions than the 05 (our 06 is like a Touring edition I think), it could be better. I have new wheels now, with a different offset. Makes a world of difference, the car feels much more sure footed now. I'm not sure about the BT stiffening plate, I'd like to see tests that confirm it's not a "placebo" effect.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lowlander @ Apr 7 2007, 01:44 AM) [snapback]419300[/snapback]</div>

Let's not go down that rat hole on this thread too.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill Merchant @ Apr 7 2007, 11:07 AM) [snapback]419304[/snapback]</div>

Oops. Guess it's a windy, winding road

 

I suspect that the placebo effect applies to the plate, tires, and certainly to synthetic oil.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jamarimutt @ Apr 7 2007, 12:57 PM) [snapback]419321[/snapback]</div>

Get out of the rat hole before Bill sees you there!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill Merchant @ Apr 7 2007, 01:16 AM) [snapback]419221[/snapback]</div>

That's not the correct tire inflation. The correct tire inflation is 35 front, 33 rear for an 07.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(adam1991 @ Apr 7 2007, 08:10 AM) [snapback]419325[/snapback]</div>

That is the recommended inflation by Toyota I think that is what you are referring to. But the maximum tire pressure is much higher, look on the sidewall of the tire itself. Many here have increased their tire pressure beyond recommended pressure to improve MPG as well as overall wear on the tire itself. Do a search here regarding tire pressure and you shall see many many threads. I for one run my tire pressure at 42/40 it is somewhat a harsher ride, but it improved my mpg from avg of 47 to 54 or so MPG. Just make sure you keep the front tires 2 PSI higher than the rear ones.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusFTW @ Apr 7 2007, 08:27 AM) [snapback]419330[/snapback]</div>

I've seen the threads.

However, to say that anything other than the factory recommended pressure is the "correct" pressure is, frankly, dangerous and full of liability.

Also, simply looking to the tire's maximum inflation pressure is meaningless.

 

. She has been complaining how bad the new Prius is in the wind, almost uncontrollable over the interstate in the high winds. We have thought about putting cinder blocks or something in the truck to weigh it down to see if that would help...haven't tried anything yet. Has anyone else experienced this? Any comments?!?!

Reply: Consider putting four more pounds of pressure in the front tires than in the rear. This change (I run 38 in front, 34 in rear) together with the BT plate made my 2004 Prius run in the wind as well as a Subaru Forrester. I travel through an area with many wind generators, near Palm Springs, California, so I know what strong wind is, and my Prius does fine. I had my alignment checked, and it conformed to the specifications.

CraigCSJ

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ABQ Prius @ Apr 6 2007, 11:55 PM) [snapback]419208[/snapback]</div>

The Prius is a 3000 lb car. Does not feel as bad in the wind as some cars and SUVs I've driven. Maybe it seems worse in the wind beause compared to a lot of cars, the wind noise is more noticeable?

 

Hi Adam991,

I am not a lawyer, but it seems to me to leave something in an apparent unsafe condition, and not taking precautions to avoid the effects of that condition makes the owner as liable as the manufacturer. Or should.

My experience with the stock tire pressures and stock tires in unmodified condition is that the car is twitchy in gusty cross winds. And possibly dangerously so (depending on specific circumstance).

I added the BT Tech plate and had great improvement. We had the same wind conditions two weeks apart last spring. And inbetween I put the plate on. On both occaisions I held the steering wheel steady, and watched the cars uncontrolled response to a wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph at 65 mph on an interstate, at the same location in the road, in the fast lane, with seperation from other cars. I do not have VSC and this was with the stock tires at the Toyota recomended pressures. During the unmodified test the car had an oscillatory yaw response which was in apparent synchrony with vibrations coming through the seat, that were about 1 second in period, that took several seconds to decay away. This yaw response brought the car left and right 1 to 2 feet. During the second test (with the BT Tech plate) there was much less yaw, and the car stayed within a 6 inch wide track (left and right less than 3 inches off center). The vibration through the seat was now a much quicker period, on the order of 1/5 of a second, and decayed out in about a second. During both tests there was lots of roll, and the plate apparently had no effect on roll. With the plate, as the car had much less yaw, it tracked mostly straight down the lane, versus overlapping the lane markers with the wheel on that side of the car, in the unmodified condition.

I have not modified the position of the chin spoilers. But think that might have promise, as I beleive I feel the front of the car lifting slightly during strong obligue wind gusts.

 

I live in a very windy area also and I definitely have had the problem. I agree with what Bill Merchant and others said, the most important first thing to do is get a 4 wheel alignment. Have the front toe set .02 to .05 degrees toed in (that is the + direction). This is still within the Toyota specification and that little bit of toe in really helps tracking. This alignment should be free, be sure to ask them for a copy of the alignment print out so you can be sure it was done correctly and you can also see how far it was out.

I have the BT Stiffening Plate and I think it helps. Get the tire pressures up, 42 front/40 rear is a good recommendation, I use 44 lbs in all 4 tires and that is OK also. The Toyota recommendation for tire pressure is designed to give you a soft ride but is not good for handling or fuel mileage.

If all else fails you can put on better tires. I have and it helps also, just pick a set of all season radials that have good tracking. I use H speed rated performance tires but there must be a hundred threads on tires here.

BTW after a good 4 wheel alignment with front toe set at +.05 degrees on each side, a BT Plate, and new tires with the pressures up where they should be my car is pretty good in the wind. For comparison I would say it is almost as good as my Honda Accord was off the showroom floor. It does disappoint me that I have to do all those things to a new car to make it safe and drivable. Toyota has known about these kinds of problems for at least a couple of years now and they are to cheap to do anything about them.

 

Tire pressure and armchair-legalistic trolling is ANOTHER deep
rathole, and I suggest you go read this and move on.
.
_H*

 

It *is* twitchy, but after driving it for a few weeks most people learn how to compensate. Give it a fair trial.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(donee @ Apr 7 2007, 12:10 PM) [snapback]419375[/snapback]</div>

The car is engineered as a system, by highly trained engineers, overseen (no doubt) by lawyers.

You may make one change and it may, under certain circumstances, end up doing something you like. It may, under other circumstances, end up doing something dangerous. Unintended consequences, you know.

And it may negatively affect other parts of the system.

So unless you're prepared and able to re-engineer the entire system...

The issue I had was coming here and telling people that a non-factory tire pressure is "correct". It isn't.

See above re: the system of the car.

I also bet that in a double-blind controlled test, the members here overall wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a car equipped like yours and a car straight out of the dealership.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hobbit @ Apr 7 2007, 01:09 PM) [snapback]419397[/snapback]</div>

A police Crown Vic, fully equipped, is WAY WAY different than a civilian Crown Vic. Therefore, it's a way different system and needs to be engineered differently.

That analogy has nothing to do with the discussion here.

 

I don't like the OEM tires. Good tires will help a lot. Also technique. The Prius has very little (if any) dead band in the steering, and it is very easy for a new Prius driver to over control. I have very little trouble with cross winds now, but I did have problems in the beginning.

Tom