Improving a Prius's suspension?

[MadScientistMatt]

I have been thinking of buying a second generation Prius for a long commute; the one thing I'm not sold on is the way a lot of late model Toyotas handle (my wife drives a 2005 Camry). I'm not looking to win an autocross, but I am wondering if there are any inexpensive ways to make it corner flatter, turn in faster, make it less biased towards understeer, and in general make it a bit more rewarding to drive. And preferably on a budget. For example, I've heard of a Corolla sway bar swap; does anyone have more information on that?

I figured if anyone had good information on improving the suspension on these, it would be on this forum.

[vskid3]

Have you driven one? I would see how you like it to begin with before looking into mods.
Priuschat would probably be the best place to get advice. There are chassis braces that are under $100, and someone said unhooking the front sway bar made it understeer less.

[MetroMPG]

Well, bumping up the tire pressure alone is going to help with turn in/responsiveness.

Daox (forum admin) put a rear sway bar on his Prius and swears by it.

I just poked him -- hopefully he'll chime in or add something to his Prius thread: http://ecomodder.com/forum/341500-post1.html

[nemo]

Originally Posted by vskid3

someone said unhooking the front sway bar made it understeer less.

While this may reduce understeer body roll will be increased. Matched front and rear bars the best way to go imo.

[Frank Lee]

I've heard that stickers- lots and lots of them- make cars faster.

[nemo]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I've heard that stickers- lots and lots of them- make cars faster.

Only if they are for car parts.

[MadScientistMatt]

Originally Posted by vskid3

Have you driven one? I would see how you like it to begin with before looking into mods.

Not yet, but I haven't driven very many cars where I was happy with the factory suspension tuning out of the box.

Thanks for the links about Priuschat and Daox's build; I'm looking them up now.

[Cobb]

You can use other things than stickers.

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I've heard that stickers- lots and lots of them- make cars faster.

[aardvarcus]

I don’t have a Prius, I have a Celica, but here are some of the ways from my personal experience to help with a cars handling.

First, you have to have good tires on your car. I removed basically new low profile 205/50R16 tires from a budget brand off of my Celica when I first got it and replaced them with 205/65R16 high profile Michelin Energy Savers. I fully expected the handling to get worse, from the taller sidewall and the low rolling resistance tread pattern, but surprisingly it got noticeably better. I since moved on to 195/65R15s of the same type and also like them. Make sure you have a good quality tire to start with.

Aftermarket sway bars would be the next best upgrade for cornering. Matching front and rear, or for a budget build just replace the end links and bushings on the stock ones. I noticed a decent handling improvement on my Celica when I installed the aftermarket sway bars, but on my big heavy pickup truck just replacing the front bar made a significant night/day difference. On my Celica the back one was easy, but the front one was difficult enough that most people would have taken it to a shop. Do a little research and budget DIY/shop labor accordingly. Note there will also be a slight loss in comfort from stiffer sway bars, as bumps on one side affect the other side more.

Next, stiffer springs also will aid in cornering and responsiveness, but at a small loss in comfort. I chose to go with springs that will make the car sit slightly lower (less than an inch drop) but have about 50% more spring rate. This upgrade is best when timed along with replacing your shocks/struts.

Shocks/struts can also aid handling, but remember they are a limited lifespan item so don’t blow the bank getting a set. It is better to get moderate/decent ones and then replace them when they get bad.

[elhigh]

When I was blowing my workday on Jalopnik, we came to the conclusion that the first and best money is spent on tires. After that, suspension upgrades (bushings, springs and struts or shocks), then bars or brakes depending your priorities.