Posted by News on September 30, 2010, 10:21 pm
On 9/30/2010 6:42 PM, Leftie wrote:
> News wrote:
>> On 09/30/2010 11:32, Al Falfa wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 9/29/2010 11:40 PM, Larry Van Wormer wrote:
>>>>> A very good question, since the likely problem is insufficient caster
>>>>> for good on-center feel. Wonder if it's usefully adjustable on the
>>>>> Prius?
>>>>>
>>>>> (I've found it very useful in the past to slightly increase caster
>>>>> settings on the front suspension of a car, to help improve the
>>>>> centering....)
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> What's the stock caster setting?
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Far more efficient than increasing toe-in scrub and drag.
>>>
>>> I don't understand the concern over the caster setting. If you go back
>>> in this thread you will see the caster question was posed in response to
>>> this:
>>>
>>> "I increased the pressure in my tires (42/40) to improve mileage without
>>> seeing any measurable improvement. The ride got rougher and the steering
>>> became overly sensitive. I'm going back to the the lower pressure Toyota
>>> specifies."
>>>
>>> I have since gone back to the recommended pressure which, in turn,
>>> restored the ride and steering. In other words, the steering issue was
>>> solved by simply restoring the tire pressure to Toyota's recommended
>>> level.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> The original question was posed by 'Leftie', who has not indicated a
>> solution:
>>
>>
>> Al Falfa wrote:
>> >
>> >> We are used to cars that self-correct a bit to keep the wheels
>> pointed straight while driving on the highway, but our new Prius
>> doesn't seem to want to self-correct. It has the 15" wheels and OEM
>> tires, 40psi front, 38 rear. Is this normal, and can it be improved?
>> >
>> > I increased the pressure in my tires (42/40) to improve mileage
>> without seeing any measurable improvement. The ride got rougher and
>> the steering became overly sensitive. I'm going back to the the lower
>> pressure Toyota specifies.
>> >
>> >
>>
>> My fallback option is to go to 38/36 and see if that helps.
> That's right, and the input is generally appreciated. I thought that
> maybe increasing the caster setting might help, but is there any downside?
Well, if it's not designed to be adjustable, your necessary use of a
large hammer will surely void your warranty.
Perhaps some Prius mechanical expert knows whether caster is adjustable
and whether there is a more elegant fix than using said large hammer.
Posted by News on September 30, 2010, 11:39 pm
On 9/30/2010 6:42 PM, Leftie wrote:
> News wrote:
>> On 09/30/2010 11:32, Al Falfa wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 9/29/2010 11:40 PM, Larry Van Wormer wrote:
>>>>> A very good question, since the likely problem is insufficient caster
>>>>> for good on-center feel. Wonder if it's usefully adjustable on the
>>>>> Prius?
>>>>>
>>>>> (I've found it very useful in the past to slightly increase caster
>>>>> settings on the front suspension of a car, to help improve the
>>>>> centering....)
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> What's the stock caster setting?
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Far more efficient than increasing toe-in scrub and drag.
>>>
>>> I don't understand the concern over the caster setting. If you go back
>>> in this thread you will see the caster question was posed in response to
>>> this:
>>>
>>> "I increased the pressure in my tires (42/40) to improve mileage without
>>> seeing any measurable improvement. The ride got rougher and the steering
>>> became overly sensitive. I'm going back to the the lower pressure Toyota
>>> specifies."
>>>
>>> I have since gone back to the recommended pressure which, in turn,
>>> restored the ride and steering. In other words, the steering issue was
>>> solved by simply restoring the tire pressure to Toyota's recommended
>>> level.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> The original question was posed by 'Leftie', who has not indicated a
>> solution:
>>
>>
>> Al Falfa wrote:
>> >
>> >> We are used to cars that self-correct a bit to keep the wheels
>> pointed straight while driving on the highway, but our new Prius
>> doesn't seem to want to self-correct. It has the 15" wheels and OEM
>> tires, 40psi front, 38 rear. Is this normal, and can it be improved?
>> >
>> > I increased the pressure in my tires (42/40) to improve mileage
>> without seeing any measurable improvement. The ride got rougher and
>> the steering became overly sensitive. I'm going back to the the lower
>> pressure Toyota specifies.
>> >
>> >
>>
>> My fallback option is to go to 38/36 and see if that helps.
> That's right, and the input is generally appreciated. I thought that
> maybe increasing the caster setting might help, but is there any downside?
Well, if it's not designed to be adjustable, your necessary use of a
large hammer will surely void your warranty.
Perhaps some Prius mechanical expert knows whether caster is adjustable
and whether there is a more elegant fix than using said large hammer.
Posted by Leftie on September 28, 2010, 8:32 pm
Al Falfa wrote:
>
>> We are used to cars that self-correct a bit to keep the wheels
>> pointed straight while driving on the highway, but our new Prius
>> doesn't seem to want to self-correct. It has the 15" wheels and OEM
>> tires, 40psi front, 38 rear. Is this normal, and can it be improved?
>
> I increased the pressure in my tires (42/40) to improve mileage without
> seeing any measurable improvement. The ride got rougher and the
> steering became overly sensitive. I'm going back to the the lower
> pressure Toyota specifies.
>
>
My fallback option is to go to 38/36 and see if that helps.
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>> On 09/30/2010 11:32, Al Falfa wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 9/29/2010 11:40 PM, Larry Van Wormer wrote:
>>>>> A very good question, since the likely problem is insufficient caster
>>>>> for good on-center feel. Wonder if it's usefully adjustable on the
>>>>> Prius?
>>>>>
>>>>> (I've found it very useful in the past to slightly increase caster
>>>>> settings on the front suspension of a car, to help improve the
>>>>> centering....)
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> What's the stock caster setting?
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Far more efficient than increasing toe-in scrub and drag.
>>>
>>> I don't understand the concern over the caster setting. If you go back
>>> in this thread you will see the caster question was posed in response to
>>> this:
>>>
>>> "I increased the pressure in my tires (42/40) to improve mileage without
>>> seeing any measurable improvement. The ride got rougher and the steering
>>> became overly sensitive. I'm going back to the the lower pressure Toyota
>>> specifies."
>>>
>>> I have since gone back to the recommended pressure which, in turn,
>>> restored the ride and steering. In other words, the steering issue was
>>> solved by simply restoring the tire pressure to Toyota's recommended
>>> level.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> The original question was posed by 'Leftie', who has not indicated a
>> solution:
>>
>>
>> Al Falfa wrote:
>> >
>> >> We are used to cars that self-correct a bit to keep the wheels
>> pointed straight while driving on the highway, but our new Prius
>> doesn't seem to want to self-correct. It has the 15" wheels and OEM
>> tires, 40psi front, 38 rear. Is this normal, and can it be improved?
>> >
>> > I increased the pressure in my tires (42/40) to improve mileage
>> without seeing any measurable improvement. The ride got rougher and
>> the steering became overly sensitive. I'm going back to the the lower
>> pressure Toyota specifies.
>> >
>> >
>>
>> My fallback option is to go to 38/36 and see if that helps.
> That's right, and the input is generally appreciated. I thought that
> maybe increasing the caster setting might help, but is there any downside?