Gen 2, Steering Tracking Data

[MLW2233]

Having new tyres tomorrow and obviously having it tracked. Nothing in the manual. What is the tracking data for a Gen 2, 2008 prius? Want to make sure they get it right.

[kithmo]

Try this link http://www.brakeandfrontend.com/Article/86762/alignment__suspension_specs_20012009_toyota_prius.aspx

[MLW2233]

UPDATE

Finally got it all done on a Hunter tracking machine. I think they are American. I have used these before and they are amazing. You get a pre and post print out of all the angles after the car, year, and model number are entered in the computer. The car was a tiny tiny bit out. Not enough to scrub the old tyres which looked good with abut 2-3 mm on them. The car now tracks like a bullet along the road. It feels light in the central position and half an inch turn on the wheel sees the car go left or right as if its 'falling away'. All very satisfying.

I bought 4 Michelin Energy saver plus tyres, interestingly made in Italy. Only done about 120 miles and I am 'running them in' as I always do at 50-55 mph. Interestingly I found this on Elite tyres.

We’ll provide you with tyres that suit your vehicle and your driving style. However, there are some things you need to bear in mind when driving on brand new tyres. The tyre surface will feature a number of tiny vent holes from the moulding process. It will also be incredibly smooth.

To remove these holes and properly prepare the surface for day-to-day driving, we suggest tyres should be run in for the first 150 to 200 miles at medium speed on dry roads. All while avoiding sharp cornering and hard braking.

Then, a new tyre should be ready to offer you maximum grip and optimum performance. All new tyres (especially mud & snow tyres) should be run in for the first 150 to 200 miles at medium speed on dry roads, in order to abrade the tread surface.

There are several reasons for doing this:

• Tyres are vulcanised in heating moulds, which will have been manufactured extremely precisely (1/100 mm) and all of their surfaces are correspondingly smooth.
• On the other hand, the moulds contain not only all of the details of the tread pattern with countless sipes, but also all of the markings and a large number of vent holes. All of this retains the tyre when it is being removed from the mould.
• The tyre can then only be taken out of the heating mould easily and without deforming if it does not stick to the mould. Therefore, tyres are sprayed on the outside with a silicone-like release agent.
• It is usual to remove these from the tread by running in on dry roads and at the same time abrading the tread, taking care to avoid sharp cornering and extreme braking manoeuvres. Only after undergoing this type of running-in procedure does a new tyre attain its intended level of performance and its full gripping power.

This also explains why new mud and snow tyres must be fitted before the first snowfall, in order to abrade the surface of the tread.

[kithmo]

In the Infamous words of Michael Cane (in Alfie IIRC), "Not a lot of people know that"

I learned at a very early stage of my driving career, some 40 years ago, that new tyres are not very grippy after writing off my first car the day after having two new tyres put on the back wheels and going round a bend a tad too fast. A wise old mechanic explained exactly what you said above. It's worth mentioning (he told me) that the tyres could take up to 3 times as long to "bed-in" in wet weather due to the lubricating effect of the rain.