Gen 3 Road Noise

[Paulie Boy]

Having driven the Gen 1 for over ten years I recently upgraded to the Gen 3.

The Gen 1 was very quiet.

Does anyone else find that the Gen 3 is quite loud in terms of road noise or should I have my bearings looked at?

Thanks.

[Ten Ninety]

It is much louder than it should be for a car of that size. I think it's a "they all do that, sir" issue, rather than a bearing problem.

[kithmo]

Yup, I had the 2010 Gen 3 from new and SWMBO bought a 4 year old Gen 2 at the same time and the difference in road noise between the two was very noticable, the Gen 2 is far quieter, I even considered selling the Gen 3 and buying a late Gen 2 T-spirit. After 3 years I could bear it no longer and traded it in for the Prius+.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Having driven the Gen 1 for over ten years I recently upgraded to the Gen 3.

The Gen 1 was very quiet.

Does anyone else find that the Gen 3 is quite loud in terms of road noise or should I have my bearings looked at?

Thanks.

Tyres. The gen3 isn't as good as some cars, but I've found that when the stock Bridgestones get low (3 mm or so) that they get much noisier. When they're new they're lovely and the contrast when new tyres are fitted is lovely.

If you have some cheap YunSungMoon tyres on, then they're probably going to be horrid and picked up by the slightly thinner sound proofing on the Prius.

[Paulie Boy]

I have almost new Michelin all round.

I have to say I'm a little disappointed with it, as I am with fuel consumption. I used to get the same from the Gen 1. I admit that I may need to adapt my driving style a little and that I am relying on the cruise which was not present in the Gen 1.

Also a little disappointed with quality of the dash and surrounding.

I still like the vehicle just feel a little short changes.

Thanks for your comments.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Double check the Michelins are actual low rolling resistance tyres and not just a Michelin Energy Saver. The Energy Saver range goes from mpg ratings at B to E! E is not very energy efficient. If you have those on they could affect economy. Please just assume Energy Savers are all the same. They're not.

Also, was your car previously owned by a company or fleet? If so, it's likely it has 5w30 oil in it. If it has, that will seriously affect your mpg's on the top end. As previously reported on here, when my car was inadvertently filled with 5w30 I just couldn't get a trip average above 59 mpg however hard I tried. As soon as 0w20 (much more expensive than 5w30) was put in as is required with the gen3, I could get trip averages back upto the mid 70's, or mid 60's without much trying.

Depends on how anal you are about such things. I am, and would drop the oil and fill it with 0w20 regardless just to see. But it isn't cheap and is quite hard to find. Even if you go to Halfords, they don't have it and even have the gen3 as requiring 5w30. Now you can see how confusion reigns.

[Paulie Boy]

Double check the Michelins are actual low rolling resistance tyres and not just a Michelin Energy Saver. The Energy Saver range goes from mpg ratings at B to E! E is not very energy efficient. If you have those on they could affect economy. Please just assume Energy Savers are all the same. They're not.

Also, was your car previously owned by a company or fleet? If so, it's likely it has 5w30 oil in it. If it has, that will seriously affect your mpg's on the top end. As previously reported on here, when my car was inadvertently filled with 5w30 I just couldn't get a trip average above 59 mpg however hard I tried. As soon as 0w20 (much more expensive than 5w30) was put in as is required with the gen3, I could get trip averages back upto the mid 70's, or mid 60's without much trying.

Depends on how anal you are about such things. I am, and would drop the oil and fill it with 0w20 regardless just to see. But it isn't cheap and is quite hard to find. Even if you go to Halfords, they don't have it and even have the gen3 as requiring 5w30. Now you can see how confusion reigns.

The car was privately owned and has been serviced at Toyota dealers since new, would they have put the 5w30 oil in or the more expensive 0w20?

It's going in for a service (main dealer) in June, I'll ask about the oil then.

This was really helpful, I had no idea that the oil could affect the MPG in this way, thanks!

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Read the 'sticky' about oil in the gen3 on the main page of this site. The 'correct oil' is a real stumbling block. Many dealers were unaware in the early days that the oil makes such a difference. There have been a number of reports of them using 5w30 but charging 0w20 on the invoice thinking that "oil's oil", but the owner then noticing a significant drop in mpg's.

The gen3 1.8 engine is made with very tight tolerances and the manual states that 0w20 is recommended, but that 5w30 can be used but must be changed out sooner than later.

Many lease cars which had service items included (mainly owned by companies) tried to cut corners and insisted that the significantly cheaper 5w30 oil is used. Will it do any damage? Hmmm, probably not. But the idea of a Prius is its super economy. If that can't be achieved because £30 is saved using thicker oil, then what's the point. An analogy is that you wouldn't put remoulds on a BMW M3 to save £50 would you?

My dealers have inadvertently used 5w30 more times that perhaps they should!?! I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and they have been quick to swap it back to 0w20 when it was realised, but how many owners have just noticed a drop in economy, shrugged their shoulders and grumbled?

Oh, one other issue I noticed with 5w30 oil is that it is much quieter on a cold start (a positive) but that it also caused the car to be lumpy or slightly hesitant when transitioning from electric to petrol in town. The transition should be totally smooth and seamless (other than when flooring it). If there's a slight 'stumble' then it's probably 5w30. The car was also more sluggish on 5w30 when accelerating up hills etc.

I also noticed that 0w20 is almost impossible to see on the dipstick, even with 80k hard miles. It's almost like water! The 5w30 was ever so slightly darker and more oil coloured.

[Paulie Boy]

Read the 'sticky' about oil in the gen3 on the main page of this site. The 'correct oil' is a real stumbling block. Many dealers were unaware in the early days that the oil makes such a difference. There have been a number of reports of them using 5w30 but charging 0w20 on the invoice thinking that "oil's oil", but the owner then noticing a significant drop in mpg's.

The gen3 1.8 engine is made with very tight tolerances and the manual states that 0w20 is recommended, but that 5w30 can be used but must be changed out sooner than later.

Many lease cars which had service items included (mainly owned by companies) tried to cut corners and insisted that the significantly cheaper 5w30 oil is used. Will it do any damage? Hmmm, probably not. But the idea of a Prius is its super economy. If that can't be achieved because £30 is saved using thicker oil, then what's the point. An analogy is that you wouldn't put remoulds on a BMW M3 to save £50 would you?

My dealers have inadvertently used 5w30 more times that perhaps they should!?! I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and they have been quick to swap it back to 0w20 when it was realised, but how many owners have just noticed a drop in economy, shrugged their shoulders and grumbled?

Oh, one other issue I noticed with 5w30 oil is that it is much quieter on a cold start (a positive) but that it also caused the car to be lumpy or slightly hesitant when transitioning from electric to petrol in town. The transition should be totally smooth and seamless (other than when flooring it). If there's a slight 'stumble' then it's probably 5w30. The car was also more sluggish on 5w30 when accelerating up hills etc.

I also noticed that 0w20 is almost impossible to see on the dipstick, even with 80k hard miles. It's almost like water! The 5w30 was ever so slightly darker and more oil coloured.

This is really useful information, thanks.

Just rang my dealer to check which oil they plan to use and they told me they use 2, 0w30 and 0w20, however they said that as standard they would put 0w30 in.

When i asked if i could have the 0w20 they said that was okay and just mention it on the day of the service at no extra charge.

Great informaiton Grumpie, thanks again. :)

[Grumpy Cabbie]

And for evidence that the Prius will get 70+ mpg, just have a look at the current thread about the Prius + vs a gen 3 Prius.

78mpg is exceptional, but not bad for a new owner on a 20 mile commute. I have a feeling he reset the trip meter once the car was warmed up, but nearly 80 mpg out of an automatic petrol car is still good.

I have some pics somewhere of a 20 mile commute where I got shy of 90 mpg. It was a steady commute at about 40 mph but included driving through York from one side to the other through the middle of the city!

[orangezorki]

Out of interest, does the use of 0w20 transfer across to the Yaris hybrid as well?

David

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I'm not sure but probably as the 0w20 oil is also recommended in the IQ manual with start stop but NOT in the IQ automatic which doesn't have start stop. Think it's because 0w20 gives added protection due to the start stop function - important in a hybrid.

It is possible to use 0w20 oil in the gen2 Prius too, but personally if the car has had a diet of 5w30 over the last 6 years I'd be wary about changing it to thinner oil at that stage in its life.