Important Info for Hybrid vehicle drivers...

[boonedoggle]

So, I get a flat in my Civic Hybrid and go to have it repaired. I find out that the tires are shot because they are wearing on the outside. This was due to the car being out of alignment because we regularly rotate the tires. Well, I was pretty sawed off because these were the tires that came with the car (Dunlop) when we bought it last year.

I just got back from getting some Firestones and they told me that they have been seeing many Hybrids coming in that are virtually new that are out of alignment. This is due to shipping issues and weight ratio cause by the heavy batteries...mainly in the Prius and Civic Hybrids. If you own one or know someone who does, it might be a good idea to check em out.

There's your friendly PSA!

[Irons]

Sorry to hear that. Dealer/Maufacturer taking care of this?

[BigVito]

IMO hybrids are junk, I don't understand why people buy them.

[Budprince]

give me a good old fashioned gas burning vehicle any day.

[BigVito]

Originally Posted by Budprince

give me a good old fashioned gas burning vehicle any day.

[boonedoggle]

Originally Posted by Irons

Sorry to hear that. Dealer/Maufacturer taking care of this?

no, Jimmy's cigar fund is taking care of this!

[RPB67]

Originally Posted by boonedoggle

no, Jimmy's cigar fund is taking care of this!

Ouch !

[cigar_040]

Originally Posted by boonedoggle

no, Jimmy's cigar fund is taking care of this!

That sucks Jimmy.

[jinny]

hey, hybrids burn good old fashioned gas too.



but some burn significantly less... prius and civic, mainly, burn a lot less than a similarly sized vehicle... sure you can buy a smaller car like the yaris and get almost as good mileage, especially if you do a lot of freeway driving, but those suckers are realy small... the prius is actually quite roomy... and they boast more trunk room than a camry... which I believe... and with hackback utility, it's arguably more cargo savy than the camry.

and in SoCal, the single drivers in some Hybrids get HOV lane access (with state issuesd sticker... which is not offered anymore). so in jammed situations, you can zoom by the single driver vehicles in your hybrid.

besides some people buy hybrids for the extra power... while Honda offered it, their Accord Hybrid was the most powerfull accord you can buy. Toyota's Highlander was the same way as well... Lexus's top of the line for each model that has one is the one with the Hybrid powerplant (LS, RX, GS... and more to come). Asking the question, "why do people buy Hybrids?" in this situation is kinda like asking, "Why get the V8 option in that Impala?"

in regards to this alignment issue, do you know if it's a frame alignment issue or a wheel alignment issue. I don't know of any alignment issues with the Prius... and I would be surprized if the purpose built Prius would have such issues... I hope your next set of tires wear longer and more evenly... remember to keep them inflated... on a fuel efficient Hybrid, I wouldn't be to worried about running them close to the max... and on the Prius, they require the front tires to have a couple more PSI than the rears.

[BigVito]

the future will tell.

[jinny]

Originally Posted by BigVito

the future will tell.

true dat.

[Seanohue]

Interesting analysis on hybrids....

http://www.clubwrx.net/forums/showthread.php?t=173806

[jinny]

purchasing a hybrid has never been a good economical decision... and untill they make enough of them and if gas prices continue to stay high they won't be for a while... although the gap is shrinking... it is almost worth it already. BTW, most the car rags already proved that the gas cost savings in no way validates the hybrid cost. and when you factor in the cost of new batteries every decade or so, the cost is astronomical in comparison... not to mention, the environmental pressures all those old batteries are gonna 'cause.

if it's economics, just wait till all the rich people get their hybrids during these early stages and bring the cost down.

[OtterAKL4987]

I would be interested in a hybrid such as the new Tahoe Hybrid, but I seem to hear about a LOT of maintenance problems and it seems to be not worth it.

[jinny]

Originally Posted by OtterAKL4987

I would be interested in a hybrid such as the new Tahoe Hybrid, but I seem to hear about a LOT of maintenance problems and it seems to be not worth it.

even without the hybrid system, you might have to deal with a lot of maintenance problems


GM has been selling hybrid trucks for a couple years now (Sierra and Silverado)... and I have to admit, that I was doubtfull that any segment of the American truck buying population would accept hybrid tecnology at all... after all, IMHO the couple MPG benefit the Hybrids squeeze out on a good day is hardly justification for the several thousand dollar premium they command. but it seems that some people like it... unlike some hybrids, the gas powerplants on the GM hybrids are not tuned down versions or vastly smaller ones... the hybrid tech is sorta grafted on... sorta like a turbo or supercharger would be... and it's used mainl to reduce the load on the engine... so at the cost of more weight, you get a little more power and the ablity to convert previously wasted braking energy into something usefull. is it worth it? don't know... we have some weird buying ideas... I'd bet a lot of people will go Hybrid just to say they did... and frankly, I'd rather see people get into Hybrids than go out and get a set of spinning rims.