Making a Prius Fast?

[M10]

Hey All,

I'm new to the forum, I don't own a Prius or any other hybrid. I know a bit about the PSD and can understand how the engine and motor/generators can be combined to make rear wheel torque.

My question is...do guys looking for performance from these things go straight for modifying the engine? i.e. turbo, tune, exhuast? or do you play around w/ higher voltage batt. packs?

Also, let's say I was to strap a T28 garrett onto one of these things, would I have to re-tune the computer's strategy regarding the PSD?

[qbee42]

First, the Prius is front wheel drive. There is no rear wheel torque.

Second, guys looking for performance buy something else. The stock Prius has plenty of performance for normal driving, but it doesn't lend itself to performance tuning. It is already highly tuned and the control system is complex. It's not something that can be tinkered with without making things worse.

Tom

[M10]

Originally Posted by qbee42

First, the Prius is front wheel drive. There is no rear wheel torque.

Second, guys looking for performance buy something else. The stock Prius has plenty of performance for normal driving, but it doesn't lend itself to performance tuning. It is already highly tuned and the control system is complex. It's not something that can be tinkered with without making things worse.

Tom

Yeah I wasn't too sure about the FWD/RWD thing...I'll probably say dumber things than that. I really don't know much about them.

The main reason I asked the question to begin w/, is a friend of mine told me that there is a Prius running mid to high 13 second 1/4 miles. As you said, the control system for the prius is very complex, and that is what got me wondering about how exactly he did this.

Thanks 4 the quick reply.

[qbee42]

The stock Prius is pretty quick. The electric motors produce a lot of torque, so it's not too hard to get good times. Good tires would be one of the main modifications.

Tom

[M10]

Originally Posted by qbee42

The stock Prius is pretty quick. The electric motors produce a lot of torque, so it's not too hard to get good times. Good tires would be one of the main modifications.

Tom

Okay, so let me try to figure this out (correct me wherever I'm completely wrong)....at max accel, the engine and mg2 contribute to total torque. the engine is able to contribute b/c of counter torque provided by mg1 through the sun gear. So in theory...if you could increase engine torque, as well as mg1 counter torque, you would increase overall torque to the wheels? Keep in mind that I'm not really considering mpg, or the most efficient way of running the vehicle the way it was intended to be ran. But if it was possible to completely re map the computers strategy, would this work?

[Tideland Prius]

I don't know if snapping on a T28 would work.

If anything, I'd play with weight reduction. Removing the spare tyre and rear seats would help (though that would shift the weight distribution even farther forward). Get rid of the eco tyres too.


the other alternative is do an engine swap. Swap out the 1NZ-FXE engine for the 1NZ-FE engine (i.e. the Otto cycle instead of teh Atkinson cycle). Toyota made a Prius GT concept car using the Otto cycle 1.5 litre engine. Net hp was 143 and it rain 0-60 in 8ish seconds, along with weight reduction and the addition of a roll cage.

[M10]

Originally Posted by Tideland Prius

I don't know if snapping on a T28 would work.

If anything, I'd play with weight reduction. Removing the spare tyre and rear seats would help (though that would shift the weight distribution even farther forward). Get rid of the eco tyres too.


the other alternative is do an engine swap. Swap out the 1NZ-FXE engine for the 1NZ-FE engine (i.e. the Otto cycle instead of teh Atkinson cycle). Toyota made a Prius GT concept car using the Otto cycle 1.5 litre engine. Net hp was 143 and it rain 0-60 in 8ish seconds, along with weight reduction and the addition of a roll cage.

hmmm....interesting....i really want to buy a prius just to tinker w/ things like this. i didn't even know that the prius is using the atkinson cycle. that explains alot about efficiency! but that also explains why it's not too quick.

but here's what i'm wondering....even if you had a 500 hp engine under the hood...wouldn't acceleration be limited by the amount of counter torque provided by mg1? i think i understand the way the psd works, and if i'm right, even if you had all the engine power in the world, it wouldn't matter if you couldn't produce some kind of resistance for the planetary gears. i just read something on google that said some guy bolted a turbo on his prius and didn't achieve much 0-60 times but did achieve better uphill performance.

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by M10

hmmm....interesting....i really want to buy a prius just to tinker w/ things like this. i didn't even know that the prius is using the atkinson cycle. that explains alot about efficiency! but that also explains why it's not too quick.

but here's what i'm wondering....even if you had a 500 hp engine under the hood...wouldn't acceleration be limited by the amount of counter torque provided by mg1? i think i understand the way the psd works, and if i'm right, even if you had all the engine power in the world, it wouldn't matter if you couldn't produce some kind of resistance for the planetary gears. i just read something on google that said some guy bolted a turbo on his prius and didn't achieve much 0-60 times but did achieve better uphill performance.

For that, you'll have to talk to the guys that know the internal workings.

[philobeddoe]

Originally Posted by qbee42

First, the Prius is front wheel drive. There is no rear wheel torque.

Second, guys looking for performance buy something else. The stock Prius has plenty of performance for normal driving, but it doesn't lend itself to performance tuning. It is already highly tuned and the control system is complex. It's not something that can be tinkered with without making things worse.

Tom

interesting response ... could you explain this remark .... "It's not something that can be tinkered with without making things worse."

i don't think the Prius has "plenty of performance for normal driving" either.

i can see why the fuel is limited to 9-10 gallons ... weight savings, and the same for the four banger

but i would like to see the 4 banger turbocharged AT LEAST

this car has no performance whatsoever, and to drive it in a spirit fashion is rather challenging

i've taken my Prius into the Santa Monica mountains and run the same canyon and mountain roads upon which i ride my Kawasaki, and it was challenging

i'm talking Decker Canyon, Latigo Canyon, Mulholland Hwy, Westlake Blvd - really tight technical stuff

i would throw the Prius aggressively into the turns, but i could not power out of them at all, stomping the gas did nothing

couldn't power off the apex, couldn't even supply smooth consistent power into and through a turn

have to completely reinvent driving

example i couldn't power a straightaway, downshift/brake for my turn entrance, and then jump back on the gas

it's an odd sensation

plus, the motor's got NOTHING going up hill ... nothing

i think a turbo and remapping could be done to give this sucker some power and fuel economy on the inclines, and even higher freeway speeds, without adding weight (bigger motor, or a bore/stroke)

i'd be curious to hear of power mods that could give the little banger some muscle

no interest in a quarter miler, if i were, i'd drop in a stroked five liter from a mustang

[M10]

Originally Posted by philobeddoe

interesting response ... could you explain this remark .... "It's not something that can be tinkered with without making things worse."

i don't think the Prius has "plenty of performance for normal driving" either.

i can see why the fuel is limited to 9-10 gallons ... weight savings, and the same for the four banger

but i would like to see the 4 banger turbocharged AT LEAST

this car has no performance whatsoever, and to drive it in a spirit fashion is rather challenging

i've taken my Prius into the Santa Monica mountains and run the same canyon and mountain roads upon which i ride my Kawasaki, and it was challenging

i'm talking Decker Canyon, Latigo Canyon, Mulholland Hwy, Westlake Blvd - really tight technical stuff

i would throw the Prius aggressively into the turns, but i could not power out of them at all, stomping the gas did nothing

couldn't power off the apex, couldn't even supply smooth consistent power into and through a turn

have to completely reinvent driving

example i couldn't power a straightaway, downshift/brake for my turn entrance, and then jump back on the gas

it's an odd sensation

plus, the motor's got NOTHING going up hill ... nothing

i think a turbo and remapping could be done to give this sucker some power and fuel economy on the inclines, and even higher freeway speeds, without adding weight (bigger motor, or a bore/stroke)

i'd be curious to hear of power mods that could give the little banger some muscle

no interest in a quarter miler, if i were, i'd drop in a stroked five liter from a mustang

well i'll be damned...there is some1 on this forum interested in power.

i just joined the forum today. i've been doing alot of research as to how the prius works. i'm thinking about picking up a used prius and playing around w/ some performance modifications. how much can i expect to pay for an earlier model?