Tanabe R&D for the 2010 Prius

[deltron3030]

I meant the "straight pipe" comment sincerely, as I don't really know much about exhaust design. I just meant that I would be 100% for bending it to a more natural angle if it didn't mess things up.

and as for being sure that it decreases performance of the car, I'd say at this point, my experience with the thing makes me very hesitant to agree. I'd go as far as to say, you were wrong, but I'm no car guy. I'd like to do a side by side at some point. I definitely don't get worse gas milage (in fact, i noticed an improvement AND its getting colder out) and I feel the car having better throttle response at higher speeds. Again, I dont have any scientific measurements for these claims, but user experience is just about as good as saying "it doesn't work" at this point.

[drees]

On the Prius, the effects of any muffler changes are going to be minimal at best. It simply does not move enough air. Certainly, any minor bends in the pipe is not going to affect anything.

It's not going to affect fuel economy any - and maybe you'll get a couple horsepower on full throttle at best. I'd love to see a dyno run, but it's difficult to repeat results as you have to ensure that the battery charge remains the same at the start of each run.

I'll wager $20 that any changes you "feel" are purely perception and aren't measurable to be statistically significant. Sound has a large effect on how you perceive things. Not to mention that you are expecting a performance increase which leads you to think one is there.

[deltron3030]

Originally Posted by drees

I'll wager $20 that any changes you "feel" are purely perception and aren't measurable to be statistically significant. Sound has a large effect on how you perceive things. Not to mention that you are expecting a performance increase which leads you to think one is there.

yeah, im pretty with you here...this whole thread i've been pretty hesitant about any real conclusions simply because I know perception has everything to do with opinion...which, given my lack of credibility, is all i've got. nonetheless, it'd be worth a side by side, drivers switching between cars a few times, to get a slightly less subjective opinion. my opinoin at this point is "something is going on" post-mods.

[Prius Happy]

If you're going to modify a car - at least make it look better or function better - but I guess cosmetics are in the eye of the beholder!

It may not look good to you... or some people. But I'm pretty sure it function what it's designed to. With all these restrictions on the prius... having this exhaust to let the air flow much smoother will help in some way. Now I'm not going to lie I wish they did the medalion touring instead since it's towards the stock-ish looks.