Checklist of Mods

[GreenSpeed]

Dear All,

Hi! I’m a relatively new poster here and have found that PC is a HUGE and wonderful resource for all things Prius. I’m actually intending to make a few minor ‘mods’ to my car before getting anything more expensive than $200++. I’m not very technically good with cars and anything under the hood is quite out of my league, so I had the following questions and would DEEPLY appreciate if anyone had better insight than me. Also if anyone has better suggestions it would be most Appreciated!

Cosmetic:
(Will be installing the following, hopefully in the next couple of months)
These are listed in approximate chronological order in which I hope to get it done:
-Window tints (Huper Optik or LLumar Platinum) 50% Front windows + 30%~35% Back Windows (Expecting to goto AutoMall Tint in Fremont, CA)
-Racing Pedals (See below) (Is Ebay a good place to get these?)
-Shark Fin Antenna (Fantastic instructions and installation guide done by DarrellDD!)
-Hid Foglights (All i need is to get HID's that fit specification 9006 right?) (Or do i have to get Prius Specific 9006? Er, the link has them only for $7 that's a bit cheap. Or is it just me?)
-Bazooka Subwoofer (How much am i looking at for installation? Anyone?)
-Rim’s and Tires (I just want 17” rims. And I’m really tempted to just get Toyota OEM Rim’s pulled from a Scion that already have 215/45ZR17 Bridgestone Potenza RE92 tires) (Hopefully this won’t cost more than $700+ combined) (Suggestions/Insights on this Wanted!)
-LED Cabin Lights (Hopefully I can do something that doesn’t involve soldering)
-Racing Seats (Or alteast something bigger (I'm a big guy!)) (Is this possible? Links to threads with tips anyone?!)

Questions:
Will ‘Racing’ pedals be easy to install? Can I buy ‘universal’ type or does it have to be Prius specific?
(Listed as Prius Specific)
(Listed as ‘Universal’)



:P Performance:
This portion is for the part of me that always wanted to tune his car:
-Air intake (See Velocity intake below)
-Air Filter (Am not quite sure what air filter would fit in the Prius. Can I just slap any filter on it? How does this work?)
-Lowering Suspension Kit (Coilovers and Springs) (I’m considering the Sportivo set from TRD) (Will this play well if I have 17” rims?)

Questions:
Velocity Tuner Intake mounting. I’m not quite sure if this will actually increase my ‘performance’. It has pretty lofty claims of both HP increase and fuel savings. Does anyone technical know anything about this?

Air Filter change for performance. I’ve heard that changing your air filter or installing an aftermarket filter can be the easiest way to increase performance. Has anyone done this? What is involved in installation? I’m a total noob with cars.

Cheers all! And thank you for all and any input!
-Speedy Green Green

[hyo silver]

The best 'bang for the buck' modification I can recommend is the BT chassis brace. (hey, Brian, where's that commission cheque? ) After that, a new set of tires would likely be the next best bet. You can change rims if you wish, but that can be quite expensive, and your mileage will probably suffer. The TRD suspension sounds intriguing, but I haven't tried it myself. Others have, and you might want to search the site for people's views on tires, rims, stereos, and suspension mods. Don't waste your money on 'velocity tuner intakes'.

[GreenSpeed]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Aug 1 2006, 05:43 PM) [snapback]295989[/snapback]</div>

The best 'bang for the buck' modification I can recommend is the BT chassis brace. [/b]

Was thinking about this but i'm not really sure about how to install it. (Easy? No Brainer?)

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Aug 1 2006, 05:43 PM) [snapback]295989[/snapback]</div>

fter that, a new set of tires would likely be the next best bet. You can change rims if you wish, but that can be quite expensive, and your mileage will probably suffer.
[/b]

Yeah, i live up an enormously steep hill so mileage isn't my best friend (avg mileage 42.5 mpg) (Oh, and i drive 100+ miles a day easily )


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Aug 1 2006, 05:43 PM) [snapback]295989[/snapback]</div>

Don't waste your money on 'velocity tuner intakes'. [/b]

Thanks!

[Tideland Prius]

Search for username "presto" He installed the TRD Sportivo suspension kit I believe. Also "docvijay" for HID foglight conversions ($7 is waaay too cheap. HID conversions run into the 100s). The tC wheels will drop the mileage by up to 5 mpg based on reports. You're better off with Wedsports.

For the Bazooka subwoofer installation, check out this site:
http://www.lacar.com/modules.php?name=News...article&sid=392

For LED cabin light conversions, check out Darrell's site

Racing seats are possible as shown with the SCCA Prius with two Recaro sport seats with 5-pt harness, 17" Wedsport rims with racing slicks, full rollcage, racing suspension and so on.

What do you consider as "racing pedals"? I have a set of "sport pedals" that are basically steel pedals with a rubber backing (Type R) which I can get for Cdn$15++ and clip onto the existing pedals. If you want to replace the stock pedals with real drilled aluminium pedals, those will cost more and I'm not sure how to remove the stock pedals.

Forget the stupid vortex and other "fuel economy" enhancements cause they won't work. I doubt even a CAI from the Yaris/Echo will help but it's worth a shot.

[Godiva]

I vote for the BT stiffening plate first.

Yes, it is a no-brainer.

I'm a 50+ year old zaftig woman and I installed it in less than 30 minutes myself. Brian can "talk" you through it, but it comes with very good instructions.

It's the best bang for the buck.

(I'll split that commission with you, Hyo Silver.)

[efusco]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Aug 1 2006, 09:51 PM) [snapback]296046[/snapback]</div>

I vote for the BT stiffening plate first.

Yes, it is a no-brainer.

I'm a 50+ year old zaftig woman and I installed it in less than 30 minutes myself. Brian can "talk" you through it, but it comes with very good instructions.

It's the best bang for the buck.

(I'll split that commission with you, Hyo Silver.) [/b]

Had to look that one up Godiva... http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/zaftig

[Godiva]

Should I have said "Rubenesque"?

[marjam]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Aug 1 2006, 10:59 PM) [snapback]296052[/snapback]</div>

Had to look that one up Godiva... http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/zaftig
[/b]

Doctor, I'm suprised at you? Full of figure!

[Godiva]

Well, full of something.

[Drift Motion]

u can get the OEM tC rims for about $400 + shipping