I drive a RHD Australia-delivered ZVW30 Prius built in May 2009 in Japan. I'm considering ordering some Prius parts from Japan via an agent in Australia who imports high-performance parts for grey import second-hand sports cars. It seems that LHD Prii have some mechanical differences in suspension etc, possibly by virtue of being built in USA and using certain local components... like floor mats and accelerator pedals I feel confident that a sway bar, strut brace and suspension I purchase from Japan will fit an Australia-delivered car built in Japan. Does anyone have any experience of fitting Japanese parts to a RHD Prius? Yes, there are a lot of differences in trim levels and technology inside the cars for each market. But are there any external mechanical differences across RHD Prius?
I believe they are. In fact they're pretty much the same altogether other than the European ones have the rear fog light. We even get that odd little card holder just down on the right below the steering wheel that apparantly is some sort of toll card requried in Japan. The RHD Euro version gets the HUD which the US market didn't get but Japan did. Which Prius do you have? Is it the gen2 or gen3? I know the US spec gen2 was quite different from other world markets in that it had drum rear brakes, different suspension and some odd expansion thing on the fuel tank. I think the gen3 (2009-) is much more similar world wide. It sounds like you're wanting to mod your Prii with parts obtained from Japan. I don't think you'll have much of a problem doing that, though I'm sure I've read somewhere that the front bumper is ever so slightly different on the US spec compared to RHD spec (but that doesn't affect you). So, what plans do you have for your Prius?
No Prius was ever built in the USA, we get Japanese built cars, there are plants in Thailand and China, that assemble Prius for Asian customers. So long as the parts are not electrical, I think you are safe.
@Grumpy it's Gen III. I unintentionally upset our American hosts by calling it a 2009 model. Because every reference to its build, compliance with Australian Design Rules (ADR) and first registration were in mid-2009 I have trouble referring to it as the 2010. @Jimbo I couldn't confirm the factories. I wasn't about Wikipedia; China isn't mentioned and Thailand was marked "citation needed". Mine was built in C25 Tsutsumi plant.
lol don't even go there!?! I always refer to them as gen2 or gen3 and 99% of people on here understand that. I could understand the US calling the gen3 a 2010 if it were released in Dec or even Nov 2009 but it wasn't, it was released over there in about April 2009 and in the UK in June 2009. The 2012 was released late 2011. Bizarre situation but that's how they like it. Rumour has it they have their steering wheel on the wrong side too!
Australian Gen 3 Prii get the 3rd world suspension with a bit higher ride height and I believe slightly stiffer springs. IIRC, it's about a 12mm difference.
@ xs650 That's interesting. Stiffer springs would make sense because Australia roads aren't so good outside of the cities and we prefer a firm ride. A bit of a change from my Citroën I can tell you! But I can't see any difference in ground clearance because the heights are the same in Japan and Australia specs. I can't confirm the ground clearance as toyota.com.au doesn't show it. I measured 185mm at the sill of my base Gen 3, but there's some gubbins that might be 20mm lower than that under the car. My Japanese Prius reference shows ground clearance of 140mm. The heights of the new 2012 Prii in Australia are 1490mm for the base on 15" wheels but 1505mm for the i-Tech on 17" because it has the moonroof. This matches the Japanese specs. So the wheel size has no impact on the height, which presumably means no difference on ground clearance. toyota.jp Æ’vÆ’Å Æ’EÆ’X Âb Æ’XÆ’yÆ’bÆ’N Âb Ââ€Å’³•\
For Gen II, there are several significant differences between American LHD and RHD models. I am not as familiar with the Gen III differences but I am sure that there are some. But I can't see how a RHD drive Prius would be so different between JDM and Australia that those parts wouldn't fit.
:cheer2: I was in Japan when the accelerator pedal/floor mat story broke. The overwhelming theme from the Japanese media was that whatever faults there might be it smacked of a beat up to defend the American car industry... despite the fact the many of the issues were in Toyota and Lexus cars build in American factories. Toyota didn't help by appearing to withhold information, but the reaction was way OTT. The Australian automotive media reminded its readers that every recent Australian-built car had been subject to recalls and service advisories at least as serious and perhaps more numerous than Toyota. Oh, and as for "3rd world suspension", I happened to be reading a review in Wheels magazine yesterday that said, "Volvo had inadvertently supplied 3 vehicles for the test day with a much softer suspension tune, not the firm European suspension that will be on the Australian-delivered models." Guess who likes it soft. I didn't mean for this to descend into a Right v. Left battle (did you see what I did there?) but it always seems to happen on these Internet things.
@Grumpy you asked what plans? A strut brace and rear sway bar to start. I might get a chassis stiffener too. Grey imports of Japanese cars are very popular in Australia. Perversely, the Australian emissions rules generally mean that only the turbo variants get in. So there are a lot of importers of Japanese tuning parts in Australia. Want parts for a 1981 Soarer? No problem. Can't find "Prius" on the drop-down list? Well, of course. I found an importer who is happy to source Prius parts from the brands they import. And since they import by the container, a bulky body kit doesn't cost $10000 in postage stamps. I have to use a Japanese Prius tuning and style magazine to find the brands and the Japanese websites to find the part numbers, then I can order the parts. Clunky, but it should work.
