Bzyrice's Prius Progress Thread!

Bzyrice's Prius Progress Thread! New pics on Page 3! New Mod on 8/5/11 Page 4!

Hello Everyone! I love progress threads, and have made a few with my past cars (My old TL Progress thread - Link). I have owned ALOT of cars, but never anything like a Prius. Honestly, never thought I would own one. When it was time to trade in my last car, an Acura TL, I wanted something with better gas mileage.. Somehow ended up at a Toyota Dealership and came home with a brand spakin new 2011 Blue Ribbon Prius III with Gray Interior, Navi, JBL, Sun Roof, and Solar Roof!! This thread will chronicle my journey with my Prius. Hope it will be an inspiration to others!

Now to start the story!
Here is how the car sits today:


Prius Progress List:
05/14/2011 2011 Prius III Navi, JBL, Sun Roof, Solar Roof (ZVW30 )
05/14/2011 Carmate PL114A Black Metallic Finish Wide angle Rear View Mirror 270mm
05/16/2011 LED Bulbs (Interior, Trunk, Door Panels, City lights)
05/19/2011 Tint (20%)
05/26/2011 Reprogrammed door lock to unlock all 4 doors.
05/26/2011 Removed Voice Recognition
06/03/2011 Husky Rubber Interior Mats and OEM Rubber Trunk mat
06/03/2011 WeatherTech Sun Shade
06/05/2011 Center Caps (1 1/2" Knockout seal for electrical box)
06/07/2011 Vanity LED Lights
06/08/2011 HID H11 6000K - Headlights
06/11/2011 JDM 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS CONSOLE TRAY CARMATE ZVW30 GRAY
06/18/2011 HIC USA Window Visor (Part Number T90)
07/30/2011 Tein H-tech
08/02/2011 PC Fog Lights
08/02/2011 Blitz Profile BRW rims 18x8 +45
08/02/2011 Muteki Black Lug nuts

Some Pics of each mod!
05/14/2011 2011 Prius III Navi, JBL, Sun Roof, Solar Roof (ZVW30 )
The day I purchased it, in the garage with my wife's IS250:


05/14/2011 Carmate PL114A Black Metallic Finish Wide angle Rear View Mirror 270mm
I Love big Mirrors.. Removed this from my TL when I traded it in and put it in my Prius.

05/16/2011 LED Bulbs (Interior, Trunk, Door Panels, City lights)
Went to a friends shop ... Spectrometers LED Station - Instrument Systems and picked up a bunch of LED lights!!

06/08/2011 HID H11 6000K - Headlights
Also purchased from LED Station!!
Before:

After:

05/19/2011 Tint (20%)

06/03/2011 Husky Rubber Interior Mats and OEM Rubber Trunk mat
Purchased from a fellow Priuschat member

06/05/2011 Removed Hup caps and purchased Center Caps (1 1/2" Knockout seal for electrical box from Lowes)


06/18/2011 HIC USA Window Visor (Part Number T90)


06/11/2011 JDM 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS CONSOLE TRAY CARMATE ZVW30 GRAY.. I love this thing!! More cupholders woot!!


07/30/2011 Tein H-tech
Pic of the front OEM spring vs Tein Spring (Wasnt that hard to install!)


08/02/2011 PC Fog Lights


08/02/2011 Blitz Profile BRW rims 18x8 +45 with Muteki Black Lug nuts



More mods to come!!

Nice ride...

Great Work!

looks good...

Yes, Great job.

You got the same Blue Ribbon Metalic with Solar Roof that I got back in 2009. I think mine was the second one delivered in Portland, OR. I like the idea of the Center Caps (1 1/2" Knockout seal for electrical box). Probably cost less than my Toyota Center caps that were $5 each.

Did the new rims and tires impact the MPG at all? Probably not if they are light weight.

nice! clean ride!!

Great looking rims! Now all you need is turn signal mirrors and all LED tails

Got a question about the console tray carmate. Does it block the seat heater switches? Where did you get it?

Weight actually has little to do with it. It's the rolling resistance that's a mpg killer, so bigger and wider rims will impact it to some extent.

Also in regards to questions about your JDM carmate console tray:

How does the color of the tray match with the your interior? Is it an exact color to the dark gray or misty gray interior?

Do the taller USA market plastic water bottles fit or are they too tall? For example the tall narrow standard arrowhead/evian type water bottles that are often sold here in the states.

Where did you get the Center Caps and what is '1.5" Knockout seal for electrical box'?

Yeah seriously I want to know this, but then you got new rims? Did you lose mpg when you did this?

Also where can I find info about the unlocking all 4 doors?

Do you have pix of the JDM center console? I was looking into that but was turned off by the price.

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks!

Yah I am new to the Prius Community! But, I love it so far.. So, different from other car communities I have been part of and contributed to. Love this blue car!!

The center caps cost me 1.05 each from Lowe's lol .. So, for a total of 4.20 I thought it was worth it!! Got the idea from Priuschat -> http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...ons/79133-3-buck-alloy-wheel-center-caps.html

Not sure if the wheels affect my mileage yet.. just installed them yesterday!! lol

Thanks!

Signal Mirrors a yes.. LED tails, probably a no.. Although I love them, I have some other ideas for taillights.. (check out what I did with my TL taillights)..

The Carmate cupholder thing I found on eBay.. I tried to order straight from a US carmate dealer, but had no luck (I have ordered carmate stuff before from the US Dealer.. my rear view mirror).. It was a little pricey, but I hate how the cup holders are in this car.. So, I thought the 37.75 was worth it.. Purchased it from this ebay seller: doraemonn_5689
I don't have seat heater switches.. but if it is that blank that is beside the cig lighter, then it will be fine.. Don't need heater switches where I live!! lol

It matched my dark gray interior.. These cup holders were made more for coke cans.. or anything low.. Ive put regular sized bottled water in and they were fine.. I need to take pics of this in the AM when there is more light so you guys can see it.. honestly, you can't even tell that the car didn't come with it..

Go to Lowes.. and go into the electrical section and ask someone.. they will show you .. they were only 1.05 a piece WITH tax.. VERY cheap mod!
Here is a pic of the wrapper:

Yah I got it because I didnt think I would get rims that fast.. But I couldnt pass these wheels up.. they looked to nice..
Info for unlocking all 4 doors (I started a thread asking how awhile ago): http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/94377-unlock-all-4-doors.html#post1333535

I will post installed pics.. but here are some that I took before putting them in:
The thing in the plastic is the cloth piece that covers the bottom of the tray..

Here is a pic of the back of the box:


And here are a few pics of my car!!

Very nice work!:rockon:

Those wheels look great on your car!

To answer those asking about mpg loss with larger wheels, the answer is yes. You will lose mpg when upsizing to 17s or 18s. Like stated above, the weight is not the issue. The increased rolling resistance is the killer. Sometimes the rolling diameter changes with the new tires and that can mask the mpg loss or make it seem larger than it really is. That being said, I think it's worth the loss for the increased safety, appearance, and handling.

where did you buy your rims? they look great

Thanks!!

Thanks!!
I agree the MPG difference is more then made up for by the looks and handling.. car feels different now.. more stable!

Found the wheels locally. They have been discontinued by Blitz, a Japanese manufacturer. So, only way to get them is to find them used.. Anything can be purchased for the right price If you are serious.. pm me an offer!

Between the lower profile tires and the lowering kit the car should feel really solid now. No more body roll or swaying when changing lanes abruptly. I love the way my car feels with those mods. It totally transformed the way the car feels!

Ohh and I'm jealous of your car color. They didn't have that option when I purchased mine. All of my cars prior to this during the last decade were blue (except one grey truck). I want blue again!

Yah car feels awesome now!

I usually have white cars.. White with red interior is always my favorite.. but they didnt have a white Prius with sunroof/solar roof..
My wife's car is a dark blue is250.. so, I guess we match now =) and the blue is growing on me
Your other cars look awesome! I need to post all the cars I have had..

Do it! It's always cool to see what other cars people had before going Prius.

Unloading them that quick already? Why?