What mods can you do to a prius?

Hmm... it depends. We have to think a bit differently with hybrids (at least with the tuning I've seen so far).

It's more about adding value to the handling bit as well as weight reduction as opposed to keeping the same weight and adding power (e.g. CAI, ECU chip, exhaust, etc etc).

So far, the most popular "performance" mod is a complete suspension upgrade. This is because the Gen 2 Prius isn't exactly the best handling car. People have found more pleasure in their daily drive with a TRD Sportivo suspension upgrade. Along with that, the next popular would be rims and tires.

Now the Prius uses the same engine as stock Toyotas (the old one used a Yaris 1.5 litre engine and the new one uses the Corolla/Matrix 1.8 litre engine). I know there are plenty of aftermarket parts for the 1.5 litre (think Yaris RS or Vitz RS Turbo in japan). The 1.8 litre is new so it may take a while for parts to be developed.

Exhaust mods are doable but I'm not sure how much hp they add compared to a standard Yaris or Corolla. I could think once you do an engine swap (i.e. trade the Prius Atkinson cycle engine for the equivalent Otto cycle engine), you could add the same mods that you can to the regular cars. You probbaly need to double check on the elec. motor to make sure it can handle the extra power.

Hope that helps!

You need to try the GS450h. Until the X6 ActiveHybrid, it is the fastest hybrid around (0-60 is 5ish secs IIRC). I think it's just because the Prius is tuned for economy instead of a balance between economy and power like regular run-of-the-mill compact/midsize cars. I know Toyota did a Prius GT and what they did was take out the 1.5 litre Atkinson cycle engine (this was the 2nd Gen Prius) and put in the same 1.5 litre engine from a Yaris (Otto cycle). They also took out the backseats and installed a rollcage. Net hp rose from 110hp to 147hp and 0-60 dropped from 10.5 sec to about 8.7 secs. The suspension has also been upgraded

2004 Toyota Prius GT Concept - Images, Specifications and Information


PWR Mode is a button and is a new "feature" for the 3rd Gen. Basically what it does is that it remaps the first 50% of accelerator pedal travel so that you get more power, faster than you normally would in the default mode or ECO mode. If you floor it, it's the same in any mode (cause presumably you want to get the hell out of there and so it summons max power regardless of mode).


It does make the Prius more lively. I found the accelerator pedal to become kinda like an on/off switch for power if I depress the pedal like I normally would. This allows me to get out of a corner faster because the engine will rev up faster and I can get onto the brakes faster because I'm not pressing the pedal all the way down.

It's not sports car for sure but it gives the Prius a more fun personality than what we've all come to know over the past 10 years.

 

Not really dumb. I get this question all the time. The original Honda Insight mechanically linked the ICE and the A/C. The problem was that when the engine cut out so did the A/C. The same went with the heat.

The Prius uses electric A/C and heat.
"What's that you say?"
It's true. In the same way that a window-mounted A/C unit doesn't need an internal combustion engine to operate neither does the Prius A/C. It's electric. After all, there's a big honkin' battery in the back! So what happens is that running the A/C actually has a bigger impact on the charge of the battery than on the operation of the ICE. On nice days, I can sit in traffic with the ICE off for a very long time. On hot days, the A/C will drain my battery and force the ICE to kick on to recharge it. This drops my mileage to that of an average idling vehicle (such as a monster truck, for example ). For this reason, some die-hard hypermilers will drive with the windows cracked before they will turn on the A/C.

 

Tony described the A/C usage quite well. It's an electrically run compressor (so no belt) so it runs off the HV battery.

As for heat, it requires the engine so if you sit at a light with the heater running, it will keep the engine running depending on how cold it is outside, how warm you set the temperature inside and how warm the engine is. If you've been driving for 30 mins with, say 70 or 72 set inside and it's 32 outside, the engine will probably shut off at a traffic light and still provide you with (residual) heat. Of course if you stop for long enough, you'll cool the engine down past a certain operating temperature threshold and the engine will turn on to continue providing the level of heat you requested.