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Performance Camshaft

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by Rebound, May 8, 2017.

  1. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    The Prius is an Atkinson cycle engine. That means the intake valves stay open during the beginning of the compression cycle, which causes some of the the intake fuel/air to be blown back into the intake manifold. This reduces power. I don't know if this is controlled by the camshaft design or if it is controlled by the ECU.

    If it's controlled by the camshaft design, then couldn't a different camshaft boost the performance of a Prius?

    I was also wondering if Toyota has such a camshaft already, for variants of the 2ZR-FXE engine used in the Gen III Prius. Has anyone explored this?
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    not that i recall seeing. it seems that any modifications of the prius engine wind up increasing pollution, which is it's primary focus.
     
  3. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    Remember that the Prius engine is used in many different Toyota cars, not only Prius. And it's used in non-hybrids.
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    right. there may very well be aftermarket performance parts for it, in the non atkinson form.
     
  5. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Without the late-intake-closing camshaft and other Prius-y tweaks, it's a plain 2ZR-FE, not -FXE.

    -Chap
     
  6. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Be careful, without the late closing, the 13:1 compression ratio will need aviation gas.
     
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  7. Sandollars

    Sandollars Prius Maven

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    Is this a joke? A Prius with a performance Camshaft? I think the primary objective of the entire Prius family is MPGs while maintaining the best performance possible with the least amount of emissions. You know, like a compromise...
     
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  8. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    #8 JimboPalmer, May 8, 2017
    Last edited: May 8, 2017
  9. bhtooefr

    bhtooefr Senior Member

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    I've heard of people putting Gen 2 Prius pistons in Yaris engines for a higher-power engine running on very high octane fuel. Putting Corolla cams on a Prius would give a similar effect, but you'd really want lower compression pistons too, to run pump gas.

    (Also worth noting that Toyota put whole Echo engines in the Gen 2 Prius for the racing applications of the Gen 2.)
     
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  10. kevinwhite

    kevinwhite Active Member

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    If you increase the power of the engine without changing the capability and programming of the hybrid system (in particular MG1) it will not gain you anything.

    MG1 has to balance the torque of the engine and I'm sure will only have a small amount of excess capability.

    As noted by the experiments in turbo-charging (elsewhere on this forum) the engine all that happened was that the engine control closed the throttle. I think that was because it sensed that MG1 was not able to balance the system.

    kevin
     
    #10 kevinwhite, May 8, 2017
    Last edited: May 8, 2017
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  11. Justdidit

    Justdidit LVNPZEV

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    Wasn't there the Instagram user PriusZilla swapping his engine components out from a Corolla.

    Spoke with @toyotechwv about this similar swap on my car. He said that, "You could but it wouldn't start. When the HV computer spins the engine it's looking for a certain RPM to start, with normal valve timing (otto cycle) instead of Atkinson the RPM would be lower and the ECM would determine a fault and set DTCs. Toyota engineers....the FSP and Landspeed Prii were built by Toyota/TRD engineers who could do whatever they wanted. I even emailed the chief engineer in regard to the customer ECM programming in the FSP car and was told it was a one off custom flash from Japan and could not be released for public use."

    So I am conflicted I've been tempted to do this camshaft swap myself but haven't.
     
  12. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    Typical Stanfurd. There's a reason why there's a Berkelium, but still no Stanfordium. :)
     
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  13. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    Interesting... and cheap. But it looks like whether we change camshaft or swap the engine, the ECU will need to be reflashed or nothing's going to happen.
     
  14. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

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    You'd think the Linear Accelerator would be good for something. Like making element 115? :whistle:
     
  15. Sandollars

    Sandollars Prius Maven

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    Yeah, but WE have the AXE! :)
     
  16. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

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    My English 1A class in junior college was taught by a guy who got kicked out of Stanfurd for giving football players honest grades. Tough class ...
     
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  17. Sandollars

    Sandollars Prius Maven

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    I know that guy. He teaches at De Anza..... He put a cam in his Vespa....
     
  18. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

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    Ah, De Anza. I stumbled on a course designed for potential transfers to the Stanfurd football program...

    I wanted to register for a class that was really just a treadmill test, but it was full. In order to waitlist that class, I had to be a student, which I wasn't. So I registered for a PE class in bicycling. That allowed me to waitlist the treadmill lab class. So I got into the treadmill class which is what I was trying to do.

    As for the bicycling class, it was taught by "staff" at a place I never learned about. I noshowed the first class, assuming that would be an automatic drop. Instead of being dropped, I got an A in the class.

    My wife was pissed because she took the same class at another time and got a B in it. I got an A by never showing up...

    Just another glimpse at how the real world turns...
     
  19. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    You won a football game. Rah. Rah.
     
  20. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    If a bunch of Berkeley engineers got ahold of it and installed a performance camshaft, they probably would create Element 115. But they wouldn't call it Stanfurdium. There is no Stanfurdium. It's a myth.

    But they won a football game. Rah Rah.
     
    #20 Rebound, May 10, 2017
    Last edited: May 10, 2017
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