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I want to "do something" with fake front air scoops.

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by The Big Sleaze, Oct 19, 2020.

  1. The Big Sleaze

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    And why does this Prime Advanced have rather poorly intergrated little head lights in the scoops? Are those Corning tracking lights? Fake scoops THEN a factory hack job. ugh.

    My Prime is also "pearl" so I'm thinking of translucent white plastic triangle from edge of clear plastic to edges of black plastic, with a LED to light it up. I guess I'd paint the black to silver or white to help reflect.

    What would be the correct way to add LEDs to headlight circuit?
    2017-Toyota-Prius-Prime-10-of-10.jpg
     
  2. walterm

    walterm Active Member

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    The lights in the scoops are the fog lights, controlled by a switch inboard of the main DRL/parking light/headlight switch.
     
  3. mr88cet

    mr88cet Senior Member

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    Not clear what you’re talking about...

    The slot under the big black thing is a working radiator air scoop, and the headlights are LED.
     
  4. The Big Sleaze

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    "The lights in the scoops are the fog lights, controlled by a switch inboard of the main DRL/parking light/headlight switch."

    my base Prime doesn't have those and didn't notice any at any dealership or streets.
    maybe it was 2017 Advanced only or JDM, or are Fog Lights required in Europe?. either way, not a good look IMO.

    is there any way the fake scoops are in fact aerodynamic. I heard aerodynamics was most important factor in design so why the fake scoops. does the Big Guy at Toyota have a scoop fetish? IIRC the Toyota Supra has something like 10 fake scoops.
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  5. mr88cet

    mr88cet Senior Member

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    That’s wild! It honestly never occurred to me that the black area around the fog lights might be intended to look like an air scoop. I guess that’s a plausible visual interpretation though.

    I personally wish the Prime’s front end looked more like the regular Prius front end, other than the headlights — the real headlights, I mean, not the fog lights — which I think look awesome and work superbly.

    More generally, I find Toyota’s use of monster black grills a total Wth?!, although the Prime’s in particular looks ... tolerable.

    I keep the fog lights on our Prime Advanced turned on all the time (at night). Our area of Austin TX rarely experiences fog, and they only barely help when the is fog, but I find that they do help illuminate the curb a bit in a turn.
     
    #5 mr88cet, Oct 20, 2020
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2020
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    It's a popular craze, and nobody wants to be last in the fake air scoop race.

    Honda's incorrigible, take the latest Civic: it has big (fake) intakes at the front corners, and corresponding exit scoops at the rear corners.

    All pricey, fragile, plastic dreck of course.

    Saw this street-parked beauty for sale just the other day. I'm sure it would be a mechanical nightmare to maintain, and get about 10 mpg. But they sure knew how to make bumpers. Glass sealed-beam headlights too?

    IMG_3630.JPG
     
    #6 Mendel Leisk, Oct 20, 2020
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2020
  7. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    The Advanced/Limited grade has those LED foglights (and also the LED Clearance Lights which are the 3 vertical LED dots below the indicators).

    The Prime designers favoured style more than aerodynamics. The Prime's Cd is 0.25 vs. 0.24 for the Gen 4.

    The fake scoops in the Supra is meant for cooling aftermarket add-ons. Owners can remove them if they need additional cooling (either engine or brakes) if they modify their cars. This way, they don't have to find a new bumper or body panel to deal with the mods.
     
  8. The Big Sleaze

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    I wish "they" had gone for fins instead of fake scoops, including front fins. They say the two little bumps just in front of mirror and at rear taillight are aerodynamic fin-lets.
     
  9. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    I don't know what the "scoop" is. I am guessing it is not a scoop of ice cream... I really would like. lol
    2017-2021 PP Advanced and now Limited all have fog light and accessory light which were not present in lower trims. From what I have read, the fog light is one of the useless features Toyota implemented on those higher trim. Yeah, if it had visual appeal, I can see adding it, but...
     
  10. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    The "vortex generators" in front of the wing mirrors are for both aerodynamics and stability.

    The rear taillight ones are for aerodynamic purposes. The hood design is also for aerodynamic purposes (Squat down in front of the car and look at the hood creases - they line up with the mirror, send air up and over it, reducing drag)