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Turbo charger on a Prius V???

Discussion in 'Prius v Main Forum' started by Gandolf989, Jul 21, 2020.

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  1. Gandolf989

    Gandolf989 Junior Member

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    Crazy question, now that my car is no longer under warranty, has anyone found a turbo charger for a Prius V? If so, how did it go and does the car still run? Thanks
     
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  2. bat4255

    bat4255 2017 Prius v #2 and 2008 Gen II #2

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    I would be concerned about the power train with the additional HP.
     
  3. cnc97

    cnc97 Senior Member

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    I can tell you from experience that ANY positive pressure in the intake over what the ECU/ECM is expecting will disable the throttle body(engine won’t rev) until the pressure returns to expected levels. That was the big issue that I had when I tried to simply reuse the Gen 3 head on the Gen 4 block. The failure of number 1 piston caused a bent intake valve, and the compression went directly into the intake. Thus disabling the throttle body motor when trying to diagnose the misfire from the bent valve.

    That seems like forever ago that I did that engine swap. I think that one day this week, since I am on vacation, I’ll pull the EGR cooler for a look see. 237K on car, swap done at 213k. See how things look for the sake of doing it. I’ve been putting it off since the beginning of the year, now seems as good a time as any.
     
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  4. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    The CVT and hybrid powertrain don't seem to line up well with how a turbo spools up...

    moto g(7) power ?
     
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  5. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    There's no power source for the turbo on a Prius.

    A Prius uses an Atkinson cycle engine. The exhaust is leaving the combustion chambers at atmospheric pressure. This means there's not enough flow or pressure differential to spool a turbo.

    An Otto cycle engine maintains much higher pressure in the exhaust. That pressure is the energy harvested by the turbine to operate the compressor.
     
  6. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Battery powered leaf blower turbo!
     
  7. Gandolf989

    Gandolf989 Junior Member

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    I have been watching Donut Media videos lately, mostly Money Pit. He does a lot of interesting upgrades. Not many seem to make sense on a Prius. I was surprised by the effectiveness of the new motor mounts. Thanks everyone for your responses. You all seem to know your Prii.
     
  8. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    The Prius is often best taken for what it is. Some nice tweaks are out there, but the whole machine is very delicately balanced on itself. Most Prius mods don't change the acceleration much or at all.

    Big bolt-on-fun changes just don't work that well on them. But hey, the world still has plenty of Imprezas, Lancers, Civics and Corollas, right?
     
  9. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Crazy answer: get a vehicle that more suits your needs.
     
  10. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Yes. It really IS.
    :ROFLMAO:

    No.....wait......if you get THAT to work, then you could put wings on it and it would FLY. :eek:
     
  11. Gandolf989

    Gandolf989 Junior Member

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    I like the late 90's early 2000's Honda Prelude with a manual transmission. That would probably be a much better car for doing mods. I also like the idea of getting an older XTerra for camping.
     
  12. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

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    Modding the Prius is growing in popularity and there are so many parts available from Japan. As to the Turbo, the ECU will not allow for it, it's been tried and has failed.
     
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  13. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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    #13 Rmay635703, Jul 23, 2020
    Last edited: Jul 23, 2020
  14. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    There's a saying in the performance world: you don't need to speed up if you don't slow down.
     
  15. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    ^ Works that way in aeronautics too....

    Since it's not 2022 yet.....
    Depending on where you live or how many miles you have on the clock, you may not be all the way out of warranty.;)
     
  16. Centerpunch

    Centerpunch Active Member

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    Uhh, no.

    Atkinson engines do have very low pressure at the end of the power stroke, but during the exhaust stroke the exhaust is forcibly pumped out as the piston rises in the cylinder. If you think the exhaust is not under pressure, try blocking the exhaust outlet with the engine running.

    I can't imagine why anyone would want to turbocharge a Prius, but there's no reason it couldn't be done.

    P.S. If you read the comments on this page
    How does an Atkinson cycle engine work? - Lexus
    Lexus confirms that a turbo atkinson engine would be possible.
     
  17. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Hey, I wasn't trying to expound the entire pair of thermodynamic cycle lessons in a wall of text, I left out a lot of detail.

    Of course there's some pressure to the exhaust.

    Reckon it's enough to get favorable results using the sort of turbo a DIYer would have access to, a cheap used Mitsubishi or Subaru or something?

    It's great that you've found a counterexample in that Lexus, I will file that away for bar trivia later. I just don't see that level of specialized development within reach of a DIYer today, but hopefully not forever.
     
  18. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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  19. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Or buy a Firebird and turn it into a Prius as one PC poster is doing...
     
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  20. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    I feel like a wuss when guys pull up beside me in a nice V8 American car...