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Prius Tuning - More HP (200-300 whp)

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by andreimontreal, Jul 3, 2021.

  1. andreimontreal

    andreimontreal Active Member

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    Asking broadly, don't stone me, summoning up all those who did research on tuned Priuses - how doable is tuning a Prius to add more hp. To quantify it think: 200-300 wheel hp ; snappy but not crazy fast.

    So if you researched this let me know what you've learned about tuned Priuses you might've found out about.

    Anybody has got a clue what's the safe upper limit hp wise of the drivetrain? Anybody with Prius car engineering knowledge (ie how the parts were dimensioned)? If the engineering is "flimsy" (good enough to reliably deal with stock power) any idea if there are aftermarket parts to build a tuned Prius?

    How doable is DYIing/improving the parts to get a reliable tuned mod?

    Andrei

    PS: I've seen the likes of The Smoking Tire where they claim "modded prius" and it's just parts to make it handle better. Also, I'm digging yt and whatnot for other clips like this engine swap. But it's an engine swap lol - the engine bay is the limit (not the sky).
     
    #1 andreimontreal, Jul 3, 2021
    Last edited: Jul 3, 2021
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  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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  3. andreimontreal

    andreimontreal Active Member

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    Thanks Mendel :). Well that's "a something" but like the guy says, not shaving quarter mile seconds - I'm kinda looking for that kind of performance increase (all in theory, this is a research).

    Let's see what www has got.

    A
     
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  4. ETC(SS)

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

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  5. AzusaPrius

    AzusaPrius Senior Member

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  6. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Remove your Prius badges, buy the car you want, rebadge it as a Prius.
     
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  7. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    checkmate.
     
  8. andreimontreal

    andreimontreal Active Member

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    Yeah, I was looking at that guy's track runs :D. Bruh. My only complaint is that it's not a Prius anymore by the Prius standards (I remember finding an article about a literal hybrid Prius race machine, one of a kind, but that was a long time ago and I wasn't really into it) - but. That being said, if the Prius body should prove to be something I want so much, I may end up swapping on a 3rd gen (if ever).

    That swapped Prius clip led me to this nice k swapped Civic hatch series - such an awesome quality find, really condensed, no fluff. I had this 6th gen stick Civic which my dad drives now; such a fun car to drive.

    One complaint in the Prius is that the handling is miles behind something like that Civic. A few thoughts: if nothing practical shows up regarding increasing a hybrid engine's power (besides minor tune-ups, looking to double or even triple), I might as well look into swapping an engine as above, integrating high quality parts to make a neat rally/track type build; or even starting a Civic build on the side depending on how difficult should prove working on the Prius.

    ++++++++++

    @JimboPalmer :) you're right, I might be looking for unicorns - I had a feeling I was ...

    How you doing? (y) long time no crazy talk, eh?
     
  9. andreimontreal

    andreimontreal Active Member

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    @ETC(SS) speaking of Prius swaps, I found a bunch people, and there's this chick with a K swap (ie see the dude above with the civic k swap).

    So I bet there is a 3rd gen k swap - or some way to do it.
     
  10. Samuel Williams Jr

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    LOL, uh no, not with a "Prius." It's not possible! Well Ok short of the SRT 8, Prius. :)

    Four cylinder Toyota's that made or can make big power, are old now. And the King of the hill was the Celica AWD with the 3SGTE 4, or the 2nd Gen MR2. 230 hp from the factory and 300 hp was nothing or if you wanted to starting spending bucks 400, 500 or 600+ hp at the wheels!

    The little dog that could was the Toyota Starlet, Japan only but there are/were some of those here. It had a 1.3 liter 4efte engine in it rated at 130 hp stock. But they can make 300 hp with all stock internals. I have one of those motors for my 92 Tercel (cousin to Starlet) but most likely I'll build a 5efte same motor with a longer stroke for 400 hp because uh ... why not?

    But you can do with those motors because you can replace the ECU and you can make the motors do Boost, Ignition and Timing ... whatever you program it to do.

    And that right there is why the Prius can't make 200 hp. You have to Turbo or Supercharge it to make power. And so far that can't be done? There are threads on here from those that have tried and it does not work.

    The ECU can't read boost. As soon as the ECU sees positive pressure 1 lb of boost? It shuts the motor down. Folks that know way more than I have tried and failed.

    And on top of that from a dead stop, you'd not be able to use the power anyway from a dead stop. The traction control protects the MG1 and MG2 motors. Pull away from a dead stop and nail the throttle and see what happens. :)
     
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  11. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Agree, there are plenty of threads on this topic already. This car is 11 years old, if there were ways to do this, it would be widely documented.
     
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  12. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    It's difficult to add power to a Prius because so much of the Prius is built around a specific balance between electric and gas power. Add one, you really need to add the other in a similar proportion.

    That's hard to do, much harder than just adding power on a simple gas car or fully electric car.

    Toyota themselves weren't interested in re-working the electric end of their race car. They put in a mildly hotter gas engine and called it good. (They probably also made sure the traction battery was fresh-fresh new)

    You might crib their formula for handling though...
     
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  13. SnowMexicanuck

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    Gut the drivetrain and battery pack, then swap another engine... Nothing you can bolt-on will give you that kind of power. Adding 160 hp on a 4 cylinders engine with an hybrid management system... is really not worth the trouble and would require stupid amount of knowledge. Not to mention that the trans/MG might not take kindly to 300 hp... The springs in the torque damper fails on stock Prius after a while, so imagine with more power.

    If anything happens to my engine or battery pack (once it's completely out of warranty in 50,000 km), I have a complete 2ZZ from my Matrix XRS that needs a teardown and rebuild and the Prius would be its new home. I mean, you either need to trade the Prius or get another car. I have my '15 Prius, but I also have my '05 Cooper S if I want something fun to drive (and it's currently in the low 200 hp). Adding power is as easy as replacing the pulley on the supercharger, the same can't be said about a Prius.
     
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  14. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    The Prius has a supercharger?????
     
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  15. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    turbo charger also!!!
     
  16. Samuel Williams Jr

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    Kind of sorta, it's on here somewhere? Most likely it was a Supercharger kit from another Super charged 4 cylinder, that was "modified," to fit on a Prius? But physically bolting a Supercharger to a Prius ... is the easy part. Making it work? Not so much apparently?

    Superchargers are parasitic, they suck up hp, just to run themselves, they are a drag on the motor and can suck up 100 hp just to run
    themselves.

    Fiat/Chrysler corp knows. Supercharged Dodge Hell Cat's and Demons make up to 870hp from the factory but those motors suckup100 hp plus ... just at idle. But hey when you are talking 500 hp plus at the wheels, who gives a crap? :)

    Turbos are a better choice, free hp from exhaust gas. But hey there are trade offs. Turbos tend to have lag, the motor does nothing until it builds boost. Superchargers have boost, the second the motor is started.

    A supercharged car drives like a Normally Aspirated car. A turbo car not so much? But in either case the Car's ECU see's the operating conditions it expects to see? With normal car's you can Spoof, the ECU, with a Piggy Back, or Hard Core, you just replace the Car's ECU.

    But with the Prius, apparently you can't do either? The ECU in the Prii thus far appears to be uncrackable? It can't be "Spoofed," if the car see's 1 pound of boost, it shuts the car down?

    A regular 1.5 or 1.8 can make big power but with a Prius, thus far not so much?
     
  17. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    I was joking...
    I could think of better things to do with my money and time then putting a super/turbo charger on a PRIUS! (y)
     
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  18. Samuel Williams Jr

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    Sticking to Prii, you are indeed correct and counting the Gen 2 it's more like 18 years of failure?

    But don't be "dissing," old cars. As the "Transformers song," goes ... there is more than meets the eye. :)
     
    #18 Samuel Williams Jr, Jul 4, 2021
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2021
  19. andreimontreal

    andreimontreal Active Member

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    I agree guys, it's an engineering/electrical/programing headache.

    I was also checking out the process to k swap that 2nd gen Prius, and it looks like such an insane task.

    Btw, this is the racing Prius I saw a while back in some article - found that by coincidence.
     
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  20. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I better unwatch this lol.
     
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