DIY R/R two hybrid cells

Hey guys, new to posting on the forum been a lurker for a while now. My 04' Prius is showing two cells need replacing and I've decided to go the route of replacing these myself. This will be the 5th and 6th cells I've had replaced since owning the car for two years (165k on it) now. While I would really like to simply replace the entire pack with a refurbished unit which is probably the smartest play, that's something I cannot currently afford. I have a decent background in electronics, I'm a certified avionics tech with multiple FCC licenses and after reading through other threads on this subject plus the amount of YT videos on this I feel it's something I can quite easily do, I just have a couple questions before starting.
1. I will not be balancing the cells afterward (yes I know people go back and forth on this and you probably should, but I know people have not and seen the repair last for quite awhile. So with this knowledge, is it best to install the new cells with the hybrid battery charged or depleted? Does it make a difference?
2. I drive the car only as needed right now, sometimes, not every time, the engine will go up high into RPMs like you are in the "B" driving mode and the car has hardly any power. Turning it off and on again seems to clear the issue, what is the cause of this and is there a temp fix while I wait for the cells to come in?
Any tips or advice appreciated, cheers!