Question for those who really KNOW about cars

Well, first things first, the Top Gear BBC show doesn't mean for itself to be taken all that seriously. They like fast cars being driven hard, and tend to set these sort of things up to make anything less than a Lotus look like a good thing to have a laugh at. As such, while the Prius (let alone the other two examples) doesn't look all that good in this test, it fares little worse than a whole range of other 'normal' road cars tested on the same track. The clip makes it look quite bad, but in reality it's being driven for speed and tested in a harsh cornering environment when in the real world such conditions would be unusual.

That said the tires are, without doubt, a weak point in the Prius and could certainly be better (albeit at the cost of fuel efficiency to some degree). Being a British version of the car, I think it has stiffer suspension than the US base model - much like the Touring edition here - but has 15" wheels not the US Touring's 16. I don't recall the tire type used there though.

 

So some crazy journalists drive a car faster than they should, and loose control because of that, concluding the car doesn't handle well. This is meaningful because...? The Lotus is a sports car. The Prius is not. No more need be said, except the whole thing was done to improve TV ratings for their show. Oh, and the wheels are 16" in Britain. Tyres (British tires) are probably different than the US touring. They tend to be different in each country the car is sold.

 

Good rain tires would make a difference, but you're not going to catch a Lotus around the track in a Prius no matter what you do to it. Unless the Lotus runs out of gas first...

 

A Prius would be a pig of a track car. If you want to know how a 4-door track car should handle, hop into my other car.

 

Isn't this the same Limy that machine gunned a Prius out in the Desert? Gee! You mean the prius can't take a turn as hard & fast as a Lotus? a Porsche? a Ferarri? Waaah! I want my money back!

So what? If there's no gas station up the road, a few hundred miles or so? The Lotus will be limping along, & the Prius driver will wave as he passes him by. To quote the Limy after their hard cornering test, "ha ha ha ha".

I want to watch the guy do the hard cornering / show off stunt in the Lotus, on a tall cliff ... with oil all over the road. After all, if pushing the envelope is ooooooh so important, that will REALLY impress me. ha ha ha

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hill @ Jul 17 2007, 12:38 PM) [snapback]480293[/snapback]</div>

Firstly, there are no small number of Brits for whom the word 'Limey' is no small amount offensive and not far off the sort of word to describe a race of people that in these parts we know better than to use. Secondly, the show is written, presented and intended as a send up - not least of the three presenters themselves who get paid to be eternal adolescents. Admittedly, they do, from time to time, do some 'serious' motoring journalism, but not often and always sandwiched between the stuff that isn't supposed to be taken seriously. Having watched the show for years, I can tell you this was not supposed to be one of the serious bits - and wasn't taken to be one by the target audience.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriusTouring07 @ Jul 17 2007, 10:25 AM) [snapback]480326[/snapback]</div>

There is another thread in the Modifications forum that asks similar questions (about handling improvements to the Prius). The take away is that there are some things that can be done to improve the handling of the Prius, but don't expect it to be able to handle on a par with either a Lotus or MINI (or other purpose-built handling cars). Wider tires (up to 205) are available for the Prius (I know because I have them on my 2007 Touring edition). Lighter (10 lbs/wheel) forged wheels are available as well, so any decrease in mileage due to the wider tire (but that is questionable as well, since a lower rolling resistance tire will not reduce mileage due to greater width) can be offset by the reduced rotational mass of the forged wheel/tire combination.

Handling options run the gamut from suspension braces (front and rear) to the TRD Sportivo suspension upgrade.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriusTouring07 @ Jul 17 2007, 11:00 AM) [snapback]480349[/snapback]</div>

PM me (or post back to this thread) when you want to get started. I have currently done the wider tires & lighter forged wheels along with the TOM'S upper and lower front suspension braces. I have the TOM'S rear suspension brace on order at the moment and can't wait for the parts to arrive.

 

Ha! I actually enjoyed watching that. And I think the answer is yes, the tires are partially to blame for the fact that the Prius doesn't do well cornering on a damp track at high speeds. The other reason is that it is not, in fact, a Lotus Exige. (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong...that would make my day.)

Add better shocks and springs, fat anti-sway bars, and something sticky in a 205/55R16 (or so) and you've probably got a fairly decent-handling car. Personally I have neither the need nor the funds to undertake that project. It handles just fine on my day-to-day.

 

Double post