A few more little things today. First, updated weight loss:
Added sound insulation: 48.6 lbs
Trailer hitch receiver: 28.8 lbs
Rear right seatback: 26.4 lbs
Spare tire: 25.8 lbs
Tail: 21.8 lbs
Cargo carrier: 19.6 lbs
Hatch insulation: 16.4 lbs
Rear left seatback: 13.2 lbs
Rear seat bottom: 12.2 lbs
Rear seat belts, seat brackets, hardware: 10.7 lbs
Front speakers and baffles: 10.6 lbs
Front door insulation: 9.8 lbs
Rear door insulation: 9.4 lbs
Wheel covers with pans: 9.4 lbs (2.5 lbs wheel covers alone)
Front swaybar and endlinks: 8.4 lbs
Jack and tools: 8.2 lbs
Trunk mat: 5.4 lbs
Hatch door panels: 5.4 lbs
Rear speakers, miscellaneous hardware: 5.3 lbs
Headunit: 5.2 lbs
Hatch door insulation: 5.0 lbs
Floor mats: 4.5 lbs
External mirrors: 4.2 lbs
Cargo cover: 4.2 lbs
Front speaker crossovers and wiring: 3.2 lbs
Passenger side wiper: 2.8 lbs
Rear wiper and motor: 2.4 lbs
Intake resonator: 2.0 lbs
Sound system wiring: 1.5 lbs
Vehicle Proximity Notification System: 1.5 lbs
A-pillar insulation: 1.2 lbs
Hood insulation: 1.2 lbs
Engine cover: 1.0 lb
Horns: 0.5 lb
Total: 335.8 lbs/163.6 lbs from OEM
OEM curb weight: 3042 lbs
New estimated curb weight: 2878 lbs
Second, after driving around without any speakers for a couple weeks, I removed the headunit. This took some doing, since the wiring for the steering wheel switches (that control the tripmeter and MFD display screens) runs through the receiver. After grounding the proper wire, everything works without the unit. I've got a clear acrylic panel where the radio used to be (not pictured); I like that you can see into the dash where it's missing.
Third, after reading
this patent, first brought to my attention by a thread here a few years ago, I thought I would experiment with conductive tape on the resin body panels. After some Google searching to make sure the tape I had on hand actually had conductive adhesive, I applied some to the car. In the patent application, one of the illustrated vehicles, in Figs. 12, 15 and 16, is actually a 3rd-gen Prius, so some of my tape is placed where those figures indicate.
I also added it where a CFD pressure map shows low pressure, indicating possible flow detachment, and where the initial Japanese press on a Toyota 86 outfitted by Toyota suggested.
Up next, I've ordered a Magnahelic pressure gauge, which I'll use to draw a pressure map of the top side and underside of the hood before adding hood vents to evacuate high pressure and hot air from the engine bay. I'm hopeful this will improve radiator efficiency as well as improve Cd, as Hucho seems to suggest in 2.1.1 of
Aerodynamics of Road Vehicles. I'm becoming more concerned with cooling efficiency with all the recent press on heat-related inverter failures in Priuses, even those that had the E0E software reflash performed (like mine). Currently, one California dealer is suing Toyota over it. So, for the time being I'm removing my grill block just in case--if Toyota ends up recalling and replacing the inverter, great; if it fails under the extended warranty, I don't want Toyota to be able to point to a grill block as a possible cause and deny coverage.
Also on my mind, I'm thinking about ways to lighten the exhaust, but still conducting research on that as the last thing I want is a loud car.