3rd gen Prius aeromod thread

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by TexasCotton

Another follow up....
roughly how much did the lowering suspension parts and labor cost?

I got the springs online for $150 ($180 with shipping). I installed them myself in the driveway, so the only other cost was an alignment ($70), although it turned out I could have skipped that because the suspension was still within spec.

When I bought the car, the dealership quoted $987 to install TRD lowering springs, rolled into the price of the car. They retail for $300-something, so $600 for labor and overhead. The book on spring install is around 4 hours, I believe, so you'd be looking at a couple hundred at least to get it done somewhere.

[Cobb]

Id expect the 65 figure to be a starting point, not an achievement.

I rented a prius 3 for sveral weeks. As, is, got 50 mpg. Drove it like a rental car, got 49.9. Added 50 psi to the tires and used enough brake to max out the rgen/braking meter when coming to a stop, BOOM, 65 on a tank.

Id check with Dax on the grill blocking. I think he said something the other day you need to monitor the inverted temp as its cooling system is on its own circuit and if it doesnt get enough airflow it can cause more use of gasoline if you trip is over 7 or 10 miles.

Originally Posted by TexasCotton

Just want to restate you past posts...........
With the following mods to the 3rd Gen Prius
Mirror, rear wiper deletes
suspension lower
smooth wheel cover

you got a 65mpg on full tank then to near empty tank of fuel
is that correct

[vskid3]

Originally Posted by TexasCotton

I have asked few Prius Gen3 owners what their mpg was .....and 51mpg seems to be a common response.......

Not to take away from Vman's great mods, but driving style can make a huge difference in Prius mileage, especially with mostly city/slower driving. My Gen2 averages more than most Gen3's, mainly from driving habits and generally good conditions. Aeromods are extremely helpful for higher speed driving, though, where its harder to milk the Prius. I need to get working on some aeromods for mine, have a road trip or two this summer that I would like to increase my MPGs on.

[Vman455]

A huge difference. Running errands around town tonight, I pulled into the driveway sitting at 81.8 mpg for the trip on the Scangauge. However, by far the majority of my driving is on the freeway, more than 250 miles per week, where the aeromods really pay off.

[Cobb]

That sounds better. My experience was to use gas to get up to speed and use "ev" mode to coast down from your pulse to your glide and repeat. Then ride the brakes as hard as needed to max out regen and far enough in advance of needing to stop to recover all the energy you can.

[Vman455]

Finally got around to taking care of some things on the Prius. The pizza pans were rusting out on the backside, so I replaced them with new ones and Plasti-dipped both sides before bolting them together. I also decided to go with a snazzier color:







I also (finally) installed the inside mirror on the driver's side:



I didn't get the position quite right before I drilled the A-pillar trim and bolted it on, so I might pull it off again and adjust it.

[Cobb]

Careful the air bag infiltrator lives somewhere in that area.

Were they out of black or silver plasti dip in your area? You can get some nice black paint by rustolum that covers rust and inhibits it growth in the future. I used it on the steel wheels on both my 88 wagoneer and 99 metro.

Originally Posted by Vman455

I also (finally) installed the inside mirror on the driver's side:



I didn't get the position quite right before I drilled the A-pillar trim and bolted it on, so I might pull it off again and adjust it.

[MetroMPG]

I like the new pizza pans.

[elhigh]

Vman, they look fantastic.

I noticed that you left the original material of the wheel covers still there. You could negate some of the weight gain by cutting out all the unneeded "spokes" of wheel covers.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by Cobb

Careful the air bag infiltrator lives somewhere in that area.

Were they out of black or silver plasti dip in your area? You can get some nice black paint by rustolum that covers rust and inhibits it growth in the future. I used it on the steel wheels on both my 88 wagoneer and 99 metro.

I pulled off the trim piece to check clearances etc. before drilling anything, and the bolts have lock nuts and washers on the other side, so it had to come off anyway.

Black or silver? There was plenty of that on the shelf at Home Depot, but I went for red. Because life is short!