If you could fill any car with Prius guts, which would you choose? :)

[nimblemotors]

The people that 'complain' are the ones that don't drive them.

What makes driving more 'fun' is having a loud engine and a manual transmission to shift, so you can pretend you're 'racing'.
This is what the MGEO is about, 'fun' and great economy together.

Even the Tesla Roadster's super fast acceleration isn't 'fun' without the noise.
Shifting of the gears is what racing is all about even though it really isn't.
There is also the 'fun' of being impractical, which is something like some of those little SUV like the Tracker or Rav4, or a two seat car.
A Prius is very practical.

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Probably already mentioned, but I would put a Prius engine in a Prius. The car is a different kind of fun. Also, I don't know why people complain so much about the handling. I'm never the slow one going around a corner, and it's handled emergency swerve maneuvers just fine. The handling is certainly no worse than a Camry, Outback, or most any other standard sedan.



I accumulate tabs when I find something else interesting that I want to study later, which then leads me to something else I want to study later. It starts with a forum topic about what octane to run in an engine, so wanting to know more, I end up opening a few tabs on the subject of octane. Before I know it, I'm neck deep into organic chemistry wondering how I willingly ventured to a place most people would gladly avoid.



My wife's graduate program is costing me $10k every 3 months, and on top of that she's renting an apartment closer to school. I wonder if I can send her to the Army if she starts slacking?

I denied financial aid since the loans were unsubsidized and at about 7% interest. If funds get tight I'll take out a HELOC on the house, which currently has a much lower interest rate along with tax and legal advantages.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by nimblemotors

Shifting of the gears is what racing is all about even though it really isn't.

Racing karts usually don't have gears to shift, at least the few ones that I have driven didn't, but are still fun.

[gafhj]

I'd use gen1 CRX with heavy aeromodding:
* longer front with fully ducted cooling that opens and closes automatically
* boat tail
* mirrors replaced with cameras
* smooth underbody
* all the usual stuff
* possibly chop top with more horizontal rear bench backrest

And LPG conversion.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Also, I don't know why people complain so much about the handling. I'm never the slow one going around a corner, and it's handled emergency swerve maneuvers just fine. The handling is certainly no worse than a Camry, Outback, or most any other standard sedan.

I don't get it either. Most people drive on the street only, have never really experienced their cars' limits (the ones that do, crash because...they're on a street) and complain about or want to improve "handling" because they're following convention. Over on Priuschat, I see many, many posts on installing chassis braces, strut tower braces, and rear sway bars, but no real understanding of what these things are for and what they do. Placebo effect being what it is, nearly everyone who drops the coin claims a revelatory "handling" experience, and the next crop of would-be modders reads their posts and continues the cycle. Meanwhile, no one cares about spring and damper rates, natural suspension frequency, or driving techniques because, OMG look at my new chassis brace my car handles like its on rails!!!111 #handlesonrails

The reality is, the Prius handles just fine for a street car. One of these days, I might take it autocrossing and see what it does at its limits (I'm betting more-than-typical understeer and, with the torsion-beam, a lot of inside-rear-tire lifting stock), but I'm in no rush.

[Xist]

Vman, a friend that I mention periodically just completed a remedial program and started two classes at the university level. She keeps asking me for help with math and seems incapable of understanding explanations:

Determine whether the following statement is true or false and then explain with an example: “Due to a downturn in the economy, a small town in Nevada lost 20% of its population. However, after a significant improvement in the economy, this same town then gained 20% more people. In the end, the town’s population remained the same as it was before the downturn.”
True

People "hate" math because they need to think.

[user removed]

Down 20=80. Up 20=96. Lose 50% you need to make 100% to break even.

regards
mech

[markweatherill]

GM EV1.

You can buy Ferrari replica body kits for MR2s and Fieros but nobody has ever built an EV1 replica?

[MkVer]

I wouldn't.

I'd put my modified TDI parts into a Prius body. Might be ugly to some but I bet I'd see an mpg gain because of Aero.

[Baltothewolf]

I would love to put the PIP guts into an insight.

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by MkVer

I'd put my modified TDI parts into a Prius body. Might be ugly to some but I bet I'd see an mpg gain because of Aero.

That's my thought. If you put the Prius drivetrain in a Toyota Corolla would it do any better than the gas engined version?