Insight 4x4

[Hugh-Falls]

Staska: Yes, the ideal location for the drive pulley centerline would be the centerline of the rear beam pivot. When I initially considered this approach, finding both the available necessary space and suitable available components to make this method work had evaded me and continue to be the insurmountable obstacles both with regards to money and time to get it done. Cutting into the side of the Insight and coming up with something that works and looks correct/good is not easy or cheap.

[Hugh-Falls]

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

This technology can be used for good OR evil. You could use PhotoShop (or MSPaint, which I believe is the program that Staska sketched in) to annotate an existing photo, or to illustrate something you haven't prototyped yet.

Hugh, surely you plan on shifting to N and shutting down the ICE while using your rear wheel drive. Otherwise, you could simply make like Peter Perkins (and me) and run the IMA motor off of grid-charged batteries. It's not the most efficient, and it will never let you kick the gasoline habit, but it's cheap and easy.

Most of my work is done with paper and pencil sketches. ACAD is then used to get a mathematically correct layout. I guess it is time to find out what Photoshop and MSPaint are about.

With the CVT, shifting into N and shutting down the ICE and driving from the rear wheels would be ideal and probably could be done at any rear wheel drive speed. As far as the CVT is concerned, it would resemble the car being towed and the same restrictions should be met. However, starting up the ICE (as from a forced stop) and shifting back into D while underway at speeds above 4 mph could probably damage the CVT start up clutch over time and probably should be avoided. With the MT none of these restrictions would apply and you could enjoy a full EV mode if you could live with the limited acceleration you mentioned, however, if you used Mike Dabrowski's MIMA you should be able to get assist from the IMA motor.

[Hugh-Falls]

If a target maximun speed for our rear wheel drive is to be 60mph (926rpm for Insight 165/65R14 Bridgestones) for instance and the maximum rpm for the Etek motors is to be 4000rpm, the drive reduction ratio is about: 4000:926=4.3:1 (.23) If we keep with using the 14m motorcycle drive parts for our final drive, this ratio is not obtainable directly with any of the available 14m belt drive components as far as I know, so a two step reduction will be needed. This could consist of two pairs of pulleys or a pair of pulleys and a gear box.

The Etek motor is not enclosed so we will need to enclose it and ventilate it or place it where it is protected from splash and dirt contamination. If we keep the final drive as low as we can with ample road clearance and the motor up high and dry, we come up with something that resembles an electric outboard motor. (Briggs & Stratton did sell such an electric Etek outboard motor. If we could obtain a pair of these, our drive would be almost complete, however, these used a brush type Etek motor and I don't think they developed 6hp and they had no need for a neutral clutch or reverse gear.) For our purposes, it is better for us to find a suitable outboard lower unit and adapt our Etek motor to it. Also, we can take advantage of the forward-neutral-reverse clutch that is built into most lower units. We will need that neutral to lessen the drag of the unit when it is idle.

[Staska]

Originally Posted by Hugh-Falls

Staska: Yes, the ideal location for the drive pulley centerline would be the centerline of the rear beam pivot. When I initially considered this approach, finding both the available necessary space and suitable available components to make this method work had evaded me and continue to be the insurmountable obstacles both with regards to money and time to get it done. Cutting into the side of the Insight and coming up with something that works and looks correct/good is not easy or cheap.

Sorry when. I dont see whole image. From my point of wiev, i cant see how you will round chain across suspension beam.

Btw - how does drive axle in prius look ? Does it have so colled intermediate shaft ? or it is only one part for one side..

[Hugh-Falls]

Staska: You can probably find someone on one of the Prius forums or Ecomodder who can answer your questions about the final drive used there.

When sufficient space for a drive could not be found near the rear axle beam pivot for the rear wheel drive, I decided to look elsewhere. In a previous reply (above), I discussed placing the rear wheel drives BEHIND the rear wheels into the space between and below the rearmost sheet metal and the plastic rear bumper cover. A series of good photos of this area of the Insight can be found on Yves Morrissette's Insight Mods blog Welcome to my Honda Insight home page .

With careful planning it may be possible to install the drives in this space with a minimum modification of metal and/or plastic Insight parts.