Old member back from a long hiatus, now with Off Road Prius!

[bobo333]

Hi guys and gals.

I became a member here years ago but took a break for the past few years due to other interests taking over. Now im back on the road with a 2009 Prius and after discovering a less than helpful Prius community for anything that didnt come from the factory I am back here!

My Prius is a little different to the normal builds you will find on this site however (and anywhere else for that matter), I am modifying it to use as a mild off-road camping and overlanding vehicle so there are a lot of major compromises between maximum off road prowess and maximum efficiency.

My previous vehicle for this purpose was a 2002 Subaru Liberty which was excellent at getting me to and from all manor of remote places around Australia, but my wallet didn't agree with the fuel bill. If i can build the Prius to get to >90% of the places i got to in the Subaru, but with <50% of the fuel bill i will be very happy indeed.

I forgot that you need to host photos elsewhere for this site so i cant insert any right now, but here is a link to my Instagram if you're interested in having a look at either #JimThePrius or #Adalax the Subaru

https://www.instagram.com/minimadomum/

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by bobo333

Hi guys and gals.

I became a member here years ago but took a break for the past few years due to other interests taking over. Now im back ...
https://www.instagram.com/minimadomum/

Welcome back! An off roading Prius is wicked cool. Photos on your IG are great. It is still ecomodding if you are producing a more efficient off-road vehicle. Take a look at Ecky's Insight... totally cool projects.

Love it.

[redneck]

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I like it...

>

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[bobo333]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

Welcome back! An off roading Prius is wicked cool. Photos on your IG are great. It is still ecomodding if you are producing a more efficient off-road vehicle. Take a look at Ecky's Insight... totally cool projects.

Love it.

Thanks, unfortunately most of the Prius community doesnt share your enthousiasm haha.

So far the major changes are the obvious larger all terrain tyres and lights, stripped out the rear end of extraneous seats, built a custom tow hitch and rear platform for carrying the larger spare wheel and other bits and pieces, and glued 220w of flexible solar panels to the roof.

Future plans include:
Rear interior remodelled to suit camping/overlanding on weekends and construction work during the week
OBD Dongle with various diagnostic apps (in the mail)
Lithium battery conversions (both the 12v and HV eventually)
A 40mm lift kit (in the mail)
The rest of the lights swapped to LED or HID
New front bumper with extra clearance, protection and integrated grill block
New flat under floor with integrated protection
Rear diffuser extension with integrated protection
Rear wing extension
New audio/entertainment system

Probably lots more along the way, il start a thread for it in the appropriate place soon.

[California98Civic]

Start a new build thread and fill us in? This site will celebrate that car, I think. And i would love to see the solar project in progress if there are pics... link to PriusChat if they're there. I sometimes eye the roof and think of a flexible panel.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by bobo333

unfortunately most of the Prius community doesnt share your enthousiasm haha

Considering some of the Prius usual fanbase seem to hate SUVs more than they love the Prius, your SUV-ish approach might drive them crazy

When it comes to set it as a camping vehicle, what amenities are you considering at least to try to fit into it?

[bobo333]

Ok ive started a new thread now, the link is in my signature. it might take me a few days to catch up to the current time.

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Considering some of the Prius usual fanbase seem to hate SUVs more than they love the Prius, your SUV-ish approach might drive them crazy

When it comes to set it as a camping vehicle, what amenities are you considering at least to try to fit into it?

Its certainly doing a good job of driving the Prius community crazy so far

The most important camping amenity is a nice large flat floor in the back to put my bed, ive owned too many wagons over the years and i just cant justify sleeping on cold uneven ground, even when camping. Ive also begun a solar system with inverter for charging cameras and laptops and phones and the like, which also doubles as site power for construction work during the week. This should allow me to run a portable fridge in the future as well.

The rear being devoid of seats will allow me to build storage systems for all of the usual camping stuff on weekends and tools during the week, kitchen stuff, sleeping gear, shade, fire making, etc etc. I dont want to go too overboard on the gear as its not exactly a heavy duty hauler.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Not even my dog enjoys sleeping on a cold uneven ground. So, even if the Prius wouldn't seem the most conservative option for a camping rig it's still likely to fare better than a tent. But have you never considered some "unconventional" approach such as replacing the glass on the rear hatch with a custom-made plexiglass canopy in order to gain an extra bit of space?

Originally Posted by bobo333

I dont want to go too overboard on the gear as its not exactly a heavy duty hauler.

Sure it would be way more challenging to get plenty of amenities in a Prius compared to some "traditional" overlander.

[elhigh]

Welcome... back!

I love the whole idea of offroady Prii. It'll never go as far afield as a stock Subaru, but you can easily get it to go places Toyota certainly never imagined.

One thing that crossed my mind while looking at the very handsomely done black car on your Instagram, the rear wheels are only along for the ride.

So while installing the springs and flares for extra clearance for taller tires is good, there's little to no point in installing wider ones. Not in the rear.

I don't think you're going to go mudding with a Prius. That way lies madness and tow straps. If you're going to spend most of your off road time on firmer ground than lots of mud, then the extra flotation of wide tires at the rear, the lighter end of the car, may not be needed. You could possibly get perfectly good results with taller, narrower wheels and tires that don't widen the car, don't contribute as much aero drag, don't weigh as much.

I have fantasized about installing a Torsen diff in a Prius, an overlander rig would be a perfect place for one.

[bobo333]

Originally Posted by elhigh

Welcome... back!

I love the whole idea of offroady Prii. It'll never go as far afield as a stock Subaru, but you can easily get it to go places Toyota certainly never imagined.

One thing that crossed my mind while looking at the very handsomely done black car on your Instagram, the rear wheels are only along for the ride.

So while installing the springs and flares for extra clearance for taller tires is good, there's little to no point in installing wider ones. Not in the rear.

I don't think you're going to go mudding with a Prius. That way lies madness and tow straps. If you're going to spend most of your off road time on firmer ground than lots of mud, then the extra flotation of wide tires at the rear, the lighter end of the car, may not be needed. You could possibly get perfectly good results with taller, narrower wheels and tires that don't widen the car, don't contribute as much aero drag, don't weigh as much.

I have fantasized about installing a Torsen diff in a Prius, an overlander rig would be a perfect place for one.

While an excellent idea, its more important to me that all 5 wheels and tyres are the same, so that i can rotate them for long life.

The wheels and tyres I have fitted now are just leftovers from my previous Subaru build, when theyre worn out i will go back to some lightweight 15" alloys with slightly smaller and lighter tyres to get back some mileage, acceleration and braking.