|
The Prius Experiment
Hey everyone! With fuel prices skyrocketing, I decided to buy a 2nd generation Prius to save some money. Thanks to the rising price of used vehicles, I was able to sell my previous daily driver and recoup the purchase price of the Prius. So I basically got a more fuel efficient vehicle for free, thanks to some lucky timing.
I'm calling this car "The Prius Experiment" because this is new territory for me. I've never owned a hybrid vehicle before. As a matter of fact, if you told me 5 years ago that I'd become a Prius owner, I probably would have laughed. But here we are. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlqMtZTq1Cg That said, the Prius had some issues. I got it cheap for a reason. To start, the gauge cluster and the touchscreen were both non-functional. On the 2nd generation Prius, these are common problems. The solutions are well documented in the PriusChat forum. I was able to fix the instrument cluster by replacing a bad capacitor on the circuitboard. https://i.imgur.com/ivwI0Ao.jpg The touchscreen was damaged, so I bought a replacement. https://i.imgur.com/PaghdCs.jpg?1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_QqVbWkgtg I also had to fix a handful of minor issues. But this is to be expected, in a 15 year old car. I was able to find most of the parts I needed, from the salvage yard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS89BxWddQM I also performed some basic maintenance: fluid and filter changes, new spark plugs, windshield wipers, and some light bulbs. After completing these repairs, the car was fit for use. So I put it into service. I have a ScanGauge, and the fuel economy numbers were very encouraging. However, there was one issue I couldn't ignore. That issue was the handling, or the lack thereof. The suspension is setup for massive understeer. I found myself having to slow down for almost every turn, because the understeer was so bad. Adjusting the air pressure in the tires didn't help. Then I read about a sway bar upgrade. Apparently, the sway bars from another Toyota can be fitted to the Prius. So I did that. What a difference! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO59ib1ealc |
OK, so we've done a bunch of work on the Prius. But so far, it's all been maintenance and repairs. What about eco-mods? I'm glad you asked. Now that the maintenance situation is under control, I can think about eco-mods. Here is a list of the mods I'm considering for the Prius. This list is tentative, so take it with a grain of salt.
-- Grille block -- Aero wheel covers -- Mirror delete -- Belly pan -- Drag spoiler Also, there are a couple mods I may or may not do. Haven't decided yet. -- Rear wiper delete -- Rear wheel skirts Also, there are some mods I do NOT plan to perform, for practical reasons. -- Gutting the interior -- Antenna delete -- Boat tail I decided to pick the low hanging fruit first. One of the easiest mods is a grille block. I bought a piece of pipe insulation from the hardware store, and stuffed it into the grille openings. I'll keep track of fuel economy, to see if it makes a difference. I'll report back after 2 or 3 fillups. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsN9QP0zR-o That said, I think the difference for just this one mod will be very minor. The variation from one fillup to the next is probably greater. But I do plan to eventually test the difference between stock and modified (for example, grille block + wheel covers + mirror delete). That should produce more visible results. While I'm waiting for the fuel economy data, I purchased some pizza pans. Unfortunately, they were damaged in shipping. So I had to return them. But I should still have pizza pans ready to install on the wheels soon. https://i.imgur.com/Ue69edh.jpg |
That's a lot for one day's posts, how long have you had it?
Alloys or steelies with hubcaps? How do you plan to attach the pizza pans? |
I bought it in late October. So I've had it for about 4.5 months now. When I bought the Prius, the used car prices were just beginning to rise. When I sold the Jetta, the used car frenzy was in full swing. So I lucked out in that respect.
The car has alloys with trim rings. I was originally going to bolt the pizza pans to the trim rings. But after taking some measurements, that may not be feasible. So I'll probably bolt the pans directly to the wheels. That, of course, will require drilling holes in the wheels. Some photos of the car: https://i.imgur.com/YV2gyrM.jpg https://i.imgur.com/BxojvC1.jpg https://i.imgur.com/jCxJNWQ.jpg https://i.imgur.com/KoBexi5.jpg |
I ask because my friend's Prius has steelies with hub caps that look like that ...except plasticy.
If you're going to use screws, I'd be most comfortable with Helicoil inserts. The best way is Dzus fasteners. ecomodder.com/forum/.../dzus-fastened-moon-disc-wheel-covers |
Interesting thread. I was thinking of bolting the pans to the spokes, rather than the rim. IIRC the rim of the wheel experiences some flexing during use. But the spokes should be more dimensionally stable.
|
Does anybody make some hubcaps that go on under the lugnuts like my old honda, except for our prius? I noticed a good gain like 3-4% with carbon fiber vinyl wrapped hub caps... until i lost one one month in. lol
|
Some camping Trailer have them. Can buy a set of two at my local campingworld
|
Quote:
|
My mom used to have a 2nd gen Prius like yours before it was totaled by a deer..
Grille block helped the car warm up faster in the winter. Stock wheels are already light weight and optimized for aero, smooth wheel covers won't do any good, especially if they stick out any further from the wheel itself. In fact, they might actually hurt aero. Best bet is to keep the stock wheels with all 4 of the rings in tact. If you really do want smooth wheel covers, secure them by drilling into the aero rings around the wheels, not the wheels themselves. You may notice a slight drop in mpg with adding the wheel covers due to more weight and poorer aero. If you delete the mirrors I would definitely recommend rearward cameras if possible, but definitely add a panoramic rearview mirror. Rear is already optimized for aero unless you add a full boattail, modifying the spoiler will likely result in a decrease in fuel economy. Tire pressure is the single best thing you can do to help with fuel economy with the Prius, it's pretty much already near perfect in optimization for what it is. |
Gasoline Fumes -- Duh! That's right, now I remember that it was a black alloy wheel with the cover.
I suggested the wheel looked better than the hubcap and they could take the other three off. Last I remember they wouldn't do that, or buy a replacement. |
Just a quick update. I've done 2 fillups since installing the grille block. The average fuel economy before the grille block was 58 mpg. These last 2 fillups were 60+ mpg. So we're looking at 2-3 mpg difference (about 3-5% improvement).
However, I'm not ready to claim victory with the grille block yet. I'm sure it helps FE, but the question is how much. You see, the previous fuel economy data were taken during the winter (or what passes for winter in Florida). I was occasionally using the heater, which means the ICE was running more often. During these last 2 fillups, I hardly used the heater at all. There is also some variability caused by the Prius fuel tank. It has a bladder in the tank, which makes fillups somewhat inconsistent. The guys on PriusChat say to do 3-5 fillups and take an average, for more consistent data. So I'm going to do one more fillup, then move on to the next mod. Also one more comment before I hit the submit button: I want this car to be presentable in public. I know the Prius isn't exactly a show car, but I'd like the mods to look like they belong there. So the pipe insulation, pizza pans, etc are just proofs of concept. If they work as planned, then I will make "real" parts to replace them. |
What is your drive cycle like? How many miles on the car? Local temps? What all have you replaced on it (new battery)?
|
Something came in the mail today.
https://i.imgur.com/sjvrwVM.jpg They're motorcycle mirrors that I bought online. They should be easier to install than the pizza pans. And since I'm all about the low-hanging fruit, I think I'll do the mirrors first. I'll post updates when available. |
Quick update on the grille block. We now have 3 fillups since the grille block was installed. And average fuel economy has increased. Before the grille block, the average was about 57.7 mpg. After the grille block, it's about 60.7 mpg.
I still think some (if not most) of that is environmental variables. But I don't have the resources for a true scientific test. So I'm going to call it a win, and move on. Sometime in the future, I'll make a "grille block grille", so the car isn't driving around with foam rubber stuffed up its nose. :p Also, I've decided to do the mirrors next. I got some bright orange yarn, for tuft testing. Should be fun! |
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Yeah, I've been watching the coolant temps. So far, so good. But it isn't summer yet. If worse comes to worst, I can make a removable section.
I avoided blocking the grille in front of the inverter, because I don't want to risk it. And the gasoline engine runs intermittently. I watch the coolant temp drop after the engine shuts off. And I think sometimes, it comes on just to maintain operating temperature. |
I did a thing! :D
https://i.imgur.com/kkxe5xr.jpg I test-fitted one of the motorcycle mirrors on the right side of the car, and did some tuft testing. I got video footage of stock vs motorcycle mirror, from 2 different viewpoints (inside the car, and the camera on the window). I haven't had time to review the footage yet, but am eager to see the results. |
Just a quick update: I got a chance to review the camera footage. The stock mirrors weren't as bad as I thought. That was a surprise. But the smaller mirrors should still be an improvement.
I'm going to compile the video footage (from 2 different viewpoints) into a YouTube video. The video should be ready on Sunday. Have a great weekend! https://i.imgur.com/iduLeKZ.jpg |
If you swap the two of them side to side, could you still see the right-hand mirror though the side window?
|
Quote:
For example, the windshield on the Prius is laid back pretty far. So I had to angle the mirror stalks backward, to clear the A-pillars. And that used up a lot of the mirrors' adjustability. After the mpg testing is finished, I'll probably replace these mirrors with something else. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
It's hard to tell from the pictures. |
I was originally going to use the same holes, but it didn't pan out. So I drilled new ones. And that put the mirrors higher up than I originally planned. That's why they had to be angled for A-pillar clearance.
If someone were to plan out the project better than I did, they could avoid these issues. ;) If/when I replace these mirrors, I'll use ones with straight stalks (without that 45-degree bend), so they stick out straight from the side of the car. That should take care of the clearance issues. Here's another closeup shot: https://i.imgur.com/LqjIsWn.jpg You can see the "stub" where the stock mirror used to attach. I drilled a new hole for the motorcycle mirror, and bolted it on with washers to spread the load. |
Thanks, that's a better angle.
It shows the mirror is well back from the A-pillar. That stub likely has almost as much drag as the mirror itself, based on the gnarly shape. |
Yeah, I should chop that off. To be honest, I rushed this job a bit, because I wanted to work on the "real" project car this weekend. LOL :p
|
|
Since installing the motorcycle mirrors, I've done 2 fillups. So far, the fuel economy is just over 61 mpg. Previously, it was just under 61 mpg. So it would seem the mirrors have gained about 0.5 mpg. But I'm going to wait for a 3rd fillup before drawing any conclusions.
After the next fillup, I think I'll try the pizza pan wheel covers. |
Subbed to the thread. Defo will be interesting to see what effect the pizza pan covers have. From my understanding, the stock rims are alright for areo, but there's always design comprises, aka look vs function. I don't think the general public likes moon caps too much even though they give the better areo.
In the past I remember kammbacks give a pretty good mpg boost, it's a compromise between a full boat tail and doing nothing. Sharp edges help dis-attach the air flow. It's been a while since I've been on here, but if I remember right there's a bit of gains up front, but the real gains are in the rear on most vehicles. I think the mirror swap could be made more areo, but it would take more fab work and such. On my 97 corolla, I reviewed the laws and I wasn't required to have a passenger side mirror, so I deleted it completely. Adding a small camera and a screen might be pretty easy to do with a backup camera kit. It seems to be pretty common for the prius belly pan to get damaged. It might be a good idea to inspect it some time. My 2006 has a fair bit of damage on the passenger side, but there's physical parts of the bumper missing lol. Mine was a car headed to the scrap yard, paid $1600 for it, $1000 for the cats, $600 for the car and the condition matches the price, dirty, neglect, and some body damage, but it's good enough for me. Your mpg numbers look really good even back when the car was stock. I suspect your driving environment is more ideal for the Prius design, low speed city style driving. I'd be interested in some details of the driving environment you're in to better understand the context of the mpg you're getting. For me roughly 90% of my driving is 55mph open country roads with a small bit of mainly 45mph roads in the city with stop lights and such. Good luck with the build and mods. Do you have a goal in mind you'd like to achieve for mpg? |
Thoughts on just deleting the passenger side mirror altogether? With a panoramic rearview mirror, you might not need the passenger side at all.
How big are the mirrors? |
I'm not willing to delete the passenger mirror, because that could be a safety issue. I drive in an urban environment, often with heavy traffic. Being able to see into my blind spots is pretty important.
That said, a camera setup might fill the role. But I'm not sure where to put the screen. Also, there's the question of cost-to-benefit. For example, if replacing the mirror with a camera only improves fuel economy by 1%, is the juice really worth the squeeze? |
With my corolla I saw a sizable gain, I think it was something like 3-5%. It was enough for me to keep it off. I tried the little mirror just inside the window and it didn't work too great. Visibility was good in the corolla, just had to look over my shoulder when changing lanes like you should already be doing. It's called the blind spot because you can't see it in your mirrors! The only issue I had with removing the mirror was for backing up, you can't see how things line up on that side of the car. It took a little bit to get used to, I drove through Detroit rush hour (to and from work) two days in a row for work with no problems, bumper to bumper traffic and you better be in the correct lane a good mile ahead of time kind of traffic.
https://learndriving.tips/wp-content...blind-spot.jpg |
For me, removing mirrors is not an option. My driving is mostly urban, including plenty of parking lots. So in addition to watching out for vehicles, I also have to watch out for pedestrians who will brazenly step into your path and dare you to hit them (so they can sue you). :rolleyes:
Replacing a mirror with a camera might work, but that may be more time/effort/cost than I care for. I'm mainly looking for cheap easy stuff that will have a measurable effect. I already have a "real" project car (an older BMW). So the stuff I'm doing with the Prius is just a few minutes here and there, when I have some free time. Actually, pretty soon I'll be launching into a complete suspension overhaul of the BMW. So I may not have time to tinker with the Prius for awhile. |
Mirror is probably not worth it. My passenger mirror has been off for 6 years now and its kinda annoying.
|
I'd remove my passenger mirror except I use it when backing into parking spots where my passenger side is right next to a planter box island. This is my preferred parking lot location because it is often in the shade and gives my driver's side the most room between other cars which prevents door dings and scratches.
|
Just a quick update: another fillup since installing the smaller mirrors. And this was my best fillup to date! It came out to 63.45 mpg! That's 3 fillups since installing the motorcycle mirrors, with an average of 62 mpg. The 3-tank average before installing the mirrors was 60.8 mpg. So the mirrors seem to be making a difference. So I guess I won't be reinstalling the stock mirrors. Next up will be the pizza pans.
That said, driving conditions can have a huge effect on fuel economy. Over the course of several hundred miles, that can add up. And it can wash out any gains (or losses) from modifying the car. So I wouldn't take these mpg results as gospel. I'm thinking of doing a coast-down test. That might provide more conclusive data. But coast-down testing each individual mod will be very tedious. And to be blunt, I just don't have time for that. So I would like to do a "stock vs eco-modded" test. For example, I would test the car completely stock, then install some eco-mods (grille block, mini-mirrors, wheel covers) and compare the results. At the very least, we should be able to see if eco-modding is worthwhile. Let me know what you think about that. And last but not least, my youtube channel reached 1000 subs! To celebrate, I'm doing a giveaway. If you want to win some free swag, check out the video below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbXo4rOoe5c |
Summer has arrived in Florida, and I'm using the A/C every day. As a result, fuel economy has dropped. Before, I could easily get mpg in the low 60s. Now I'm struggling to get mid 50s. So I'm thinking I should run out a couple tanks of gas before continuing the mods, so we can have a better comparison.
|
Temps up here in the extreme north (Michigan) are hitting 60's and in a few days it's going to the 80's, crazy how it went from basically just above freezing to boom middle of summer lol.
AC takes a lot of energy, not sure if much can be done to lower the load besides putting less cooling demand on it (higher temp setting). Pretty sure it's electric in your car, so it won't need to run the engine, but it's quite a draw on the hybrid battery. If you have a grill block, you might see gains opening it back up some since the heat from the heat pump action of the AC system is pushed to the condenser up front Another idea I just had, when you first get in the car, turning the AC on would help warm the engine up a little faster (heat pushed into radiator), but it's also likely will be loading the engine indirectly when still not up to operating temp. Couple ideas to play around with at least. The steering wheel has an AC button, you can turn it on/off as needed, but I suspect the auto controls work fairly well at cycling the pump. |
Quote:
From Toyota's "neural network" AC diagram, we can see that in addition to controlling the compressor, blower speed, recirculation setting, etc Toyota uses the "air mix damper servo" for "temperature control correction." I.e. it can send varying amounts of air conditioned air through the heater core to achieve the desired cabin temperature. https://ecomodder.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1650440684 I only recently started using my scangauge on my gen3 Prius, but it does have a gauge for the number of watts used by the air conditioner. So far the temperature has been mild so I haven't experimented with it yet, but I suspect seeing AC on max low and adjusting the fan speed will be best. If that is too cold, manually alternating between AC on and AC off will probably beat the "neural network." But we'll see this summer... |
| All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:07 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.5.2
All content copyright EcoModder.com