Mods That Make No Sense

Mr_Shiftright

This topic is for any kind of modification on a car that just doesn't make any sense to you. Maybe we can enlighten you, or maybe we'll all laugh at it together.

I'll start it off in the next post.

Mr_Shiftright

No pix yet unless you want to check out the May 2005 issue of CARGO magazine, Page 103

It says:

"BLITZ Prius Turbo Kit"

This K2 turbo bumps HP from 76 to 130HP, and added to the 67 hp from the electric motor, gives you 197 HP (so says CARGO).

Okay! And we presume that doubling the horsepower might affect...um...fuel mileage?

So tell me again... why do you buy a pretty heavy, underpowered, top-heavy, gas-stingy hybrid electric car and then turbo-charge it?

Am I missing something? Or am I just an old-fashioned kinda guy?

Here's the website, but no product yet---article says:

"it will go into production if enough power-hungry hybridheads speak up."

http://www.blitz-uk.co.uk/2003/turbo.html

stever

This just came up in SUVs and I was thinking the Prius was pretty light. Guess I'll have to go find the specs. :-)

[edit] - ok, the Prius Curb Weight is 2890 lbs. The 4 door Echo weighs in at 2105 lbs.

So yeah, you're right, it seems a bit nuts!

Steve, Host

tidester

It's called Power on Demand!

tidester, host

Mr_Shiftright

Geez, you buy a Prius for around $26K, drop another $5K on turbo and modifications, and you coulda had a brand new EVO out of the box-----c'mon!!

badtoy

would be what some techies have done to find ways to extend the performance of the electrical motor on the Prius. Been all over the news lately....

Mr_Shiftright

That does make sense, since electric cars can be REALLY fast off the line. You get all your torque ready to go at 1 rpm.

carlisimo

You get a BIG turbo, one that'll give the Prius lots of high end power but with horrendous turbo lag... and the electric motor makes up for the lag! Perfect!

Ditch the eco-friendly tires, which no one will notice anyway. Set up a boost controller so that you can get good mileage when you want to, and good speed when you don't. Pick up racer chicks one day, hippy chicks the next.

You have to have be willing to overspend if you're getting a Prius in the first place, so that throws out the only disadvantage of this system. Otherwise it's the best of both worlds.

Mr_Shiftright

Well in a sense then you are building a completely different car than Toyota intended. Seems like you'd just wanna want for Toyota to come out with a small hi-po hatchback hybrid, like they are doing with their SUVs right now. Let them figure it out. I think a twin-turbo hybrid 5 door hatchback V-6 would be a very sweet car for a lot of people.

I agree, it would need better tires and better body roll control. The Prius handles like a piano.

bumpy

A strut tower brace on a '98 Deville. :confuse:

And if you want a hot hybrid, turbocharge an Insight. 200+ hp at the top end and a curb
weight around 1900 pounds.

bobo4

the insight would be a good platform to put some crazy motor in it... its so light!!

Mr_Shiftright

Twin turbo Olds 455 might be good.

fredmcmurray

It seems to me that the only way to boost the power of an electric motor is to increase the voltage to it. I'd be worried about what that would do to the longevity of the motor.

lmacmil

Negligible and unnoticeable performance gain (the claim 3-5% increase in power could never be felt). Yet people who install them claim they can feel the difference. The placebo effect I think.

lmacmil

Now they may look cool but if you can lock your brakes today, then the bigger rotors aren't going to shorten your stopping distance unless you do something about the tires too. Case in point: the Saleen S281 Mustang comes with 14" slotted rotors (vs 12.4" on the Mustang GT) and 4 piston monoblock calipers plus performance tires and yet it took 9 more feet to stop than the standard GT. The Saleen would undoubtedly provide more fade-free stops in a racing situation but tht doesn't apply to most of us.

badtoy

you wouldn't be referring to Jay Leno's Toronado, wouldja...?? =D

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah, I was thinking about that car! I used to have one and I fondly remember plowing through snowdrifts with chains on the front wheels.

braking distance --- my guess is that the Saleen used a larger tire----increasing tire size (diameter I mean) increases braking distance. Surprising how many people aren't aware of that phenomenon of automotive physics.

carlisimo

Well... bigger wheels (diameter) generally mean wider tires (width). That way the volume of air within the tire is the same. Wider tires have more grip and will decrease braking distance.

The ideal combination is a small-diameter and wide wheel, but in handling and braking the width is more important than diameter.

Mr_Shiftright

Hmmm....I don't think so...I think demonstrably larger rims will be harder to stop....more rim, more weight. But yes you are right, smaller diamter and wider tire would be best I think.

eharri3

Ohh I've got a long list. Don't have any good pics as of right now but I'll keep my eyes peeled. After all, I am in Philly, the 'Pointlessly modified ghetto hoopdie' capital of the east coast. I imagine there will be photo ops sooner rather than later if I keep my camera phone at the ready.

#1) Cheap plastic spinner hub cabs, 14.99 apiece from Pep boys. Silly, just plain silly.
#2) 90 hp Toyota Tercels or Corollas with exhaust and intake.
#3) I have scene a Crown Vic in my apartment complex on stock wheels and tires, stock ride height, but with a huge rear wing, body-kit, and cheap PEp Boys Chrome molding plastered all over it.
#4) Window tint so deep you have to roll down your windows at night to see when backing up.
5) 60 thousand dollar luxury SUVs with Brush guards, steel tail light guards, and other heavy off roading equipment, some of which also come with 22 inch wheels and 45 series tires because we all know how crucial they are to a complete off-road package..
7) 200$ car with 2000$ stereo so powerful that if it is played to loudly pieces of the vehicle fall off.
8) Pickup trucks with spoilers on the hard tonneau covers.
9) TV screens on the rear headrests that are in use while there are no rearseat passengers in the vehicle.
10) 4000 dollar rims on a 11 year old 200 dollar car. Why not just buy a nicer car with the 4000 dollars?
11) This little yellow big-rig inspired cab-clearance lights on tiny S10s and Ford Rangers whose rooves would never scrape anything anyway.
12) A bug deflector on the front of a pickup. I confess, I do have one, and I think they look cool. But is 3 inches of plastic on the very edge of my hood supposed to really protect it from stones and rocks on the highway?
13) Spoilers or wings of any kind on any pickup truck, but especially on big, lifted, fat-tired off-road ones..

qbrozen

Not sure I can post this ... I think I can because there are no forums that I know of ... anyway, this site is quite good for a laugh and fits this topic perfectly.

www.beaterz.com

Mr_Shiftright

I LOVE that site! It does actually have a link for forums but it's never been active to my knowledge, so okay for now....but if they go active, then the link will have to go.

Shifty the Co-Host

stever

How do aftermarket parts effect resale value? (Strategies for Smart Car Buyers)

Steve, Host

ieatrazorz

Eye lashes... those freaking eye lashes... I work for Nabisco vending product mostly in Philly. I came across this one day...

oldfarmer50

What would it take to mod a 95 Lincoln Mark VIII from base status up to a LSC? The only difference I'm certain of is going from single to true dual exhaust. I think the LSC had different gear ratios as well. Any specific engine or suspension mods required?

Would it even make sense to try seeing the modest (10hp) bump?