Today, I was taking my country drive when I got really bored. No cars, no turns. Just flat land, so what did I do? I took the 2001 Prius for a top speed run! Okay, I know pretty much the top speeds of all the Generations of Prius. 1998-2000 - 88mph (53HP Petrol Motor, 40HP Electric Motor.) Net HP - 101 2001-2003 - 106mph (70HP Petrol Motor, 44HP Electric Motor.) Net HP - 98 2004-2009 - 108mph (76HP Petrol Motor, 67HP Electric Motor.) Net HP - 110 2010-present - 115mph (98HP Petrol Motor, 80HP Electric Motor.) Net HP - 134 See, the reason why I'm posting this is because the 2001 that I have only tops out at 100mph. Exactly when it hits 100, I feel the loss of power, but if I go down a slight incline, it can do 101. Brad told me that when he had his 2003 Prius, that it topped out at 105, Jeremy Clarkson supposedly had one up to 106, so this makes me think that the 2001 might have different software then the 2002 or 2003. What do you think?
Did you measure the speed with GPS or calibrate the speedometer? I have a 2003 but I've only gone up to 100 mph. It was still climbing but I was running out of road. Besides, I had the data I wanted at 100 mph: Bob Wilson
My preference is to find a stretch of road with mile markers, say a 50 mile stretch. Starting at one end, reset a trip meter as you come up to pass it. Then run a significant distance and record say every 10 miles, what the trip meter reads including the 'tenth of a mile' as you pass the mile marker. The further you go, the more accurate the results. The ratio of the indicated to mile-marker actual will give the correction factor. Another approach is to use a GPS to measure the distance. However, you really need a straight, fairly flat road. I notice the GPS tends to convert bends into a series of line segments thus making a curvy road appear to be a little shorter ... not much but I see it in the data. GOOD LUCK! Bob Wilson
