2005 modifications... Work in progress..

Just for reference...

 

A dyno is a machine onto which you strap your car to measure horsepower and torque. You showed screen shots from some app that merely plugs in to your OBDII port... and the data you collected wasn't comprehensive, nor even calibrated. Why should we put any stock in those results? -- Yes I know what a dyno is, yes I did show results from an app that connects to my ODB II port which I called a "dyno" You can choose not to believe the results, I really don't care. You're right and I'm wrong - I hope you can sleep now knowing that you are so better and smarter than me...

It's also free to throw out your passenger seating and spare tire... but only one of these two mods will actually net you a quicker 1/4 mile time. -- True, I'd also recommend removing all sound dampening material, Plus all unnecessary equipment like the stereo, and interior panels and components. But it would make it difficult to carry passengers legally and safely. I'd also like to listen to some music on my 2 hour boring drive to work. But I do want to make my Prius more fun to drive. So who cares other than you, if I let others know of my mods and experiments to improve the car...

$128 to clean your MAF? Cheap? A can of cleaning solution costs $5. - Yes cleaning your MAF could be as low as a spray can of cleaner for $5 in reality inflation would make the can of cleaner about $8. $128 for a NEW MAF is cheap.

My admission that the new found power could be the new cleaner MAF or could be that it actually IS a better MAF, is me stating the fact that yes there is a possibility that I could be wrong. However swapping out for the new MAF in my opinion made a difference. I don't care if you believe me or not, I'm just sharing my experiences with different modifications.

 

Ebay has motegi track lites; i don't know how much the bigger wheels are, but the 16's are lighter than stock and only about $700 shipped. not the best looking, but better than stock. i'm thinkin w/ lrr tires, i might not lose any mpg w/ those.

 

Yes, there is an equation. How much performance can I get for my money? This is why I'm reading these threads...

I want to find a metric by which I can measure my potential performance gains. I want to know my money is being well spent! It doesn't matter to me how others use their money, so be it if they like to throw it into the wind. That's not my M.O.

If I just wanted to have "fun" it wouldn't be in a Prius.

 

You might want to spend more time looking in the Gen II Prius Technical Discussion area, that's geared more toward you're M.O. - If you're not looking to have "fun" and try new things I'd suggest looking somewhere else than the "mods section" Mods are all about "fun" and not necessarily practicality. People do crazy things to their cars out of sheer joy of tinkering and experimenting with mods.

 

well have fun with your equation then! my fun car gets about 12 mpg, so i can't afford to drive it much. the shovelhead is broke again so i'm not having any fun with that POS right now. it gets about 40 mpg, but its useless in a hideous DC commute since its air cooled. so since i must drive the prius 98% of the time, i'm gonna try n have as much fun with it as i can.

since other folks are doing the testing of assorted snake oils, please refrain from non-constructive criticisms. i think it would be ok and perhaps in character to simply post "it'll never work", if you believe someone's methods are unsound.

i can think of better reasons why its too bad i ain't in CA. bet i could find me a little mamacita to cook me tamales and then... well never mind.

 

I wish I was in SoCAL I kinda miss Fort Irwin, and Barstow... hahaha no I don't miss Barstow. But I do miss Cali every now and then... I think justdidit was inviting us to the sum dim meet - Too bad we're so far away. If it wasn't for the distance, I'd be going to the meet. We need an east coast meet... like at Dave and Busters in Rockville or something!

 

Okay plz explain this (free) and inexpensive mod and what determine sucess if any??Cold air intakes increase air flow and the one I had on a ford ranger did nothing for fuel economy......

 

-- removing the resonator doesn't make it a "cold" air intake, removing the resonator increases the airflow.

1. Remove your passenger headlight and expose the black OEM piping that leads to the filter.
2. Remove the black OEM piping.
3. Underneath that you will see a large white box. This is the resonator.
4. There are 3) 10mm nuts/bolts that hold the resonator in place. Two at the top that are easily accessible. The third, you will need a flashlight (to see the bolt) and a 6" or 10" extension (or extremely small hands and long arms - I used a 6" added to a 3" extension when I removed mine.) You need the extensions to get the lower bolt which is underneath the resonator, you have to go at it from the ground by the bumper cover, reaching across the open space to gain access to the bolt. (you'll know what I mean once you get the bumper cover loose to remove the headlight - you can easily see the resonator.)
5. Once the third bolt is removed, the big white box (resonator) can be taken out of the car.
6. put back the three nuts/bolts or place them in a zip-lock bag and tape the zip-lock bag to the resonator (this way it is easily reinstalled if and when you choose to sell the car - car's get better trade-in value with an OEM/stock set up so I always save my stock parts.)
7. Reinstall the black OEM intake piping.
8. Reinstall the passenger headlight
9. Drive the car and enjoy the increased air flow!

 

That sucks! Try RockAuto Parts Catalog or I've seen some on ebay for $77. That really sucks... that's $70 - $80 that could have been spent on gas, or another mod...

 

Thanks for the unwarranted advice, but no thanks. The "testing" that is going on here is mere functional testing: does the car still go after a part or system is changed. Don't confuse this with actual performance or endurance testing.

I'm here to push people a little further. If people aren't getting any metrics from their testing, how can they compare part A to part B to OEM? What good are threads like these? Just to hear how someone paid $100 to change out a part and they don't really know what it does? I can sit in the waiting room at a mechanic's shop if I wanna hear that kind of drivel.

Your butt is for pulling excuses out (like "you're in the wrong forum"), not for dynoing your engine work.

...that is non-constructive.

 

Cold air intake and white box aka resonator removal ...... no thank you........still have not stated why this does anything
or has a plus or negative factor so thanks but I will passs on that

 

actually no I am tight on funds currently and have already blown about 1500 on rear axle/doors/and rim to rebuild another Pri currently

 

no one likes being pushed, so be gentle.
my butt is all i have. if you'd like to buy dyno or track time for dave, i'm sure he'd appreciate it. in fact, i'm sure most of the people that post in the "mods" section would enjoy whatever results we would get.
us po' folks don't be havin money fo' dynos or summit point. and i don't think i could stand the ridicule i'd get if i took a prius to 75-80 dragway, but that would be a good place to test acceleration.
would you accept butt data regarding suspension mods, or would we have to take it to a skid pad before you'd believe it when we say it handles better or has less body roll?
and my bad, yes it was non-constructive, consider the Glum reference as a little push-back. no disrespect intended.