photos taken of the bottom of my Prius

Anyone care to photoshop in (maybe on the center shot) the points at which one can safely place a floor jack and jack stands? I've only used ramps and I'd appreciate the guidance.

Thanks!

Greg

 

I was thinking the same thing!

 

probably the same place the lift pads are placed.

 

Excellent photos! Clearly a lot of attention was paid to all the parts of the 2010 Priuses. Pretty amazing! I'm glad I now own one, too.

Thanks for posting.

 

Many, many moons ago, the Car & Driver magazine staff had a project to try improving the mileage of a Dodge panel van. They tried front spoilers, wings on the back, blocking the radiator, and other ideas. The only thing that made a significant difference, like a few mpg so we're talking the order of 10 - 20%, was to completely cover the underside of the van to make it smooth.

 

Wow! These are aMAZing. Good job!

 

Chris,

Thanks so much for your contribution! The Hi Res images are something as you'd see from the Space Shuttle.

Toyota should promote the underbody a bit more in marketing stuff - even a cute commercial, like rotating the car as if it's on one of those twisting roller coaster rides. They sure didn't skimp on engineering, aerodynamics, or structure underbelly. Something to think about as we skim through the airstream at 60MPH achieving that great Prius mpg.

 

OK, I'll ask. The tires look like they are all pointing outward. Isn't that because of photographic distortion?

 

With those underbody panels/floorpans, I wonder if the 2010 Prius will float, and if so, for how long?

(Remember the scene in The Dirty Dozen when the VW Beetle floats?)

 

Thanks for posting the photos AND providing access to the hi-res versions. VERY COOL!

 

Toyota did mention better sound proofing. i guess the panels would help with that.

why would you be concerned? its not like you will catch and rip anything off. if there was something in the road, just make sure you got enough momentum to high center and slide off the backside.

hard to tell with no 3D. the cable could be several inches away

very cool pics. definitely one for the PC archives

 

With all the bolts in place not just most of them

 

Does anyone know how much benefit all the underplating on the Prius does provide? Has to be beneficial, but is it tenth's of an mpg or more? I did see the post below, but wonder if anyone actually knows WRT the Prius, interesting topic - great pics thanks.

 

This might be part of the problem. Over-thinking the way you drive can lead to disappointing results. All you need to do is plan ahead to keep the car moving with a minimum of braking and keep your speeds down.

 

you are a craftsman and i assume you have been doing it several years. so let me ask you. do you feel you are a better photographer now than you were when you first started? now, keep that answer in mind.

i dont go to extreme measures to get great mileage most of the time. traffic around here does not allow P&G for the most part. but i do go to extreme measures to learn how my Pri works and how what i do affects the mileage i do get. its all a learning process and it might not be as complicated as learning all the tricks of picture taking, but it is complicated enough that most cannot just jump in and do it immediately

now, i also am probably lucky in just my driving needs. for short trips, i have my Zenn. that right there eliminates those short errand runs that we all have to make which will kill a tank's mileage.

but keep at it. pay attention to what works for you. and ANTICIPATE that is the most important thing. knowing when to fold em oh wait!!...

i mean when to accelerate, when to coast and when to brake LIGHTLY, other than emergency stops, if you are not braking very lightly, you are not doing the first two things well enough

and finally... i have a 5 year head start on you

 

Several people have mentioned the attention to detail Toyota devoted to smoothing the air flow underneath the car. I would also like to add 'to controlling the air flow underneath the car'.

Quite a lot of time in the wind tunnel must have been spent fine tuning the three curved grooves per side underneath the passenger compartment, which appear (to my untrained eye) to direct the undercar air flow away from the rear tyres and all the extra drag they can cause.

Many thanks to orginal poster for these great photos. :thumb:

 

You are assuming that the bottom is leak proof. If that were the case, the engine would be submersed in a heavy rain storm. I am sure liquids drain just fine.