Chargespeed and Prius

I gotta say I barely notice a difference besides the ugly fins on the roof line.

 

Looks nice, but the vortex generators are completely useless there on the Prius. Either way, the kit doesn't appear to include that from the description.

I'd say most of the improvement in looks come from being lowered and having good looking wheels.

 

From an aero perspective...this is the ONLY kit I've seen that might actually improve FE. The front aero lip/dam (lowering of the front lip closer to the ground) and side skirts are often duplicated mods by DIY-ers that are proven to increase FE.

The rear kit additions I'm not so sure on in terms of increasing aero...actually I'd be concerned the new space created by the kit between the rear spoiler and rear bumper might create a "dead zone" of air in the back of the car.

I know this thread is spotlighting aesthetics but keeping aero in mind as well is a good idea too. That being said, nobody would spend $1800 to increase FE if they expected this kit to produce enough results to cover the cost of the mod.

However, of all kits I've seen, this one looks the best.

 

Better aero? Yeahright, like they're gonna improve on what Toyota spent years developing in simulation and wind-tunnel testing.

 

Actually I have seen several mods that have increased FE on the Prius...if you have any interest in them go to ecomodder.com and search Prius mods. And, most of them are DIY-ers that have built front air dams, kammbacks, boattails, etc. With A-B-A testing they have been proven to improve aero and FE...don't be so pessimistic Richard. While the Prius is super slippery...there's still room for improvement!

And...my comment said "this is the ONLY kit I've seen that might actually improve FE." I did not infer that it WILL improve FE...just that it might. How would we know if it does unless we try and test?

Many DIY-ers (both hybrid and non-hybrid) have built front air dams or side skirts (or lowered their car) to improve on aero...if you do a search you will see many examples.

 

if toyota release the absolute most FE body styling, it'd likely be torn to shreds in reviews and very likely not sell as well as the current prius.
past a certain point, toyota has to trade off functionality for improved FE (e.g. the prius could improve fe by having only 2 seats, but this wouldn't sell as well as a 4 seater). lets assume for a minute that we do know that this kit improves FE. why wouldn't toyota make it stock? well the majority of buyers are going to hate how often they bottom out. a car that's basically designed in such a way that it scrapes itself on just about any driveway or bump just wont appeal to as many people as a car that doesn't.
the math is easy at this point; sell more cars with lower FE, or fewer cars with modest gains in FE?

 

Right on deltron...precisely the reason you don't see mass production of the car pictured below...yet!

Niche marketing is much more risky than mainstream...it's #1 reason why you don't see concept cars make it to production in their original form. But, as fuel prices rise and technology becomes less expensive you will start to see some of the "little guys" taking on the "big boys" in the hybrid industry.

Take your typical "hyrbid" owner for example. Statistics show they are:

• Hybrid drivers are a few years older than the average car buyer—closer to 50 rather than the average age of 40. J.D. Power’s 2007 review of auto industry marketing showed that only 2 percent of hybrid owners are 24 or younger; while 29 percent are between 45 and 54; and 33 percent are 55 and older. The 2007 Scarborough Research pegged the number of age 50+ hybrid drivers at 23 percent.

Now do you think this older crowd is more likely to purchase a Prius...or a funky looking car like the one in the picture? I think the Toyota Prius sales figures speak volumes on this topic.

 

not bad looking but, you'll be scraping the ground

 

I would not be so sure. On the EVO they reduce drag measurably. I am not sure that they are for show or properly placed but if they are they will reduce drag. Cars don't have them because they are (to most people) ugly, they may add cost etc and the gain is small.

Below a link to a Mitsubishi white paper on the bumps.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...gen_BA&usg=AFQjCNHArFCd4qeAHReUfG5fPxrlj7fL8w

 

By roof fins are you guy's talking about vortex generators? If so they work by adding energy to the boundry air layer and thereby cause the airflow to be more laminar and can reduce drag slightly.

 

I've only seen one production vehicle where they've been put on and tested to work - the EVO.

Every single after-market imitation I've seen is crap. Looks only and will actually increase drag in most cases.

 

I said CAN reduce drag slightly, did not say WOULD. VG's are usually pretty small also about 1/4" tall, not big honking things, usually. Often used on aircraft where airflow separation is not wanted. [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex_generator]Vortex generator - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]
I've installed many VG kits on aircraft, and they do work, but on aircraft they are not for drag reduction, but usually to increase the critical angle of attack on an airfoil.
I'm sure VG's on most cars are as functional as the big wings you see on kids Honda's, but done properly and in a place where undesired airflow separation occurs, they do work.