just wondering if I put an intake or exhaust with more flow would that increase or decrease my mpg's. What about lowering the car would that help, if anybody has done this and seen a difference in fuel economy numbers let me know.
i dont even think there are intakes or exhaust made for the prius. maybe if you custom make it. maybe if you lower it, but that should only help overall on highway mileage. i'm still trying to find lighter and wider wheels than the stock 15's not sure if the 5-axis body kit will help with any wind resistance. i have no clue.
My guess is that the Prius is so tightly tuned to run as optimally as it can that modifications like that would likely do nothing or actually hurt the fuel economy. The ICE is mostly a generator and only contributes a small amount of the overall hp and torque.
lowering the car improves handling, doubtful that it's of any significance to mpgs though. As for exhaust, I feel as though it has a positive ipact on my mpg, though, again, it's very likely pride of ownership and it's ultimately debatable. for anyone looking for aftermarket prius "performance" upgrades, please check both Tanabe USA as well as the prius section of the Sigma site...also search this site for Tanabe and sigma, you'll find more info pics and opinions
on another site that deals with maxing out mpg's that i frequent. it has been decided that there is no true benefit to a CIA for mpg's. a warm air intake can benefit mpg's while at an idle, but that doesn't matter in a prius with the engine off. i'm not sure what the rules are on linking to other forums here so i will refrain from a link at this time.