Hi Everyone, I've just recently completed body modifications to my 2007 Prius and am looking for some feedback on it. I've already created an album, so rather than post it all here, I'll just link the album here. Most of the body modifications are complete. I want to change out the headlights with a newer set that uses LED lighting. Otherwise, I'm hoping to get the car wrapped in carbon fibre around mid-September. I'm also curious to see what kind of modifications others have done to their cars. Thanks for the feedback, gang.
Hrm, are the vents on the hood going to pool up water when it rains because they are cosmetic only? Otherwise it looks nice. Have you noticed an improvement in fuel economy from the lighter parts?
gonna look very cool when its done. I like the hood a lot, I like the bumper too but I suspect its fiberglass or some hard plastic and I would destroy it the first time I pulled out of my local gas station driveway. I wish someone made a flexible custom bumper. mine's already cracked from the PO, so I do have an excuse to replace it.
Thanks for the feedback, guys! Hopefully, I'll have some updated pictures once the wrap is on. As for the question about the hood, the vents in it are functional, in that they open directly to the engine compartment. They don't, however, do anything for airflow going to the engine. There is no opportunity for water to collect the way they are designed. The side skirts were ridiculously easy to install, but I can't say the same for the front bumper. Combined with the removal of the original bumper, there was about 4 hours of work, but the end product looks pretty good. I haven't had it assembled long enough yet to see any gains from the weight reduction. All in all, I've only dropped about 63lbs off the weight of the car, so I'm not sure that I'll see much of an increase in mileage for it. I was looking at camera mirrors to reduce wind drag. They say that the mirrors are responsible for a .05 of a .26 drag coefficient, which is substantial, though I haven't done any research as yet to validate the accuracy of that statement. Above: Camera mirrors installed on a 3rd Generation Prius I've only been able to find pictures like this one where it shows the mirror camera in place, but nothing of the interior on how the cameras are viewed. When I did a search on it, there appears to be replacement mirrors with small (4" or 5") LED monitors built into them that connect to each camera, allowing you to "see" your side mirror images in your rearview mirror. While I like the idea of reducing the wind drag on the car while it's in motion, I'm not keen on the idea of being dependent on using my mirror as a remote monitor for the side mirrors. Other options, of course, include using external monitors (rather than the replacement mirror) for viewing. One of my friends who works for Toyota mentioned that the small triangle windows were where the remote screens for the camera mirrors were located. I don't know if this was on a concept vehicle, but I don't recall ever seeing anything like this for any production model. This image is the closest I have to anything for a Prius with camera mirrors.
