Hybrid Racing stories

I'd like to hear from anyone who does Solo2 (autocross) in their Prius. I'm getting used to the "handling" and would like to try at least one Solo2. I also have a Subaru Impreza that I autocross, but I've never seen a Prius running at any events. What class are they in? Is there a Hybrid only class? I run my Impreza STS due to a swaybar change, which the Prius could use too. The Prius was bought as my commuter car, to save miles on the Impreza, but I find I actually enjoy driving it. It has been a pleasant surprise (except the seats).

 

I was the first and only person to solo2. It's fun.. you have to learn that the body does twist ( unless you have a BT plate <_< ) but you learn to kinda throw that twist into a corner. *shrug*.. it's fun.. i pulled decent time.

It has it's own class... if i remember corrently. It runs with other low mod/street legal cars. I wish i had my low pro's on at that time, but i was running on the integrities. People said i ran well though.. they made comments the entire time.. " you can't hear the car... It doesn't put out pollution, just butterflies lol... but yeah.. all you hear is the tire squeels.

 

I'm a long time Solo2 driver and instructor. I've competed in various VWs, a Miata, and currently a F125 Shifter kart. When I am teaching at driving schools I don't bring the kart (no room for students) but I do drive the courses a few times in the Prius. I don't think it would ever be much with the stock suspension, it's way too soft. Way too much body roll, and too much lag at throttle on. Almost like turbo lag. I really like the car, but I'll stick to the shifter kart for the track.

 

keeping it in B kinda helps .. but yeah.. i only raced for the sake of seeing it do a solo2. Everyone said it was really cool to watch me go around the track

 

does anybody knows of somebody or are using NOS in our Prius cars?

 

Then the Viper wasn't racing. Even on a rolling start, the Viper has such ungodly torque and traction that it can easily out accelerate pretty much any car. A Viper can be in 6th gear and still beat most cars. So either he wasn't racing or he just didn't know how to drive.

 

DH hit 118 in the rental HiHy they gave him to take down to school before the govnernor kicked in.

when he told me that, i said "wow!" and then i scolded him :lol:

 

the guy couldn't drive. we were at a really really low speed.. like 15mpg.. and he was already in 2nd gear.. i heard him rev up and punch it.. but.. he couldn't catch up (shrug)... he did gain on me.. but he eventually gave up. (crappy driver) lol

 

How does the Prius behave when really pushed? Does it understeer or oversteer? How predictable is it? How well does the electric steering work when the car is at its limits?

 

It does well even at max speed. I think it handles better at high speeds... you kinda just... well.. you know how the back kinda wonders.. when racing at high speeds.. you just let it kinda let the back flop to the side.. so you enter the turn early.. It still kinda understeers a bit.

I guess its not really too much of a change from low speeds. I'm not running on stock wheels though. I'm on goodyear assurance comforthreads.

 

wut up guys, i didn't know we have a bunch of prius racers out in california. i thougth we only drive slow and try to conserve our gas. well i guess not. so racing stories. i was on the way to pick a friend while this prius was right beside me. we were going up the hill on 92 heading east. we both took off the same time and it happen. he started to pull on me. we were going about 50 to 60 up hill. he had an extra passager which i dont understand because i was driving alone. i should have an advantage there. well anyways i got slaughter by a car in a half. prius vs. prius.

 

While I haven't really truly raced my Prius (duh, it's not legal on city streets anyhow), I did have a bit of fun yesterday on my lunch hour.

I was sitting at a stoplight next to a new Mustang V6 convertible and the guy was gunning his engine and inching forward for the duration of the red light. As soon as the light turned green, I floored the Prius, got up to the 45mph speed limit very quickly, and glanced in my rearview at the Mustang I left behind. Yeah, that was fun! For the amount of noise that his car made, you'd think it would have gone faster than it did...

 

Just as a side note - I've been in two electric cars that'll smoke the Viper. Both EVs with well under 300hp.

But I agree about reality here! If anybody beats a sport bike in the Prius, somebody is smokin' somthing!

 

i agree. if a prius beats a bike of a line and i don't mean bicycle, they are smoking some pretty good $&*#

 

i don't get where you guys are pointing out a bike... ???

btw.. i have the bt plate now. i want to try solo2 again hehe

if it's me.. i'll share.. if it's someone else.. you better share lol

puff puff pass

 

I kept up with an 06 jeep and only feel a car length behind. it was about 1/4 mile stretch, he also had kinda a head start.

 

A few weeks ago my entire team at work went out to lunch together (4 people in my Prius, 4 in my bosses Mazda 6). With my boss being a horribly dangerous driver, I normally avoid him at all costs, but at the first red light he pulled up next to me. As he is always giving me flack for driving a "slow, eco-friendly, golf cart", I knew he was going to hammer it at the light (as he always does).

Knowing that I had it all over him with the torque of the electric motor and the added weight of a full load of passengers, I punched it at the green light leaving him in the dust when he had to shift from 1st to 2nd, leaving him to sit at the next red light. I took full advantage of poking a bit of fun at him for being dusted by a "golf cart" and making us wait to order lunch.

Needless to say, the golf cart comments have ceased. :lol: