Offroad Prius/Hybrids

Since money and cost of vehicle isn’t an issue, I would buy the new rav 4 hybrid in your shoes. It’s all the rage in here of overall ownership performance. Some lady came in here wanting to put several grands just to make her prius beach friendly but ended up buying another vehicle all together as I suggested.

 

It all comes down to how much mileage you're going to put on it... If you're up over 20K miles a year you're going to save a ton of money with 50mpg, but Prius are super limited on gravel and dirt and unlike regular cars, when wheels lose traction you lose power. Probably not as bad in newer models.

 

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise; The Prius is actually an incredibly well rounded car camping vehicle. Not only are you able to fold the seats flat and get a full 6’ of sleeping space, you also have the ability to utilize the AC/Heater with the hybrid battery, and when it gets too low will kick over to the gasoline engine until it’s charged and repeat the cycle. Not to mention the 50 mpg while you’re driving. It’s also an incredibly discrete camper for urban settings. In factory form the low ground clearance can leave you wanting more, which is why we offer a 1.5” lift. Pair this with a 215/70R15 tire and you now have the ground clearance comparable to a Subaru crosstrek with double the mpg, more sleeping space, and Toyota reliability. A solid gen 3 can be picked up and properly outfitted for under $10k and provide you with lots and lots of miles of outdoor adventure.

 

I was going to mention Priusoffroad as a resource, because I have been digging their Instagram lately. But alas here they are^...
I’ve been considering doing the same thing or something within the range of a little more ground clearance. I have been pretty low for a while on Tanabe Coilovers, however I’m too adventure happy not to finally puncture a hole in the bottom someday. Stock height or a lift with bigger tires might be all you need. The ability to sleep in the back deck while leaving climate control on, is the real game changer.

 

Thanks for the tip... I'm now following that Instagram account... In terms of the best system for off road... An air bag conversion would be best. That way all those freeway miles to get to your off road territory can get good MPG with car lowered. Then you push a button and raise the car up when you get there. Only challenge is the cost involved to get it set up.

 

In a perfect world this setup would be cool, but unfortunately the cost associated with it would be incredibly high, and that's if one even existed. Surprisingly our lift alone doesn't negatively effect fuel economy, or at least if it does it's not really noticeable (within 1mpg or so). The tires are what really cause the negative impact. We have a lot of customers running just our lift with factory tires and seeing no reduction in fuel economy with a huge improvement in ground clearance and drivability.

 

How much does it cost and how long does it usually take to do this?

 

Are you asking about our lift or the hypothetical air suspension lift? Our kit costs $299 shipped anywhere in the US and installation takes 2-3 hours with basic hand tools. Feel free to check out our website for more info. http://Www.priusoffroad.com

 

I heard that Mexican spec Prius have a higher suspension from the factory, not by much I believe.

The $299 kit from priusoffroad will be more economical.

 

How much does it cost to make my Prius do this: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJ5bCgDS/ ?

 

Slightly off-topic but @bwilson4web was contemplating lifting his Prime to avoid parking lot bumper rash.

 

One million dollars. (Insert Dr.Evil emoji)

 

We’ve actually had a lot of customers order our lift for that exact reason. Several primes as well. Also several older customers looking to make getting in and out of the car easier, especially after knee or hip surgeries. I always end up losing my balance and falling back while getting into customers cars during installs after driving a lifted Prius the past 3 years.

 

You lost that one. He traded in his Prime Plus on a Tesla Model 3.

 

No loss here! Tesla’s are sweet!

 

Nice, I'm on the fence on this, but if there was a black Friday discount I'm sure it would push me over the edge (hint hint).

Anybody done the Matrix/Vibe spring swap and have comments on how it has changed the ride quality?

 

This is one of the main reasons I could justify doing it. I couldn’t park, and horrible roads. I feel a lot safer now.



iPhone ?

 

It’s more about the tires. I noticed no change with just the lift. The tires and roof rack is what carved about 6-10mpg. This is also with winter gas. I also need an alignment.


iPhone ?