My new PiP - helpful comments appreciated

Hello, Priuschat. This is my very first post on this forum.

I took delivery of my new 2015 PiP on Saturday, March 28, 2015 from: ToyotaRob - New & Used Autos

It's a base model in Sea Glass Pearl with no factory option.



Here it is again after I got it home.



It looks a little out of place on the driveway in front of my 240SX with 350 small block chevy V8

 

Thanks for all the comments.

I'm ashamed to show pictures because I have them all torn apart for winter. This should motivate me to put them back together and take some decent pictures.

This is something I'm still trying to grasp. I got the tip from another PHV driver as well.

I try to use EV mode and recharge as much as possible, but for longer trips I do notice that the EV range goes down quite quickly when speeds get above 30-35mph.

 

They did a special order for me. We're not supposed to get this colour in this region. Don't tell anyone

I see one regularly charging at GMU in Fairfax. I don't feel so special any more...




I also looked into DOM's EV program, but since I'm already on their AC program (where they can cycle your AC in the summer), you can only be in one program, and I feel the AC program is more beneficial since the AC uses more power than the PiP.

Plus I'm considering putting up a solar array on my roof and in the backyard so the whole issue may be moot.

 

The cheapest 240V cable I found was from Electric Vehicle Institute. I also ordered a J1772 extension cord from TucsonEV which has a 3/16" hole in the Latching button so that you can insert a lock for security. I leave the cable inside the garage and run the extension cord out to the car with a cable lock on the extension cord.

 

That's the one. My basement usually stays pretty cool any way so I don't use much AC in the summer.

They put a little relay on your AC so they can cycle it on/off whenever they feel like it.

 

Before I did anything to the car, I wanted to see how good the factory alignment was. There was some talk of new cars' alignment being off and ruining the tyres. I wanted to see for myself.

Alignment shop services were provided by: RRT :: Performance, Tuning & Maintenance


Full tank of gas. Front tyre pressure set to 35PSI/rear to 33PSI. Topped off all fluids. Nothing else in the car.

Toyota specifies ride height measurement as follows:

A: Ground clearance of front lower No. 1 suspension arm bushing set bolt center
B: Ground clearance of rear axle beam bushing set bolt center
C: Ground clearance of front wheel center
D: Ground clearance of rear wheel center

My measurements are as follows:

A: 185mm Left/184mm Right (I think this is because most of the front weight is shifted towards the driver side)
B: 270mm
C: 290mm
D: 295mm

I noticed a little variance between C and D, but this is probably due to the difference in air pressure and more weight being over the front. It would explain why the tyres are 5mm higher in the rear.

While Toyota doesn't specify absolute measurements, they do provide relative reference scale:

Front: C - A = 108mm
Rear: D - B = 26mm

My actual measurements are as follows:

Front: 290mm (C) - 185mm (A) = 105mm
Rear: 295mm (D) - 270mm (B) = 25mm

My percentages of variance:

Front: (108mm - 105mm) / 108mm = 2.7%
Rear: (26mm - 25mm) / 26mm = 3.84%
=====================================
Toyota specifies alignment measurements as follows:

FRONT
Camber: -0.22* +/- 0.75*, 0.75* or less right-left difference
Caster: 5.88* +/- 0.75*, 0.75* or less right-left difference
SAI: 12.27*
Toe: C+D: 0.20* +/- 0.20*, B-A: 2.0 +/- 2.0mm, 1.5mm or less right-left difference

REAR
Camber: -1.48* +/- 0.50*, 0.50* or less right-left difference
Toe: C+D: 0.28* +/- 0.30*, 0.75* or less right-left difference
B-A: 2.9 +/- 3mm

And here are the actual measurements themselves:



Overall, I'd give Toyota a C+. Some of the specs are off and they're non-adjustable from the factory other than front toe.

On top of that, you need Techstream to reset the yaw and acceleration sensors for the ABS every time you do an alignment. It makes it more difficult to service the car.

 

Since my car didn't come with any floor mats, after reading other members' experience, I went with Weathertech FloorLiner DigitalFit Part Number: 445251-442562 in Black.



Fitment is excellent. I like how high they come up on the side and they don't slide. Generic rubber mats would slide around and damage the carpet underneath. Overall I'm very happy with them.

 

I had a problem with the steering wheel. I never had one that was so rough before. Since the weather was still cold and dry, it cut my right hand in 2 places and gave my left hand a pretty good friction rash.

After looking at the other thread, I decided to pick up an Orex Motorsports steering wheel from the dealer. It may not be the best, but it's confirmed fitment and I had a gift certificate. It also feels so much better than the stock steering wheel. Yay, no more bleeding fingers from driving my PiP

 

As we discussed in another thread, I found that Weathertech doesn't make a cargo tray that fits the bump on the PiP, and while the regular Prius cargo tray could probably fit with or without trimming, I wanted a more elegant solution.

So I got a Toyota cargo tray and cargo net to go with it.