Magnus, I'm a DIY'er / heavy hobbyist and have my hands in several different niche projects/hobbies that help fellow auto enthusiasts. One of my hobbies is building Gen 2 HV batteries using low/very low mileage Gen 3 (and now Gen 4) modules. After testing the modules and assembling the battery, I install it into my daily driver 2007 Prius for real world testing. Once tested, it's available for purchase by someone in need, preferably within ~200 miles of my location. I do this at my own pace and don't (yet) advertise, but if I see a forum member in need, I like to provide them with options that are significantly lower cost than dealers and lower cost/higher quality than typical rebuilder companies/craigslist hackers. I currently have about a dozen 2013-2016 batteries available for builds. The Gen 2/Gen 4 module HV battery that is currently in my car is listed in the for sale section of the forum (with photos of the build). I'm kind of enjoying having it in the car, but I'll have to remove it soon to install and test one I recently built using 2014 modules. Trying to build some inventory for spring........ As for 0-60 and other times, I've never looked to see what the car was supposed to run. I have a bad habit of hitting the 'snooze button' when it comes to getting up earlier than needed for going to work, so I haven't had a chance to run it again to back up the time, but I'm planning to get it done. One thing I know for sure though is that it was in the 40's that morning and the battery was not near it's peak ability. It was mid 60's when I drove home that evening and the car felt like it had a LOT more pep in it's step. Typically, when I have my Hybrid Assistant app running, it displays the upper charge and discharge limits of the HV battery. The lowest I've seen is 15kw limit on a 20F morning. As the battery warms up, it slowly gains higher limits. The highest limit I've seen was during the summer and it was 30kw if I remember correctly. I probably have the HA app running 3 mornings a week and limits are around 17-22.5kw by the time I get to work.
ahh i see, lol. Completely rebuilding the batteries then? well that explains it since the GEN4 got way more electric horses then GEN 2 and GEN 3, Wouldve been fun to see if it keeps doing 0-60 that fast, cause that is very fast for a prius... wouldve been fun to make the 3rd gen do 0-60 in 8,5 lol.
Damn! It looks like I need to source some Gen4 modules to get some more speed out of my Gen3! The Gen2 should be doing zero to sixty in about 10.4 seconds. 8.49 is two full seconds faster, that's incredible!
Before we let this get out of hand, at least let me get a few more runs in to make sure this isn't a fluke. I have another crew meeting on Wednesday morning I need to facilitate. I'll rouse myself a bit early again so I can get a run in while traffic is light.
Great! See if you can convince some other folks to do pulls of their own. The goal of this post was to gather information about what kind of times people are getting out of things like wheels, air intakes etc
Looking at tire size, looks like a 175-70/13" wheel would be a 22.6" circumference vs the stock 195-65/15 which is a 25" circumference, smaller wheels are going to spin up faster, have a lower gear ratio, be faster for 1/4 mile-----0-60 times, leave the rear wheels stock. Take out the extra seats, definitly remove the rear windshield wiper, carry two gallons of gas, heck, take out the origional 12volt battery, put in a lawn mower or motor cycle 12v, put a 55lb person behind the wheel, fill the tires with helium, Adjust the brakes for no touching between rotors and pads, and or disks, definitly check the emergency brake cable tension, might as well grease the wheel bearings with lithium grease. Definitly leave the radio and all the obd2 equipment out of the car, no extra electrical draw, have a policeman radar zap you from behind, the pushing electrical field will help the acceleration, and give you your speed and times. Make sure you have a panel truck lead, or a tractor trailer, grab the slip stream.
The land speed record Prius had trouble with different sized tires, the traction control thought there was slippage. Got Hybrid? | Sport | Features | Car and Driver
Got a dose of reality today... Decided to try it on the way home today since I got out so late. (about 8:45pm and DARK). I stopped on the shoulder of the entrance ramp to I-77 to wait for a nice long gap in traffic. Brought up the app and had it standing by so all I had to do was press the gas to make it start recording. Here's a nice gap. 3 lanes of highway and only one car as far as I can see coming in the far lane and it looks like he's moving pretty good. Put the hammer down and focus on the road in front of me. A bit of a problem on takeoff, as it appears I had the passenger side wheels in a bunch of sand. No big deal, stay on it. As I approached 55mph, the car in the far lane goes past me and changes to the middle lane. Hmmmmm, what are those reflective letters on the trunk? P_O_L_I_C_E.....................................needless to say, I maintained speed and he disappeared into the night. Am I a lucky son of a gun or what? Get another mile down the highway and a different po-po has a car pulled over in the opposite lanes right where I made my original run last week. Someone sending me a message??? Making me reconsider doing that test Wednesday morning.
I agree, had an 06 with 17's and was changing tires to a smaller size, more than 2" circumference, the tech broke a bead and only changed two, on the way home over 30mph the ice quit, so I limped home on back roads and took the other two wheels over the next day to be changed, but what' reality when you're trying to make a prius a race car
I try hard to separate my opinion (many here made a mistake when they did not buy a Civic Si or Mazda 3) from my facts. Even when I think the whole idea is wrong, I still want to point out the details they need to overcome.
Yes, Toyota learns more each Generation. It is especially desirable to replace Gen 1 Prius modules with later Gens, as they corrode frequently. Toyota Prius code P3030 “High Voltage Line Snapped” - Luscious Garage | Hybrid Specialists
Was there a point in that link where it was discussed that the later modules had a higher capacity than earlier modules?
No, I was only claiming that later models lasted longer. If later models had more amperage, that would be someone else claim. (Or it may be as simple as new cells are stronger than years old cells)
Toyota mentioned the Gen 4 cells use a higher grade of Nickel. I would hope that has a positive effect on its life. Todd from Tampa Hybrids has put Gen 4 NiMH modules in a Gen 2 pack with no issues.
Based on your original post at the beginning of this thread, I'd be more curious to know how many vehicles you've had and the longevity of each one! (…just curious!) My previous Toyota (…before my current Prius) was a 1993 Corolla DX Wagon (…failed DOT inspection after 293,000 miles (…corroded rocker-panels)) (…BTW it was totally unmodified, but serviced regularly, and driven carefully and with no attempts to break any records!). Before that, Toyota Tercel 4WD, preceded by VW Rabbit, before that I lived in the UK, and here's a link to my car page: WHD's Cars (OK, no MiniVan on that page but here's a link: Mini - Wikipedia )