Hi everyone, I am thinking of swapping my 302ci Chevrolet small block (v8), (sleeper car, everyone expects a Prius to be slow:biggrin1 into my Prius , and I am wondering if there is a racing board, or discussion area for racing and Prius performance. I would like to discuss true Prius performance with other Prius owners, and I am wondering if there is anyone else out there seious about racing their Prius? I would like to discuss things such as engine swaps and weight reduction. Does anyone have any insight for me? By the way, this motor got 28 mpg in my '68 Camaro.
Along with everything else, racing is redefined in this world. I got second place last year. #1 may not come this year. Wanna race?
V8Killer, There are a very few people who come onto this board asking about racing a Prius. They are usually either delusional, misguided, misinformed, or looking to stir some trouble. The Prius is not a racing car. The software controls and the mechanical configuration limit the car to just barely above 100 mph. This car was not designed to race, it was designed to achieve above-average mileage. Additionally, I would be interested in seeing your schematics on how you will: 1) fit a V8 into the hood space of a Prius 2) couple the V8 to the Hybrid Synergy Drive 3) prove that you're not just a troll
Oh, it is possible. With enough time, money, and a welder just about anything is possible. Maybe V8KILLER is taking inspiration from Kugel Komponents. They take a Ford Focus ZX-3 hatch and put a V8 in the front and a Ford 8.8 live axle in the rear. About the only reason someone does this to to say that they can. It about doubles the cost of the car and completely destroys the handling. Welcome to Kugel Komponents Just about anything is possible. Hot Rod magazine had a build back in the 80's where they put a 500ci Cadillac V8 in a Chevette.
(Back in the day) there was a time when speed/power/weird meant everything to some. Following that vein (and blowing thru $$ as though there was no tomorrow ... a common theme for the early 20's age) I, like few others, put a V8 in a Pinto. Some put 'em in Vegas (shortly after their aluminum ICE fell apart). I lost a race against a 1970 bug w/ a V8 in the rear. Title of my Novel: How I survived being young, stupid & in need of being noticed.
I remember when one of the car magazines put TWO engines in a Honda CRX. The took the engine and transaxle from another CRX and used it to replace the rear suspension in the back. The extra engine sat in the hatch area. Time and money is all it takes, assuming a physical fit is possible. Tom
The computer controls could make it more problematic. I used to own VW's and of course read about people putting in Porsche 911 engines into a bug (a direct swap). But that was in the days of mechanical carbuerators and such. Given the complex interplay in the Prius between the low-torque, high-efficiency engine with the electric motor & battery charging/discharging, it could be quirky. People pursuing this route might want to talk to the CalCars people (& read their archives) and others who did their own investigation into making the Prius a plug-in, since they had to delve into the computer controls and "fake" the Prius into thinking the extra battery was nothing more than the original battery, but unusually long-charged. Of course, this amounts to sacrilege to many who view the Prius as the Holy Grail in ultimate vehicle efficiency. (I lean that way myself, but try to be open-minded). Much more after-market effort has been applied to modifications that improve the efficiency of the Prius, performance change being a side-effect. This at least could be taken up in the modifications forum, not the newbie forum.
I would assume that you would dump the entire HSD, along with the HV battery and MGs. The HSD was never designed for a big engine, and, as the previous poster stated, the control engineering problem would be a BIG project. For this sort of swap, the Prius becomse a sort of "funny car", with the outside looking like a Prius, but nothing original underneath the sheet metal. Tom
Okay, thinking a bit more, I'm pretty sure the only approach (and one most people above probably had in mind), is to also take out the battery and hybrid portions as part of the engine swap. (Including the planetary gear seat, aka transaxle). Then it's more a matter of welding and adjusting the suspension, and figuring out what to do with the drive-by-wire controls. <edit:> Oops. QBee verified that...
While the OP is obviously trolling, its amusing to imagine the face of some kid driving a bmw or something similar and being left in the dust by a V8 powered prius. Gives new meaning to the phrase "wolf in sheep's clothing".
Back in the Day, we called 'em "sleepers". Nothing more exasperating then losing to a Pino. It's probably one of the few things that'd normally loose to a Prius. But that's ok.
I wait till they stop for gas, and zoom past them. Actually with engine swaps, almost anything is possible. My brother but an early GM aluminum block Olds V8 in his Opel manta. The V8 weighed less than the cast iron 4 that it replaced. The car handled just as well, was quicker, and got almost the same mileage, since the V8 was "loafing" most of the time. He still has the car.
