Seems like I read that aluminium is used in a large amount in the Prius. Does anyone know what the areas are aluminium and what is the weight saving. Thanks wdfoto
hatch and hood, bumper bars, ICE block, heads, intake manifold, PSD case and MG cases, Steering rack housing, Wheels, Inverter/converter housing, and miriad small parts thru out the body and structure. I don't ever remember seeing a percentage listed.
not to mention the alloy rims as they are lightweight alloys Edit: if the hatch is aluminium, is most of the weight from the glass then? cause it's rather heavy compared to a Camry's bootlid which is a featherweight in comparison
yup the glass is about 1 1/2 times heavier than the hatch it's self. Also the spoiler is quite heavy. The hood weights less than the cardboard box it comes in.
another thing is the gas struts mask the weight, especially coming down. I suppose that Toy could have made them with a closer pressure to weight ratio but as soon as they loose even a bit of the gas charge the hatch wouldn't stay up.
oh? Hmm, I could lift the hatch so that the rear window is parallel to the ground and it would hold for a few secs, then slowly rise.
if the weight balance on the hatch were any different, i know a few people that would have had problems with it. of course the person i had in mind, would have had problems with it because she couldnt reach the hatch when it was open
