Quote:
Originally Posted by mJ335
Hmm.. Well.. Looks to me like you're not gonna be finding any appreciation on this forum.. maybe the Toyota Hybrids forum will welcome u a little more......  |
No worries, mates. I didn't expect any.
My wife has wanted one of these cars ever since a relative got one and was telling her about his 50+ MPG. At the time, she was driving an Envoy getting 17-19 mpg. During the initial phase of rising gas prices, it just made since to invest in one. She didn't care what it looked like... or about the rims. She just liked going to the gas pump half as often and feeling like she was trying to do her part. Can't argue with that.
As for the design, apparently it is well thought out from an energy standpoint with a quite low drag coefficient. All of the "drag" comes from the curb appeal. But you get used to it once you walk around it a few times. The rims helped but, oh well...
Alas, the rims are going back. Turns out, this set up could reduce the gas mileage by as much as 10mpg. Although I shoulda done more research, the guys at Tirerack should (and soon will) know better. Turns out, the OEM rims on the Prius are only 14 lbs and the stock tires only 17lbs for a total of 31. My aftermarket setup is 20+ 23 for an increase of 12lbs per corner, which in Priusland is a lot, apparently. Plus, there are tires out there designed specifically for LRR (low roll resistance). Whodathunkit? I thought it was all about the hybrid nature of the car.
But hey, I'll always have the pictures...and the fond memories of all of your incredibly supportive comments.
See ya at the pump...................not!