Hey.. im the kid driving around town with the prius with blue flames on it.. i live in montville new jersey, so if you are in the area you may have seen it.. my latest update is my aftermarket fog lights, one of the bulbs went which kinda sucks cause i have had a lot of success with my new lighting system i put in the front of my car.. i just got my aftermarket exhaust system done, something simular to magnaflow just more sporty.. the welding went well but i think it needs more support because it still bounces and rattles a little.. get that done tommorow.. neon lights underneath the car and on the inside still running well.. electrical system still in tact, still have a warranty.. all other upgrades are not effecting the car and ill post a few pictures for all your entertainment sometime soon... total upgrades to date now are $3,000.

Well...post them soon please because I'm chomping at the bit to see them.

I'm curious about the modified exhaust. <br><br>How far did you modify - cat back or more? What type of power gains and/or MPG gains did you realize? <br><br>As far as performance, I was always curious as to why Toyota didn't take their design a step further by turbo-charging the ICE for further engergy reclamation (using the energy from the exhaust gasses to improve performance). Perhaps emissions played a key factor? <br><br>One thing's for sure, if you had a louder exhaust, you would have more of a clue as to when the ICE was on or off.

I modified it all the way up to before the little square thingie right before the engine... as far as power goes, i have more power when i drive in reverse as to when before you notice very little juice when you put the thing in reverse.. i also have probably a few more horses because im traveling at higher speeds at a rather easy pace.. as far as sound goes.. there is a difference which i wasnt sure if there would be.. its a nice rumble not quite that of a corvette but ya know.. nice.. however my dreams of having the only hooked up prius were shattered when i went back to newark today to get my exhaust adjusted (was rattling) i saw a prius same color as mine the (pearl blue) with a aftermarket front bumper a new wing on the back and graphics on the side of the car.. it was kind of far away and i was stuck at a light and i couldnt catch up!! i was really disappointed.. but perhaps i can stake out the whole city and hope for the best.. thats all for now... pictures will be on when i develop the role of film... hehe..

&gt; I modified it all the way up to before the little square thingie right before the engine... as far as power goes, i have more power when i drive<br>&gt; in reverse as to when before you notice very little juice when you put the thing in reverse.. <br><br>I thought the Prius only uses the electric motor (powered by the battery) to provide in torque while in Reverse, so I'm not understanding how a modified exhaust would provide more power in this mode.

On the electric motor use, look at the owner's manual starting page 8. The system uses the electric motor whenever it needs some extra power.

prius_plunge is correct - the ICE provides no wheel power in reverse, as there is no "reverse gear", therefore no way to reverse the direction of rotation (unless you can spin the generator the other way). You're in all electric mode in reverse.

Evil2Death said on 11/18/01 8:01 pm:<br><br>&gt;&gt; Hey.. im the kid driving around town with the prius with blue flames on it.. i live in montville new jersey, so if you are in the area you may have seen it.. my latest update is my aftermarket fog lights, one of the bulbs went which kinda sucks cause i have had a lot of success with my new lighting system i put in the front of my car.. i just got my aftermarket exhaust system done, something simular to magnaflow just more sporty.. the welding went well but i think it needs more support because it still bounces and rattles a little.. get that done tommorow.. neon lights underneath the car and on the inside still running well.. electrical system still in tact, still have a warranty.. all other upgrades are not effecting the car and ill post a few pictures for all your entertainment sometime soon... total upgrades to date now are $3,000. &lt;&lt;<br><br>Sounds like some neat mods, there. I think the folks over on the PriusMods site may like to hear from you for suggestions/ideas.<br><br><a href=http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PriusMods target=new>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PriusMods</a>

HTMLSpinnr said on 11/18/01 10:42 pm:<br><br>&gt;&gt;One thing's for sure, if you had a louder exhaust, you would have more of a clue as to when the ICE was on or off. &lt;&lt;<br><br>hm, I'm also wondering if the modified exhaust might've also done something to the Prius' SULEV rating, if the exhause is noiser...<br><br>Anyhow, if you want to know if your ICE (internal combustion engine) is on or off, check out the Engine Run Indicator Kit offered by Coastal Electronics. It's a little wiretap you can easily install yourself. (I used the optional installation location, which mounts the light in the instrument panel cluster, by the odometer/speedometer/fuel gauge.) A little LED will turn on whenever the fuel pump is on (therefore fuel for the engine to burn). No light, no fuel in the engine. Great way to find out about "warp-stealth" (when the engine is in freewheel (no-spark), not burning gas, at speeds above 42mph), or "stealth" (electric-only).<br><a href=http://www.coastaletech.com/engine%20indicator.htm target=new>http://www.coastaletech.com/engine%20indicator.htm</a>