Tommy Kaira Tuned Prius: Nothing Says “Eco-friendly” Like Four Tailpipe Tips
This one really made me giggle.
Tuning powerhouse Tommy Kaira has given the third generation Toyota Prius an aggressive makeover that is purely cosmetic.
- » See also: Factory Five Electric ‘33 Ford Roadster Debuts at SEMA
- » Get Gas 2.0 by RSS or sign up by email.
To be honest, I’m no fan of the Prius—that hip-to-be-hybrid car that has dominated the US and Japanese hybrid markets for a decade now. But even I believe it deserves a better fate than this. Tommy Kaira gave the prius an aggressive front air dam, lower front lip (which may inadvertendly provide less drag and thus better MPG), larger rims, and a ride hieght so low you’ll need a forklift to get over speedbumps. The extra weight from these add-ons also probably hurts the fuel economy more than Toyota’s wind-tunnel tested look.
But really Tommy, four exhaust tips? What were you thinking? You can hardly notice the exhaust pipe on a stock Prius, and I doubt anyone driving a Prius wants to broadcast their emissions by quadrupling their tailpipes. There are no mechanical tweaks to either the engine or hybrid system so it is just… silly. But someone, somewhere, will buy it [ed. note: probably lots of people!]. Of this much I am sure.
Source: CNET | Pictures: Tommy Kaira
Christopher, it would be interesting to put the car in a wind tunnel and perform some drag tests, etc. In all likeliehood, you may be wrong about the effect of the airdams, etc. Typically, when a car has air dams that are well designed, it will decrease drag. Air traveling under a vehicle creates a lot of drag because of the unsmooth surface. Air dams prevent the flow of air under the car. Additionally, they can create a partial vacuum under the car that can create a downforce that will improve handling.
While these additions may or may not be well designed, if they are well designed, these additions may actually make the Prius more efficient. As for the 4 exhaust tips - hey, they look cool and make the mediocre styling a bit more palatable.
Something tells me that if this was wind-tunnel tested, they’d be plastering those numbers all over the internet.
If you want to see how aerodynamic the Prius is head over to Jalopnik, they do a pretty good job of dissecting it.
http://jalopnik.com/5128101/2010-toyota-prius-design-dissected
You forget the important question, how hard does it go? What performance does it have when the Prius has bugger all?
It’s one thing to produce a cafe-racer that is all looks but without the go, it is all rubbish.
Regards,
Royce
Experience: The knowledge you gain just AFTER you needed it.
I have no idea who Tommy Kaira is, but already I don’t like him…