Surprise Project! - An idea becomes a challenge | Everyday Driver

[@Kajacot]

Honestly it's doable. I "built" a 2007 Prius for autocross, only because it was my daily and I was TDY for 3 months, so it was the reasonable car to take. I changed out front/rear swaybar for Corolla S swaybars, changed out brake pads for EBC Yellows, added a K&N Filter, did a cat-back system since my exhaust got destroyed when some thieves stole my cat, and that was about it. The 2nd gens didn't have a sport-mode, but there's a pedal dance to disable the traction control and leave the gas motor running. I also added camber bolts to get about 3* of camber from the front, as well as some 200 treadwear tires. I would show up to the track, throw on the wheels/tires, set my camber max-negative, and finally attach 2 small USB fans to the battery. I quickly found out that rapidly discharging the battery causes it to go into a no-charge condition. I had an app to force the battery fans force run, but after a single run in 95 degree summer heat, I was facing overheating issues with the battery. Force charging the battery by brake holding was the only way to make sure I had 100% power for my 60-second runs. Did I win some? Absolutely. It was faster than it had any reason to be. If I hadn't sold it, I would have done a race seat and coilovers. Was it fun? Yeah! Still got 50MPG to the autocross and back, maybe 8mpg while racing it. It beat many subies, genesis, and mk4 golfs. Again, this is parking lot autocross racing, NOT track racing. It had no top end, but the electric motor sure helped pull it out of turns.

[@Legato-2057]

Is it bad that I recognized the silhouette immediately?

[@KC-lg8qf]

Same here.haha

[@toyotaprius79]

Nah, you know your cars

[@almatic77]

Same here, it's definitely good for Toyota.

[@kenchen704]

No

[@reginalddyson9716]

😂 I asked myself the same thing!

[@JohnnyFD]

That was great nostalgic recap of all the car challenges from the past few years! I loved following it along on the podcast. But honestly I hardly ever watch your videos on KZbin nor see them pop up even though I'm subscribed.

[@EverydayDriver]

We’ve had a lot of subscribers tell us they don’t get our videos served to them. We wish we had a solve for this. Glad you found this one and greatly appreciate you watching!

[@jeffwynkoop6508]

I am actually really excited to watch this series and see the results. It may not change the minds of the enthusiast crowd, but there are certainly people (enthusiasts included) for which the Prius is the perfect commute device, and your mods just might make it exciting enough that it doesn't feel like they've sacrificed driving pleasure for efficiency. Strike that balance! You guys are always putting out great content, keep up the great work.

[@EverydayDriver]

Thank you! You’ve exactly connected with what we are going for! Glad to have you with us!

[@kalmmonke5037]

9:14 is that a mazda mx30 made lowered or shorter height? anyway, how about a anti sway bar and HUD product testing too, and coilovers, , maybe even chop off the trunk or seats replacements? not sure how itd do with airbag setup. how about fixing how the seat tried to force people into bad posture in all cars nowdays? a dual end device to basicly work as limited slip diffrential? a elwctric assited turbo from aftermarket(vaiable vane would be more complicated) . a power steering rediction or switch off/on switch?(maybe collborate with toyota to test peoples desires too). doa poll for a toyota inline 3 in the prius insteadwith all mods, or a connaught style mid rear engine compact 4 seater with rear seat facin the rear and the whole cars shape adopted to that for weight protoyy over areoydnamics, then a transparent cheap areodynamics shell over it all (which will looklike a 2nd sillhoutte of the car on top of the first one that looks more like a boxy car inside) . how variants like about rear wheel drive no regen braking, or regen at front and rear wheel drive? toyota shoudl display a concept of a more function over form priotiizing design, then test how people would like that too. hypermiling is like endurance racing, preserving momentum like a lotus driver but relying more on brakes than tires to loose momentum as is nessesary, as will be warned agaisnt with a G force meter in the HUD showin gto not go beyond certain g force to prevent relying on tires more . this all can be doen in the name of minimizing chemcial toxicty, and using less of what are largley probably not renewable resources in the long term, includng current electric car battery stuff. low weight of lotus -like style can also be exscused n the naem of being less dangerous to others and the people inside car , and minimizing road wear damage which costs in raw materials now just taxpayer money.tyota can test offering a kit to haev the car jump to have its crash nearby absorbing lower end be at vetial level with the incoming average car for crash to minimize damage. also sell the idea of a compact 4 being more economic and fun , where 2 trips to the doctor full of kids is better than buying a minivan just to do that annual trip in one go, and for famly roadtrip vacations a van can be rented (from toyota)@@EverydayDriver

[@RobbDizzle037]

You guys had me shouting "ITS THE PRIUS!!" for 2 minutes straight at the beginning of the video. I think it's taken a lot of people (myself included) by surprise. Love love love this, can't wait to see where it goes!

[@EverydayDriver]

Glad you were playing along! Thanks for watching!

[@GeekSHO]

I was able to totally transform my old Mk4 VR6 Jetta wagon by adding sport springs and shocks and a rear sway bar (~$800) and some summer tires on used Audi TT wheels (~$900). It went from sloppy with low limits to genuinely flickable. I'm confident you'll be able to do the same.

[@Chickenlegs836]

Hi U2👋! Enjoy your shoes very much👍. As a Prius C owner my friends all joked about my car?? When there driving gas guzzling trucks & cars 🚗 I’m getting 45 +MPG CITY &55+MPG Highway 👍. Upgraded to bigger wheels & tires even. I’ve owned many cars and it’s my favorite 🤩 car I’ve ever owned!! I get compliments about my car 🚗 a lot!! MPG is a must nowadays with rising gas prices. Looking forward to seeing what you do with your Prius 👍. Blessings 🙏🌸🌺🤩

[@HandsomeAlex25]

Paul's comment "It's fun to drive something that's not supposed to be fun..." I can relate to - Driving a Mitsubishi Mirage rental, I caned that pile for all it was worth and laughed. It was terrible, but hilarious!

[@sshhddoo9892]

And after the Prius, lets get Paul a VW Taos and see if you guys can make him like it!

[@thenestaheapstv2447]

Hey man, we serviced your blue corvette that’s currently at a shop I work at, it’s awesome the fact that you took your guys car here, I’d love to meet you guys and also reccomend some good fast cars for you guys to review, cheers mate

[@kirkwagner461]

Great challenge. Looking forward to this. Also, for your road trips, I hope you can do Deals Gap/Tail of the Dragon on the border between Tennessee and North Carolina?

[@Ravaniscool]

This is actually one of the best channels on KZbin! Thank you so much for everything you do!

[@EverydayDriver]

We consider that a huge compliment. Thank you!

[@tedadamgreen]

Oh Hella Yeaaaaaaaasss!! I am mind blown excited… for real and actual!! Thanks guys

[@EverydayDriver]

Thanks for watching, as always!

[@wmg378]

as the owner of a non turbo 2.5 mazda3 hatch, i love the lukewarm segment and I'm very interested to see if this can hang, shocked by the choice and looking forward to seeing where this goes.

[@EverydayDriver]

Glad to have you thinking like us!

[@marcpasquinelli2548]

You guys' owning and loving the GR86 helped me decide to get one as my daily. And I got a 10th anniversary in a manual earlier this month. It's amazing.

[@EverydayDriver]

Congratulations on a great car. Glad to have had any part in your getting one. We still miss ours!

[@jackbell1784]

Wow never ever would have seen that coming! Excited for you guys. Throw some stiffer springs, light wheels and tires, sway bars (if you anyone decides to make them) and some EverydayDriver stickers on it and it'll rip!

[@saviordream]

Didn't expect this, but it makes perfect sense thinking back to your previous videos about the Prius. Really looking forward to seeing how you progress with the car, and what kind of results you end up with.

[@janson2911]

The thumbnail alone already give it up, it’s the new Prius

[@thirdpedalnirvana]

Today on Everyday Driver, Todd can't bring himself to call a Mercedes SLK a "sports car" so he qualifies it as a "sporty car" 😂

[@EdwoodCA]

He's not wrong. :D

[@sethbot5]

You got an audible “yeah baby” out of me. Hell yeah.

[@ondrejmitas3325]

Absolutely adore this idea, i will be watching addicitively.

[@MrDolphinDives]

Heck yeah! Commenting for the algo, cant wait for this series!

[@wicked_smaaht]

Brilliant ! Looking forward to the videos coming from the Prius!

[@randylervold]

Can't wait guys, hurry up! Subscribed and Liked.

[@raviolitrail]

Even if is faster, the 86 is wayyyyy more fun.

[@markcoopers1930]

I'm so excited. Just don't tell anyone. Looks like the Lexus UX, Corolla, and Corolla cross all use this platform (TNGA-C (GA-C)). If any dimensions are the same maybe aftermarket parts could bolt on (strut tower bars, or anything else to tighten the chassis)

[@thirdpedalnirvana]

I followed a 4WD Prius to kirkwood through a snowstorm. It is an ego punch to everyone getting 15mpg in their 4runner. "I need a truck because I go into the real snow". Then a Prius does the same thing in more comfort with a third the gas.

[@jasonkang105]

Love it😂 let's go GR PRIUS

[@hangpilot1200]

VERY interested in you two figuring this out! The sign of genius... when somebody else agrees with you ;-) I actually had this same concept checking out the Prius at a Toyota dealership. Instead of risking MY money.... look forward to how this turns out!

[@brucehorn7600]

I figured everyone else would have good suggestions for performance mods and they do. My suggestion is to get the car wrapped in some outrageous bright color like Lotus’s Kawasaki Green.

[@tjautocross]

Just when I think you reach the pinnacle, you guys one up yourselves and I’m here for all of it. Very excited!!!

[@CaptainBlitz]

Lowkey Toyota should make a GR Prius for shits and giggles. If you check their Japanese website, they've already converted a shit ton of cars to GR cars, why not this too?

[@usa1mac]

The front (except the license plate mount) is a home run. The rear is OK. Overall, this is a huge step up for the Prius and a compelling package. It's nice to see you review a more practical car.

[@johnhunter7244]

I think it's definitely the best looking prius but it's still quite ugly IMO. If I wanted a high MPG hybrid that looks dect and like a normal car I would buy an insight, all other things being equal (I haven't done research between the two because I don't care).

[@erikranger241]

Thank you! Fun and very interesting. Looking forward to the series.

[@cavedog1279]

After seeing the silhouette I was REALLY hoping this wasn't going to be a prius.

[@jjpg2000]

I was expecting GTI, I'm blown away by what you chose.

[@Zer0Log1c]

Love the idea of this project!! Off the wall, wild, zany. Looking forward to seeing the Prius either come out of nowhere, or fall on its face. This should be great!

[@cedrick305]

The Prius was the perfect option for this series.

[@attgig]

Love the idea. 49/50 is not the benchmark. The mileage you get driving "fun" is the benchmark.

[@FeistyPineapple]

I AM SO EXCITEDDDDDDD!!!!

[@theCha.]

Love where these journeys have taken this series. Excited for what is to come. Amazing work!

[@dailydriven991]

I for one am pretty excited for this. I'm currently daily driving a C6 Corvette in Massachusetts. Year round. Rain, snow (to an extent), road trips, autocross, back roads, commuting etc. Just to prove it can be done. I dont have a KZbin channel or Instagram followers; I'm just a guy who loves cars and driving them. So far, its been an epic success. I look at Prius the same way. I'm convinced any car can be worthy of enthusiasm if you make it your own and use the hell out of it. My friend at work has a terrible little Prius with about 300k on the clock. Its not pretty, but man, the stories that thing could tell. I love it.

[@EverydayDriver]

We’re thrilled to hear this. We’re big believers in driving sports cars year round in all conditions. Tires are key. Great to hear you are doing that.

[@Frank.donovan]

Don’t know why this doesn’t have the views it should! Great job guys!

[@mm8436]

I saw the silhouette thought, looks like a Prius. I'm glad it is lol

[@kingjgregory]

Love you guys. This is awesome.

[@justwingingit1]

When my Lexus CT200h was due for new tires I asked Costco the price for Prius tires and Michelin Pilot Sports…price was nearly half as much with better handling/braking. To heck with the mileage I said😂

[@Kmancanada]

THIS IS HILARIOUS ! And a great idea. I did need the 2 minutes to wipe the tears from my face after cracking up at the reveal.

[@adk7962]

I immediately clicked off when Paul said they are not dropping a Hellcat in it. Ha! Just kidding. This outta be fun. Thanks fellas.

[@kurtstephan7039]

I'm only three minutes into the video but had to stop to give you guys a cheer. It's such a great idea and sounds like a project that could be a real channel-grower when the word gets out. Good luck!

[@mkei8973]

Hi, from Japan!! Usually, people try to change the car’s horse power and torque but you go to tires. You guys are so reliable. Looking forward to seeing what will be happened.

[@__-im2se]

I'm legit excited about this series on the Prius! I bought my Fiesta ST (partly) because of your review. My family is looking for a new car to replace our 20+ year old Honda and the Prius is a real contender.

[@EverydayDriver]

Glad to have you watching!

[@tristanhinkley2683]

I love it. I tested the new Prius and walked away hopeful for a GR, or at least a 'sport'. Cheers for the great idea, and cheers to Toyota for supporting it!

[@nashstephenson1877]

I'm not surprised at all and knew if someone was going to modify a new Pruis it would be you guys!! That's not a bad thing at all. I'm really looking forward to the videos to come!!

[@geoffsmoland]

I love it. Just got a 23' LE coming from a GR Corolla. Wife had a 21' RAV4 Prime and was transformed by putting Michelin Cross Climate 2's on it and had the same thought about what the Prius would feel like with proper summer tires. This video makes me feel like maybe I am not that crazy.....

[@crittercherry3800]

Great concept, guys. I can't wait to see what you modify that into!

[@bills6055]

What a great concept. Really looking forward to the series.

[@austinturney745]

This is a worthwhile series. A lot of times for various reasons you have to drive compromise vehicles, not your ideal probably manual trans car, so making the best of a CVT (gaack!!) car is a good exercise. Look forward to what you do. When you have modded it compare to your existing Toyota 86 also compare it to some other FWD standards like GTI.

[@senseicorey9979]

I have a 2015 prius, it's not a bad car, just super slow. And EVERYONE on the road hates it, and you. This new one is 3.5-4 seconds faster to 60? It's probably pretty good.

[@jmlupoludowicy1239]

Hilarious! Can’t wait to see how this turns out! 👌🏻

[@SHiFTDI3S3L]

A lot of people will say coil overs immediately. I'm thinking about how far can a good set of shocks...if they exist, and some sway bars...again if they exist, can do with some wheels and tires. OE tires are 195...I'm thinking you probably can't go any wider than 215...maybe 225. If you want it to hang on in the corners, just motion reduction horizontally and vertically could make things great already. The front end alignment is probably zeroed out and toed in, giving the front some negative camber for a more reactive turn in with some camber bolts could be good. Since the base model can fit 17s, maybe go down to that size as well, get more meat on those tires, this might be a personal preference of mine.

[@crakmonckey1908]

Prius. It’ll be fun to watch the progression and comparisons. A sporty commuter is something many people want.

[@Geforcepat]

Lol! That took me by surprise. It does look good no doubt. Weirdly im as eager as you guys for this series let's go.

[@phantom6knight]

I am super excited for the Prius adventures! Love this idea. I took the 50-miles per tank penalty to have performance tires on my 2014 Accord Hybrid, and do not regret it. If you want to reclaim the MPGs with performance tires, get lightweight rims (maybe downsize to 18s), and that should balance the MPGs. I appreciate the excitement you bring to all your projects!

[@andreisevostianov9525]

2:23 Haha. Are you going to build a Prius GRime that you guys dreamed about?:) (sorry, I know that you don’t like commenting before the vid ends, couldn’t resist).

[@thirdpedalnirvana]

I have no tears of laugher. I have the face of a man who trusts nothing he sees as he expects to be told this is a joke.

[@ВіталійДедік]

MADNESSSSSS I like it

[@RogerGarbow]

After spending a week with the new Prius, I totally support this idea. Can't wait to see the series! Keep up the great work guys!

[@rhymeswithguitar]

This sounds like fun. There have to be people who 3D-print aero add-ons for track cars and who'd get a chuckle from a Prius project.

[@michaelbrown9363]

Perversely intriguing

[@stevemartegani]

I'm actually excited for this. Throw some sticky tires and suspension on there and run it!!!

[@EverydayDriver]

That’s the direction we are going… we’ll see how far we go in the few months we have it. Thanks for watching!

[@TooFly357]

Can't wait for more on this!

[@deconfliction]

I love this premise!

[@kenchen704]

Holy shit guys it’s happening. And I’m so glad Toyota sent you guys this Prius, they clearly also want to see what you guys can do before they decide how they want to play the GR Prius game

[@bingeMAFIA]

I like surprises. Bold gentlemen, very bold. 👏🏼

[@ALE5six1]

I'm actually excited to see the results. Everyone always thinks about gas mileage when driving a car any sort of distance so I think a lot of enthusiasts saw this new prius and thought... well just maybe...

[@Conrad711]

Some very light 17s or 18s with sticky summer tires would be perfect to maintain the MPG and make it fun. Looking forward to your plans!

[@kensturrock9203]

YES!!!!! Do it proud.

[@steverolfeca]

Back in high school, my buddies and I used to street race our beat-up first cars, and no-one else knew it was happening! Renault R8, 1st-gen 1200 Corolla, Austin 1100, etc. Cheap fun at 35mpg….

[@mtlsi]

Great idea, looking forward to project videos.

[@apolloandratti7922]

Genius!

[@MonsieurBC]

Surprising, but great 🎉

[@sanxi34]

PRIUS GRIME INCOMING!!!! hahahahha

[@SwiftAlpaca]

Love this idea, guys. Can't wait to see how it progresses!

[@garythecyclingnerd6219]

Wheels and tires will do a *ton* . Coil overs would do a lot too. Just need to do something about the steering.

[@thirdpedalnirvana]

Next year, start with a tacoma. It's closer to a sports car than a Prius is

[@aroundomaha]

This is interesting and I will be following it closely! I’m sincerely in trying this car at autocross. Dumb idea. Yeah but that doesn’t mean it won’t be fun. Tires, wheels and see how it goes.

[@JimboJason]

I'm excited for this project! I was actually considering getting one of these, curious to see if you guys can make it fun to drive while still being more efficient than most of the vehicles out there.

[@2LiterFoxBody]

I am excited about this madness. Idea: Try and get someone to fab up polyurethane or aluminum steering rack bushings. Cheap (ish) way to liven it up.

[@Mgoblagulkablong]

get the lightest wheels that fit the budget and lower the ride height

[@avaviscarra8141]

The Toyota Prius was my first car I owned for a while, bought a used 2007 first or second gen prius for 4000 USD with my hard earned cash at 19, I knew the owner and had expected that they gently used it. I would always push it with some quick accelerations just to mess with some of the sports car owners and I had a little too much fun with it. The brakes would get pretty sketchy, and the tires were not great, but I still have had some fun in it on my daily commute just by trying to push it some. I then sold it before moving across the country, and got my first manual transmission vehicle, the GR86, strongly due to your recommendation and other research I did. I've genuinely loved the gr86, and I see myself wanting to mod it already even though I have not owned it for a full year. While I love manual transmission and I like this new vehicle, I still really like a nice Prius! The Toyota Prius can still be a good car, and I envy the fuel efficiency that it can provide, while still delivering silly acceleration from a stop.

[@michaelhatfield5808]

You guys talked about doing this on the podcast. I thought to myself, “that would be so awesome but they probably won’t do it.” Well here we are! Can’t wait to see how this unfolds.

[@GTC4cam]

🤔 those wheels look famil….yep, yep, those look like the diamond cut wheels on the Emira.

[@L0rdVadr]

Awesome pick guys. I can’t say I saw this coming. Very excited to see where this goes. Hats off to Toyota for going along for the ride. That’s to show how a hood manufacturer is not afraid to stand by their products for the consumer or potential consumer. Weather this “build” series works in favor of this car or not it definitely increase the sales. 💪🏽💪🏽

[@xjcrawlin91]

Yes!!

[@Dunwelll]

I'm here for it! I'd love to see if you can get the overall weight of the wheels & tires to be less than what's on it now. How does reducing that unsprung mass improve the performance of the car.

[@musicncars4eva]

While not a performance mod, ceramic window tent is amazing. I will never own a car without it again. It doesn’t even have to be that dark get the benefits from the ceramic heat rejection if you need to keep it legal. Also while not legal i had my entire windshield tinted with 70% tint which is almost clear, but huge benefit in reduced heat that comes through the windshield, So I would recommend that ceramic window tint.

[@chrishorst100]

Are you keeping those stock rims for a set of Nokian winter tires and chains? Or Vredestein makes a great set of performance winter tires (used on my SLC based M240i).

[@David-Godin]

I am very excited to see how this goes. I put Michelin Pilot Sports on my Accord and I love it. Not as much as my RS5 until it's time for maintenance😊

[@thirdpedalnirvana]

90% of what let's 90% of all cars down in the handling department straight off the showroom floor is tires+sway bars

[@dbeckMSP]

I’m really excited for this. I rented one in CA recently and maps took me on a narrow canyon road and I had a pretty good time! Wasn’t like driving my old mazdaspeed but it also got 50mpg. Can’t wait to see what the mpg is with the sporty tires. Sway bars would be cool.