I now see why there has been no movement in the aftermarket world for the Toyota Prius!
Here I sit, thinking about myself for the first time in a while.
Along this journey, what started out about taking a picture in front of 50 states’ Welcome to the State signs has turned into this huge push for aftermarket parts for the Toyota Prius. By now, if you ask someone at any major company in the country, why don’t they make a part for the Prius, and they would say no one would buy them? Ask them if they have seen the Overlanding Prius, and if it were enough to have them start making new parts, more than likely, they would say yes, then ehhh maybe.
In my attempt to build my Prius up better and stronger than it came from the factory, I will be traveling the world in it… I’ve contacted almost all major companies asking to purchase parts. I didn’t understand why the hard no or why I got a sense they wanted no part in it. Now I am starting to understand it… Prius Owners can be so set in their own beliefs, and for whatever reason, they want no part in anything different. Maybe that’s why non-Prius owners don’t like Prius owners, and it’s not because a Prius will be in the fast lane going 60mph.
There appears to be no compromise with their beliefs either, and some have such a high level of pretentiousness as if to feel empowered by their MPG. I will say, not all are like this, and they are the ones who sign up for my newsletter and follow my social media accounts sending private messages. I know you all know I got you, and I have a path through the wall that we’ve faced trying to do more with these cars!
Folks say lifting a Prius in excess of “X”-inches will cause driveline issues; if you ask them what issues, they can’t tell you specifically… if you ask them how they know, they will say from reading online. Ask them where they obtained this information; they won’t tell you specifically… yet, we are to believe the words they type on a screen because they typed them? Because the majority typed them…
I’m noticing lots of words being tossed around all the time about what can happen to lift a Prius over 1.5″, most typing the words have no first-hand experience. How is it people are so for sure something will happen if there is no data to back up these claims? How can there be Prius owners with close to 100k miles on a 2″ inch lift kit with no issues? Yet someone asks about a 2″ inch lift, everyone is quick to say something negative about what it does to the car… with no proof other than the words of someone who makes prius lift kits who said it causes issues, so he abandoned making them. The same guy who makes no mention of the axle rubbing issue with the Prii when they are lifted and has proceeded to mimic every product that PriusOverlanding.com releases…
Does it make something valid or fact just because everyone says so? Is the belief that the majority makes it true? That would mean the majority could be wrong about something and yet because that’s what they say, makes a false statement true?
What’s even more interesting is that folks are quick to say a 2″ inch lift is bad but fail to mention that when you lift a Prius over 1″, your Axle will rub… I ask myself why. Maybe it’s the Facebook online world we live in today because this goes hand in hand with the OBD2 device discussion. Just because the majority says Veepak because of the price… this means it’s what you should buy it to tell you the information a Prius inside, right? They don’t tell you there are fees associated with the apps you need to use with Veepak.
So here we have it… the majority against one. A majority are so set in their ways that they don’t even venture out to have enough compromise to entertain anything other than their beliefs.
A funnier one, sure, Prius brakes can go a long time without changing them. I knew where id be going and how I’d be driving my Prius; I needed more than what the OEM system provided. After purchasing aftermarket slotted and drilled, I noticed my Plug-in system accumulated EV range faster while braking down a street I’ve driven since high school. My Prius, braking down this steep grade road, would only sometimes flash to say .09mile range available now. After installing the brakes, 1.3 would show, and more often, occurrences happened. Wouldn’t you know, all of the folks who said I was wrong and it couldn’t happen all drove non-plugins, and they say they would only replace their brakes with OEM. ha!
It’s now, where in what I thought was a community of enthusiasts, think outside the box people I find myself. Initially, it was, I wanted my car to do X, then it went to well these folks want to do it as well… if I can help them experience what I can, all will be well…. Nahhh…
So now, new owners, versus questioning the majority and challenging them, I am faced with ridicule for challenging the majority. My new saying is, “I laugh in the face of ridicule”!
You would think that someone wanting to try, and I don’t know, swapping a 2.0L motor in the Prius would be faced with support and encouragement, but no… the number of how I read them “you stupid and wrong for trying this” responses have fueled me more!
The thing is, I’m not concerned with the folks that want to stand by their beliefs on suspensions for a Prius; it’s the new Prius owners who are being tainted here. So that’s what this article is about, you new Prius Owners researching online. I urge you to challenge or test… what folks recommend to you because there are folks out there saying you’ll mess up your Prius if you use an inverter larger than 1,000W and I’m like, huh… you clearly say that from reading service manuals online or something because I run two 2,000W inverters with no issues… ran them and a lift higher than 2″ inches around the country!
You know what else? When you lift your Prius more than 1.5″ inches, the ride is better; maybe not as tight on the corners, but you actually feel lifted and can clear more obstacles! Your Car even looks lifted!
