Bugalydosh wrote:
Hi,
I'm new here but saw this thread and had to post.
We need to get some interest around the Mits Out PHEV in aftermarket parts.
Some major area's which would help with performance would be a lighter weight hood (it is obscenely heavy and hurting overall performance due to extra weight) and possibly slightly less environment friendly, but better performing exhaust for the gasoline engine.
Also a open air filter for the engine.
One thing I do suggest everyone do is use lighter weight wheels (for those not off roading). They help with performance and efficiency greatly.
Hi Bugalydosh, all three very good points there.
BTW - have you by any chance weighted the factory 18x7 rims yet? I wonder how heavy they are, while they don't look a particularly stodgy wheels to me (still they can be heavy).
I've got the PHEV for 7 months now, but even months before the purchase I was planning I would get some real lightweight rims for it. When I got the PHEV, i no longer gave it a thought tho, partly because I thought the lightweight wheels can be rated for less weight than a 4x4 demands, especially one that's packed with a few hundred kilo's of batteries. That said, this upgrade can still be an interesting topic hereafter.
Hood (bonnet) - Very good point again, however when I lifted it up, again it didn't feel that heavy to me. I used to have Saabs with double strut support to the bonnet, and when the struts became weak, it felt heavier than the PHEV's. Again, would be nice to know how many kilos we're talking about, to make a calculation about weight saving potential with fibreglass hood. (Carbon fiber hood is out of scope i think, as too few companies are available that would be able to produce it professionally to a low weight and affordable price standard.) A well made fibreglass hood can roughly halve the weight of the factory steel one.
Gasoline engine upgrades - open air intake could be something to consider, however I'm generally against it due to mixed reviews on the non-paper filters' filtering abilities. However, an air intake that is significantly larger than the original one, should be a fantastic upgrade methinks, so would be some ECU remapping of the ICE engine and as you say - a performance exhaust system... possibly with sport catalytic converter!