Modding the PHEV

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maby said:
mrqz said:
...

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!

Is there any point in tuning the petrol engine in a PHEV? At speeds below about 50mph, the transmission can only be electric and the power put down on the ground will be limited by the electrical system irrespective of what the engine can output. The engine can couple mechanically to the wheels above about 50mph, but only via a single speed gearbox - not a lot of scope to make controlled use of any extra power you manage to wring out of it.

Sure - extermist tuning is out of scope here as being pointless but, these mild mods to the engine can make power output come quicker in serial mode and also, in parallel mode it will have even more obvious benefits. But I agree that the benefits of the engine's tuning is obviously limited as compared to a conventional ICE car, but still far from useless.

Also a very effective upgrade would be raising the battery-powered-only 60kW power limit to 70 kW. This - if possible - would obviously hurt the batteries, as they are being pushed to their limits even in factory setup. But, with a higher capacity battery pack it would be possible and very beneficial to the car's quickness.
 
mrqz said:
Also a very effective upgrade would be to raising the battery-powered-only 60kW power limit to 70 kW. This - if possible - would obviously hurt the batteries, as they are being pushed to their limits even in factory setup. But, with a higher capacity battery pack it would be possible and very beneficial to the car's quickness.

You don't need more capacity, you need a higher discharge rate which is technically more problematic than just adding capacity.
You probably also need to improve the cabling and power transmission electronics.

Having said that, somewhere towards the end of my PHEVs life I look forward to messing around to try fully utilising both 60kW motors - why should Tesla owners get all the fun with "ludicrous mode" :twisted:
 
mrqz said:
Also a very effective upgrade would be to raising the battery-powered-only 60kW power limit to 70 kW. This - if possible - would obviously hurt the batteries, as they are being pushed to their limits even in factory setup. But, with a higher capacity battery pack it would be possible and very beneficial to the car's quickness.

Rise 60kw limit to any limit up to 110kw .. it is possible .. and it has been done already

The consequence of changing this, it is a long story ....

Unfortunately as far as I know, only 1 person manage to do it, and he did share only a video on youtube and some comments on this forum ... but he did not release such type of product, even if he did experiment on it over 1 year ago, and even if he has a company selling "tuning boxes" for different cars, including our PHEV.
 
HappyHeyoka said:
You don't need more capacity, you need a higher discharge rate which is technically more problematic than just adding capacity.
You probably also need to improve the cabling and power transmission electronics.

Yes, that's correct, my mistake, higher capacity won't help in raising peak discharge current. However, when replacing the cells - one can select 30A discharge IMR 18650 (or, rather 26650) cells, and voila, peak discharge current goes up to 300A (~90 kW of power).
I guess the dude we're referring to, allegedly having upgraded the PHEV's EV-only output to 70 kW, has achieved it this way - he has replaced all the OE LEV40 cells to new 18650's each capable of providing ~25A max current (leading to the pack's peak output of 75 kW)

As for the cabling, the question is for what ampere the cables are rated for -- if it's only 200 amps then upgrading is a must, if more, eg. 250A, then it will be sufficient for the 70 kW. The electronics - good point, but I doubt their rating is limited to 60 kW and most probably some future upgraders will find it out... The sooner the better.
 
elm70 said:
mrqz said:
Also a very effective upgrade would be to raising the battery-powered-only 60kW power limit to 70 kW. This - if possible - would obviously hurt the batteries, as they are being pushed to their limits even in factory setup. But, with a higher capacity battery pack it would be possible and very beneficial to the car's quickness.

Rise 60kw limit to any limit up to 110kw .. it is possible .. and it has been done already

The consequence of changing this, it is a long story ....

Unfortunately as far as I know, only 1 person manage to do it, and he did share only a video on youtube and some comments on this forum ... but he did not release such type of product, even if he did experiment on it over 1 year ago, and even if he has a company selling "tuning boxes" for different cars, including our PHEV.

110 kW is new info to me.. thanks for that. Why he's not promoting a finished product already... might be that some quality and strong new cells must be acquired first and get shipped to the workshop in PL, then get your core battery pack shipped to him, get the cells replaced by the new ones, have it shipped back (think of a ~200 kg shipment)... On top of that, pay the labour, incl. the PHEV ECU upgrade... oh well, the price should be somewhere at a brand new PHEV or, at least a half. :)
 
I absolutely don't know about fibres, but a study on a Dutch university has shown that the amount of extra energy involved in producing an aluminium hood compared to a steel one can never be recovered during the lifetime of a car.
 
anko said:
I absolutely don't know about fibres, but a study on a Dutch university has shown that the amount of extra energy involved in producing an aluminium hood compared to a steel one can never be recovered during the lifetime of a car.

Can be, but aluminium hoods also contribute to better weight distribution and better handling/cornering abilities of a car. Saab used it as standard on thee 9-3 models (and the boot door too, for that matter) and they meant a lot. (The hood cost twice as compared to a steel one, at least I heard it so.) But it all depends on how much weight is saved. If you can save 15kgs on a hood by upgrading it to another material, that means a lot, if you replace the battery to a lifepo4 one, it again saves you some 12-14 kgs. These do count. That being said, I wouldn't have the guts to replace the PHEV's aux. battery to a LiFePo4 one.... Not just because it's in the rear (so weight saving is not that accentuated), but due the fact that it is a part of a more complex system and controlled by such electronics.
 
14184456_1047246515392767_8575897078030316171_n.jpg


I'm all about that lightweight life ^_^

My battery is 20lbs lighter than OEM (for a gas engine its enough to start the car :lol: )
 
Hi there, very nice - I also used to have a LiFePo4 battery (think of some 2kgs) in my Saab, but that car was sitting for longer periods and due to this...or possibly for some other reason - it only lasted 3 years before dying over a complete charge (think of smoke, some loud pops and quite some black yuck coming out).
Apart from that the battery itself is quite pricey (one could buy 6-8 regular lead batteries of the price) I'd not be tempted to put one of these in my PHEV as it could do nasty things to the even much more expensive PHEV's chitterlings as well. :eek: I'm primarily concerned about the mismatch of the charging current between the lead battery and the (much less Ah-rated) lifepo4 battery...

Apart from that - do you have a carbon fiber bonnet for that matter? Or only foil on there?
 
mrqz said:
Hi there, very nice - I also used to have a LiFePo4 battery (think of some 2kgs) in my Saab, but that car was sitting for longer periods and due to this...or possibly for some other reason - it only lasted 3 years before dying over a complete charge (think of smoke, some loud pops and quite some black yuck coming out).
Apart from that the battery itself is quite pricey (one could buy 6-8 regular lead batteries of the price) I'd not be tempted to put one of these in my PHEV as it could do nasty things to the even much more expensive PHEV's chitterlings as well. :eek: I'm primarily concerned about the mismatch of the charging current between the lead battery and the (much less Ah-rated) lifepo4 battery...

Apart from that - do you have a carbon fiber bonnet for that matter? Or only foil on there?

Carbon fiber bonnet, trunk, hard top, cannards, door panels, center console, etc. :-D
 
Bugalydosh said:
Carbon fiber bonnet, trunk, hard top, cannards, door panels, center console, etc. :-D

WOOOW you must be having a very light MX5 then :!: Congrats on that. I always dreamed of a CF hood but the idea of having it custom made by a workshop, was always ditched in the end. These workshops reportedly couldn't make them with the vacuuming method - one that would make weight loss significant. Alternatively I was offered a custom fibre glass hood to be made - still offering a great weight reduction over steel.

So, I guess your bonnet and body parts were available from a specialist's stock - being the Miata quite popular and having a strong fan base so these parts might be remunerative to produce... or?
Did you measure (or calculate) the weight in its current state? How big a difference it makes to the feel, the cornering ability and acceleration? It must be significant I reckon. :cool:
 
Happy to talk over PM, dont want to take the thread off topic.

I will say here on topic lighter weight = better fuel economy, better handling, better acceleration and faster stopping... Which is why I wish autoautomakers invested more in it (but at this point until consumers demand it we only have the aftermarket to count on).

I do think there would be a demand for aftermarket parts for this unique SUV and do hope someone starts developing or at least researching options.
 
Bugalydosh said:
I do think there would be a demand for aftermarket parts for this unique SUV and do hope someone starts developing or at least researching options.

Agreed, and to think about the fact that the PHEV is out for the fifth model year, and the only real tuning option (well in the broader sense of the word) as yet is the lonely little PHEV Box, is a major upset for me. Much more niche cars used to have much more aftermarket/tuning options, but then it can be justified (more or less) with the uniqueness and relative novelty of the PHEV's technology.
The ICE engine is nothing new though - so at least there should already be many options, along with an upgraded exhaust system, so are the body parts (re carbon fibre hood), etc. We've already covered the question about the effectiveness of tuning the ICE in the PHEV - but I still think that little tweaks and optimizations here and there would have their obvious benefits on the whole.
 
I feel that modding a PHEV may have unforseen consequences. I heard somewhere that the design was biased to providing extra soundproofing because of early complaints about hearing the engine 'thrashing' when running hard. This would include thicker windscreens, heavier hood, quiet air filter and exhaust. I'm sure there are other features too.
Just saying.
 
Sorry everyone I completely forgot I started this topic but it has raised some attention.
Some good ideas being passed around there too.
My pennies worth:
Id like to go for the PHEV box but I think ill wait until its out of warranty first.
CF / FG body panels.... maybe but id prefer a full wide body style kit.
Lights.. . on the older PHEV they look quite good. Maybe a little overkill on one that already has HIDs and DRL'S fitted. So maybe another styling option there.
Stereo. . .apart from not being that compatible with android devices its ok I suppose. Id like to hear peoples opinion on the factory option sub, if its any good and if it can be retrofitted.
I think some fully blacked out window tints would look better. Im also starting to hate all the chrome . . I might look at getting it all body colour of black.

Wheels. . . Now this is where I think a big gain can be made. A change here makes a big difference to the way the any vehicle looks. The stud pattern isn't the most common though so options are limited. I need to find some decent wheel places and try some out.
Suspension. . . Id love to fit air. its just £££££

Matt.
 
Has anyone seen options for larger-diameter anti-roll bars on the front and or rear? This vehicle has a lot of body lean in turns, I know it's probably setup with light-duty offroading in mind but I'd be willing to sacrifice some of that for a bit less lean.
 
My experience with my new 2018 SEL seems to be the opposite of yours. Which year/model do you have?

I find the stock suspension to be overly stiff, with very little lean in corners, and not nearly enough compliance or travel for even light duty off roading. I'd like to see a trail version, with about 3" more lift and suspension travel, and 2 or 3" larger dia. tires (more sidewall for flex when aired down). The OEM springs and shocks are brutal on the typical washboard/potholed forest service road, forcing drastically reduced speed to reduce the pounding.
 
BCbackroader said:
My experience with my new 2018 SEL seems to be the opposite of yours. Which year/model do you have?

I find the stock suspension to be overly stiff, with very little lean in corners, and not nearly enough compliance or travel for even light duty off roading. I'd like to see a trail version, with about 3" more lift and suspension travel, and 2 or 3" larger dia. tires (more sidewall for flex when aired down). The OEM springs and shocks are brutal on the typical washboard/potholed forest service road, forcing drastically reduced speed to reduce the pounding.


It's an 2018 GT. Part of my problem is my daily driver is a Chevy Bolt and that thing handles like a slot car :)
 
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