Modding the PHEV

[mcalvert39]

Hi everyone.
Now I know that to most this post maybe boring, useless or even obscene to some but here we go.
I would love to know if anyone has actually done any serious modifications to their PHEV or just plane ol outlander. I have seen the rally versions and a kitted up jap version but nothing else really.

Has anyone done any suspension (lowering or raising)
Wheel changes
Motor tuning for performance / economy
body mods
Interior mods

I can maybe think of a few problems that may occur in changing the wheel / suspension setup but if anyone has any experience it would be nice to know.
I have also heard of the OBD plug in device which can give some gains.

I realise that it is still a relatively new vehicle and may mostly be used as a family run around so not really thought of as being modified in these ways.
However I'm not a family man and would like to change a few things if possible.
Any pics would be really handy or links to any parts etc that may be out there.

Ta
Matt.

 

[Daff]

I'd quite like to replace the privacy rear glass with untinted. But I'm not sure if untinted glass exists for this car … the whole car industry seems to have decided everyone craves the dark stuff. I imagine it would be very expensive too.

Steve

 

[mrqz]

Hi everyone.
Now I know that to most this post maybe boring, useless or even obscene to some but here we go.
I would love to know if anyone has actually done any serious modifications to their PHEV or just plane ol outlander. I have seen the rally versions and a kitted up jap version but nothing else really.

Has anyone done any suspension (lowering or raising)
Wheel changes
Motor tuning for performance / economy
body mods
Interior mods

I can maybe think of a few problems that may occur in changing the wheel / suspension setup but if anyone has any experience it would be nice to know.
I have also heard of the OBD plug in device which can give some gains.

I realise that it is still a relatively new vehicle and may mostly be used as a family run around so not really thought of as being modified in these ways.
However I'm not a family man and would like to change a few things if possible.
Any pics would be really handy or links to any parts etc that may be out there.

Ta
Matt.

Hello Matt, I'm quite in the middle of it, and obviously no thousand-horsepower-mods here... but here we go:

- Test winner year-round tyres are arriving soon, going up slightly in size from the factory default: 235/55 r18's will be installed (little wider but as well a few millimeters higher sidewalls, getting closer (albeit mildly) to the 'optimum' 4x4 vehicle tyre size.

- Going to install an auto door locking system (my own design but going to do what it's supposed to...hopefully) (Hate to leave the car open...happens a few times at the mall! - closing the motorized boot lid.... you can't lock the car until it's finished...by this time I just forget to lock and leave the car without :evil: )

- Have installed carbon fiber foil pillar posts and boot opening-rear bumper protection sill - this latter would probably be replaced with an ABS bumper protector made for the PHEV (after the re-spraying of the bumper because of some damage I gained lately)

- Will install (ordered) market leader maximum brightness xenon bulbs (150%)

- Installed 4x Philips 360 LED W5W bulbs - number plate lights, parking lights in headlamps

- Have installed 65W HB3/9005 Narva "Range power white" xenon look halogen hi-beam bulbs (later to be replaced by 10400 Lumen active cooled LED bulbs)

- Plan on buying the PHEV Box to gain some extra range, no ICE start at takeovers and no (or less..) ICE for the heater

- Plan on buying real carbon fiber number plate holders (no rationale behind.. but look so right in my opinion, however 150 quids a piece)

- On the online market for long for getting the OEM LED DRL's to replace the halogen fogs (but being reluctant since to fork out 300 quids for the new ones...)

- Using petrol stabilizer for the gas not to disintegrate in the tank (this conserves the fuel for up to 1 year - I'm using the PHEV 99% EV only. Remember additives, especially E85 ingredient make today's fuels unstable - the dissolved petrol can do horrible things to the fuel lines, engine parts etc in the long run)

- Lastly, not a mod, but using the Remote CTRL for optimizing charge timing (no full charge for next day if there's no need for full range (avoiding li-ion battery full state for as long periods as possible thus preserving battery life), no charge in minus degrees at night...instead charge in the morning hours if possible (I have an unheated garage)

...And OK, I'm a family man!!! :lol:

 

[Phevy]

- Plan on buying the PHEV Box to gain some extra range

What's this Box? Is there a link :?:
I presume it's an additional battery pack?

[edit]never mind...
http://evtun.com/phev-box.html
Interesting mod![/edit]

 

[PHEV07]

- Plan on buying the PHEV Box to gain some extra range

What's this Box? Is there a link :?:
I presume it's an additional battery pack?

[edit]never mind...
http://evtun.com/phev-box.html
Interesting mod![/edit]

I used the Forum Search, typed in PHEV Box and look what I found. LOL

http://evtun.com/phev-box.html

 

[jaapv]

The PHEV box won't gain you extra range, it just modifies the throttle response to make it easier to drive in the EV-only mode.

 

[jaapv]

Hi everyone.
Now I know that to most this post maybe boring, useless or even obscene to some but here we go.
I would love to know if anyone has actually done any serious modifications to their PHEV or just plane ol outlander. I have seen the rally versions and a kitted up jap version but nothing else really.

Has anyone done any suspension (lowering or raising)
Wheel changes
Motor tuning for performance / economy
body mods
Interior mods

I can maybe think of a few problems that may occur in changing the wheel / suspension setup but if anyone has any experience it would be nice to know.
I have also heard of the OBD plug in device which can give some gains.

I realise that it is still a relatively new vehicle and may mostly be used as a family run around so not really thought of as being modified in these ways.
However I'm not a family man and would like to change a few things if possible.
Any pics would be really handy or links to any parts etc that may be out there.

Ta
Matt.

Hello Matt, I'm quite in the middle of it, and obviously no thousand-horsepower-mods here... but here we go:

- Test winner year-round tyres are arriving soon, going up slightly in size from the factory default: 235/55 r18's will be installed (little wider but as well a few millimeters higher sidewalls, getting closer (albeit mildly) to the 'optimum' 4x4 vehicle tyre size.

- Going to install an auto door locking system (my own design but going to do what it's supposed to...hopefully) (Hate to leave the car open...happens a few times at the mall! - closing the motorized boot lid.... you can't lock the car until it's finished...by this time I just forget to lock and leave the car without :evil: )

- Have installed carbon fiber foil pillar posts and boot opening-rear bumper protection sill - this latter would probably be replaced with an ABS bumper protector made for the PHEV (after the re-spraying of the bumper because of some damage I gained lately)

- Will install (ordered) market leader maximum brightness xenon bulbs (150%)

- Installed 4x Philips 360 LED W5W bulbs - number plate lights, parking lights in headlamps

- Have installed 65W HB3/9005 Narva "Range power white" xenon look halogen hi-beam bulbs (later to be replaced by 10400 Lumen active cooled LED bulbs)

- Plan on buying the PHEV Box to gain some extra range, no ICE start at takeovers and no (or less..) ICE for the heater

- Plan on buying real carbon fiber number plate holders (no rationale behind.. but look so right in my opinion, however 150 quids a piece)

- On the online market for long for getting the OEM LED DRL's to replace the halogen fogs (but being reluctant since to fork out 300 quids for the new ones...)

- Using petrol stabilizer for the gas not to disintegrate in the tank (this conserves the fuel for up to 1 year - I'm using the PHEV 99% EV only. Remember additives, especially E85 ingredient make today's fuels unstable - the dissolved petrol can do horrible things to the fuel lines, engine parts etc in the long run)

- Lastly, not a mod, but using the Remote CTRL for optimizing charge timing (no full charge for next day if there's no need for full range (avoiding li-ion battery full state for as long periods as possible thus preserving battery life), no charge in minus degrees at night...instead charge in the morning hours if possible (I have an unheated garage)

...And OK, I'm a family man!!! :lol:

The car won't allow you to leave petrol in the tank for more than three months. It will go into ICE mode to burn it off and force you to fill up.

 

[mrqz]

The car won't allow you to leave petrol in the tank for more than three months. It will go into ICE mode to burn it off and force you to fill up.

Unless you disable that option which i ususally do - why burn 15 litres of fuel if you don't use any milliliters of it for the propulsion at all.. that is my take on this matter.

 

[anko]

The car won't allow you to leave petrol in the tank for more than three months. It will go into ICE mode to burn it off and force you to fill up.

Unless you disable that option which i ususally do - why burn 15 litres of fuel if you don't use any milliliters of it for the propulsion at all.. that is my take on this matter.

I guess a lot of people would love to hear from you how to do that.

 

[jaapv]

Fill up with 15 litres of water perhaps?

 

[user 2238]

My only mod has been replacing the stereo (non-MMCS) with a Pioneer double din. Using an app from the Google Play Store, my phone fills the screen and I have full control of it from the stereo's touchscreen, so I have Waze as my sat nav and Deezer or Spotify providing the tunes!

 

[mrqz]

Fill up with 15 litres of water perhaps?

That would not only disable the 'petrol refresh' function, but the whole vehicle at one go - wouldn't it? :lol:

 

[mrqz]

The car won't allow you to leave petrol in the tank for more than three months. It will go into ICE mode to burn it off and force you to fill up.

Unless you disable that option which i usually do - why burn 15 litres of fuel if you don't use any milliliters of it for the propulsion at all.. that is my take on this matter.

I guess a lot of people would love to hear from you how to do that.

Anko, you know it's just before starting up you disconnect the aux. battery for a few secs. That is it - this 'trick' I'm sure is well known by the forum members (at least, those consuming very little petrol over the months, like i do...)

 

[greendwarf]

Fill up with 15 litres of water perhaps?

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[PeterK]

Dear all
I was in Norway last year and saw Outlander PHEV with a kind of body kit, fancy wheels and an additional lightbar under the bumper.
I'll try to upload the pictures for your inspiration

 

[Bugalydosh]

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.

 

[mrqz]

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!

 

[MrPastry]

I was very disappointed with the headlights so one of my mods was to add an led light bar.
It's fantastic on those quiet A & B roads.

Simply piggy backed power from the fuse box.

 

[maby]

...

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.

 

[jaapv]

I was very disappointed with the headlights so one of my mods was to add an led light bar.
It's fantastic on those quiet A & B roads.

Simply piggy backed power from the fuse box.

A nice protection for the cooler behind as well.