Wow the 2009 Toyota RAV4 Sport AWD is fast!

cashcow · Jul 14, 2017

Here I thought our RAV4 EV would beat all the other rav4 gassers out there. Apparently the 2009 Toyota RAV4 Sport AWD has a 0 to 60 of 6.3 seconds! No way for us to catch up to it? Kind of wished our EV was faster than all the other RAV4 Gassers

. I have not seen a lot of rav4 sports out there, but there is one I always see in the market. Has a nice 'sport' badge in red on the side. Hey, we have a sport button too....

Model: 2009 Toyota RAV4
MPG: 19 city / 26 highway
Horsepower: 269 hp @ 6,200 rpm
Towing capacity: 2,000 lbs
Engine: 3.5 L V6
Curb weight: 3,677 lbs
Wheel size: 18″ diameter, 7.5″ width
Fuel tank capacity: 15.9 gal

So much lighter than our rav4 ev

@ 3,677 lbs. Rav4 ev 4,032 lbs. So the gasser components that were removed in total all weigh less than the battery?

smkettner · Jul 16, 2017

Just the AWD function would probably put RAV4-EV back in the lead.

cashcow · Jul 18, 2017

smkettner said:
Just the AWD function would probably put RAV4-EV back in the lead.

You mean like adding another motor for the rear wheels of the rav4 ev?

Oh I just remembered that the rav4 ev of pikes peaks had a 0 to 60 in 6.2 seconds! So I guess that by stripping the rav4 ev you could beat it.

Here’s how the RAV4 EV was transformed into a racer: the electric powertrain in the RAV4 EV was untouched, delivering 154-hp and 273 lb.-ft. of torque. To make braking more consistent during the race, the regenerative braking feature was switched off, and a TRD Big Brake Kit was added. Michelin Pilot Sport tires were installed on TRD alloy wheels, and the RAV4 was lowered slightly and coil over shocks were installed to tighten up the handling. TRD also fitted full safety equipment such as a full roll cage, fire system, a NASCAR spec carbon seat and full 6 point harness. All this was achieved in under 2 weeks from receiving the stock vehicle.

The RAV4 EV accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds, had a top track speed over 100 mph and could pull 1.2 g’s in the corners, thanks to its low battery position/low center of gravity. “Plus, with our production battery, we had enough charge to make three runs up the mountain at race speed, if needed,” Steve said.

Somethings to note:

They added a TRD Big Brake Kit which likely added some extra weight?
Sport tires with alloy wheels. I'd guess steel wheels? Meaning we could cut more weight with aluminum wheels?
coil over shocks. I don't know if these weigh more or less than default shocks.

full safety equipment such as a full roll cage, fire system, a NASCAR spec carbon seat and full 6 point harness.

The roll cage definitely added extra weight. How much extra weight is a roll cage?
Fire system also added weight.
Carbon seat? Likely weighted less than the stock seat?
6 point harness?

So maybe fully stripped with out all the extra stuff... 0 to 60 in 6 Seconds?

Then add rear motor? What is the the 0 to 60 difference between RWD Model S vs same year battery AWD?

smkettner · Jul 18, 2017

I meant with no torque limitation at launch the existing motor would be far more capable.

cashcow · Jul 19, 2017

smkettner said:
I meant with no torque limitation at launch the existing motor would be far more capable.

At launch? So you are saying there is a torque limitation set at the beginning of the vehicle take off from a dead start? So the limit is set to gradually allow full torque as the vehicle speeds up? If true, then you could get pass this by either getting smaller wheels (They'd spin faster and thus the odo would read higher much quicker ((Opposite would be getting bigger wheels))). Or by adding a speedo calibrator like the yellow box https://www.yellr.com/yb_home.htm The down side would be that you'd be taking on miles quicker on the odometer because you'd be tricking the car into thinking the wheels are spinning much faster.

But! If what you say is true then by doing this you'd reach the full torque much faster or almost instantaneously (Yellow box).

Do you have any source that actually says the torque is limited @ launch / dead start / from start? Do you know what the programmed torquer curve is?

Unless you mean the torque limit is pre-set to always be X value regardless of current speed? Not current battery power available? Or did you mean the battery is the limiting factor?