The reason they are there is to boost gas mileage at speed. I can't believe they do that much, I too took them off and went with the center caps. The other reason was I am leasing and wanted to return everything mint, if I decide to get something better 3 years from now. If you look at the plastic it is feathered in the direction of wheel rotation to cut thru the air better at high wheel speeds.
Since all 4 are identical, the feathering would be correct for one side of the car and not the other.:noidea:
I think this is what he is talking about: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...ons/79133-3-buck-alloy-wheel-center-caps.html Never mind...beat me to it.
My dealer actually gave me the 4 Toyota center caps without charging me for them after I bought the car 2 weeks ago. I was just about to drive it home and mentioned how I disliked the plastic covers. He immediately went to the parts department and got me the center caps. Pretty cool.
Dag nab it. I just spent $45 on ebay for a hub cap. If I had known they made center caps I had gone that route for my wifes Prius as she lost one 2 weeks ago. I hated the allow without the center cap and never gave it a tought to look for them.... ah well.
Thanks so much for your post! I just ordered the textured ones after much debate, and was so thankful to find your side by side pics!
I installed a set of the textured OEM caps a few weeks back and must say they are nice. A bit pricey, but a quality piece. Too bad Toyota doesn't include these with the car in the first place.
There's a BIG difference between the looks of ANY 15 inch wheel vs ANY 17 inch wheel. I'm not giving up 4+ MPG for looks and the added expense of replacing the tires ... to say nothing of the added expense of the 17 inch wheels .... all for LOOKS ?? No thanks. The 15 inch alloys are fine, and any performance difference will be negligible .... we ARE talking about a PRIUS, aren't we ?? These cars will never be luxury cars OR sports cars, no matter how much some try to convince themselves that they are, or try to believe it. People have to learn to accept what Prius's are, and not make them into something that they clearly aren't. If you doubt that a Prius is NOT a luxury or sports car .... stand back and take a long LOOK at it .... now honestly .... does it look ANYTHING like a luxury car OR a sports car ??? To me it looks like a nice little economy car .... a GREAT little economy car ... but a little economy car nonetheless .... No amount of technology, wheels, add-ons, or ground effects will ever change the fact that it's a $20K economy car, just one small step above the Corolla. REV
I received my center caps today..got them on ebay for $20..toyota emblem..i must say that i was a bit bummed that they were cheap plastic instead of the metal that i was anticipating..i replaced the 'electric knock out box covers' that were metal..these look good..w/the toyota emblem and all..but the shiny plastic doesn't quite match the alloy wheels nor lower rocker moldings, which are the brushed chrome.. but it does match the 'hybrid' emblem well.. overall..i guess..the jury's still out!
this is my thought as well, i wanted an alloy match not plastic chrome. if i had to do it all over again i would of got the yaris ones. they have an exact alloy match, and are probably better built.
This is all you need. $.90 each at Home Depot. 1.5" Electrical Knock out plug. Just be sure to bend the tangs out.
We had another thread going on this same subject of center wheel caps. The 1 1/2" Electrical Knock Out plugs work just fine. Although I'd recommend using a little Bondo body putty to cover the inscription "1 1/2 ", spray auto paint primer, and automobile metallic wheel paint to match the alloy wheels. I really prefer the naked alloy wheels to the plastic wheel covers. Not having the plastic wheel covers does solve one problem -- I've seen a lot of Prius automobiles with one or more missing plastic wheel covers. (I've never seen a Prius with a missing alloy wheel.) Keith
Not sure how many dealers are doing this but the one near my house is now selling some of their new Pri with the plastic hub caps removed and sitting in the rear hatch area inside a plastic bag. Suppose if you like the look without than they'll kindly sell you center caps. Interesting...
Sometimes I think this is just dealer prep gone awry. When I picked up my 2010 Prius, the dealer did not know that there was a rear cargo cover (the bar that can be taken out behind the rear seats). I found it stored with the spare tire. Maybe they just forgot to install them?
OK... I don't like dragging on threads that have been going a while, but... I have a 2011 Prius and would also like to get the center caps (Yaris) that everyone has been talking about. My assumption is the 2010 and 2011 15 inch wheels are the same and the center caps that fit the '10 will also fit the '11. Is everyone in agreement? Thanks!
... My assumption is the 2010 and 2011 15 inch wheels are the same and the center caps that fit the '10 will also fit the '11. Is everyone in agreement? They fit my 2012, so I think it's a safe bet.