Are center caps necessary? Form, function or both?

Purely form.

 

There is nut in there to remove the front hub that I like to keep clean for future repairs (front wheel bearings). But, yes mostly form.

 

I agree, though keeping crud away from the front wheel bearings is a good motivation to put something in the open holes beyond "looks".

 

Do they make Toyota OEM caps and/or do you recommend a certain brand?

 

Yes they do, but kind of spendy (nearly $50). There is also a thread on here about $3 knockouts that will work too (no emblem).

 

Unless you go off-roading, how do they stay any cleaner (or "dry out" less) behind the hubcap than with it off?

 

Look on ebay for the lazy-man's solution to center caps. If you don't want to go looking and painting home depot center caps, those ones made overseas are great!

 

$50.00 for one from Toyota? What do ask for when ordering them at a dealership? Any pics of these $50 caps? Also, does the Prius Chat Store sell any?

 

Buy these:
4x WHEEL HUB CENTER CAPS FOR 2004 to 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS | eBay

I have a review on them here:
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii.../79133-3-buck-alloy-wheel-center-caps-11.html

 

Just bought a set of 4 for $9.88 w free shipping on eBay

 

The nice thing about the knockoff version is that they are removable via a tiny slot that is present.

I presently have my hub caps on and the center caps are not compatible with them on simultaneously.

I cant' speak for the genuine ones.

 

Do you gently tap them in w a hammer?

 

It's the same way. In fact the genuine caps protrude more than the eBay caps.

As far as installing them, you could use a mallet I suppose. I just used my hand though. Lined up a clip on one side, and pushed hard to snap in the other 3 clips It's a tight fit so you have to give it a little force.

The caps really finish the look though. Nobody can tell that they're not OEM. Mr. Prius you will be pleased.

 

I don't know if you mean the center caps or the hub caps w/ the center caps on.

I inserted the center caps by hand, I could have tapped it with my fist, but it seemed to go in very easily. But then it was very snug and I was confident it would not fall out. It's not possible to take it out without using the slot.

As for the hub caps, tapping them with a hammer will keep the hub cap on with the center caps installed, but you will notice that it is bulged out in the center, and the hub cap is not very secure. In other words, the center caps interfere no matter how well you try to install the hub caps.

The only thing you can do is shave the circular ring on the inside of the hub cap, which is what hits the center cap. But I did not want to modify my hub caps to conform it to the center caps.

I wanted to put my hub caps back on. I found the center caps were very secure, and I couldn't take it out by hand. But there is a small slot where you can insert a thin tool to pry it out, and that was easy to do.

 

+1. That's why I waited so long, over a year, to get center caps. I couldn't decide whether I wanted my hubcaps on or permanently off. It took a long time for the bare alloys to grow on me. I'm never going back to the hubcaps and that fate is sealed with my new center caps.

 

Attach a picture or point me to where u have posted one

 

My pictures and summary is on page 10 of that thread. I took 3 pictures. You can't miss it. They may take a while to load so you can try refreshing your page.

Good question. 94+ people have bought this item recently. I would think at least a handful of those buyers owned 2010+, and if it hadn't fit they might come back with something negative to say - but it doesn't look like that. PriusChat member Revhigh owns a 2010 and just ordered the same caps shortly after me. He should have them by now. You could ask him.

For an even more definitive answer, read the 2nd post in this thread:
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...leshooting/75295-center-cap-size-touring.html
From what I gathered, the 2010 caps are the same, 2.25".