Any downside to removing the wheel covers on the LE except for MPG?

none that i can think of, and you probably won't be able to measure mpg loss either

 

i'm sure there's a tiny mpg hit. when you're building high mpg cars, you have to look at everything and quantify it.

 

You might get more wheel noise at higher speeds without them.

 

Get the centre caps. Hopefully they’re available…

 

Probably
42603-52170 - Chrome logo and outer ring on a gloss black background. 62mm diameter (2 7/16")
also 42603-06150, 42603-08010, 42603-06160, etc.

or

42603-12780 - Black on black. 57mm(2 1/4")

 

On the 3rd generation, I think the covers were supposed to be worth roughly 1% of aerodynamic drag. However, they add 3½ pounds, about 0.1%, to overall vehicle mass.

 

Please, can someone skilled with editing color in silver the alloy wheels?
Thanks a lot!

 

Like this?



Any small loss of MPG due do wheel cover removal can easily be offset by bumping up tire pressures 4 or 5Lbs or so. Higher pressures also reduce the likelyhood of hydroplaning in rainy weather

.

 

In a nutshell, you want to see the rims in silver?

 

Thanks, but i was talking of painting the rims in silver

Yes!

And would also be interesting to see the aerocovers in silver.
Both rims and covers in black just makes me puck on any car

 

Chrome would look really nice also but it's environmental issues seem to have taken it out of vogue. But spraying them isn't such a bad idea because if/when you get a curb rash, using off-the-shelf spray paint colors for touch up repair is often 10X cheaper than what the auto manufacturers charges for their OEM spray touchup.

 

Lots of wheels refurbishing businesses out there who can blast the black off and re powder coat with just about anything you can imagine.

 

Better to have a Photoshop first but nobody seems interested to gives us a try

 

I had the dealer leave the hubcaps in the original package and I purchased center caps.
This is my forth prius.

 

the caps are ugly and light weight, are a pain to get back on after being removed get one side on and the other pops out while at the same time - you are afraid of cracking them. (I put on the toyota prius mud guards) but not much else available right now for options. And I dont know if the mud guards help - they are very small but easy to install.

 

Do you have a copy of the instructions to install the mud guards by any chance? I'm curious if you had to drill any new holes into the car.

 

I honestly like the look of the base rim without the cover.

One thing I don't like though is the hole in the center with the cover off.

Is there a specific size for the center cap? I have an LE coming once out of allocation and I'm likely gonna take the cover off and sell them. But would only do so with a center cap

 

Looks like yes. One new hole for each front wheel, and three holes for each rear wheel.

This is the official installation guide for the European Prius Prime, but it should be the same for a regular Prius:
https://www.toyota-tech.eu/aimuploads/9bf6f40d-908f-4937-8c63-771df8e1ab9d/Prius-Plug-in_Mudflaps_PK389_47R00_P1_AIM_005_290_0.pdf