I just purchased a 2010 IV and luv it. Averaging 48 mpg for the first 2 weeks of driving. Can not figure out why Toyota would cover up nice looking alloy wheels with plastic wheel covers ? Anybody have an official reason for this ?
Some have said it improves wind resistance and improves gas milage. I pulled mine the second month I had it and my milage has not suffered at all. There is another thread on here where some guy's Prius was attacked by an Acura and he claims the wheel covers saved his underlying wheels! I guess conceivably they could protect the aluminum wheels from getting scratched by curbs, but if you never take the covers off who would ever know if they were scratched or not?
Hi Peter, Yep its aerodyanmics. I made flush wheel covers for my 2006 , out of the trim rings and got even better aerodyamics. I have done the same on the 2010, but the bulge in them, or the fact the car is shaped different makes less of a difference. In the 2006, one could hear the air turbulence above 40 mph from the left front wheel, and then with the flush hub cap, it was much quieter. I did not notice a difference in the 2010...
Forget all the hybrid technology BS. The wheel covers are the real secret to the Prius fuel economy! Prius + wheel covers = 50 mpg. Prius - wheel covers = 24 mpg. Keith
I vote for rim scratch protection. Somehow I managed to scratch the plastic slightly (curb kissing?) in one wheel and the rim is intact.
You could treat them like seat covers. Some people put seat covers over new upholstery to protect it. Others use the new upholstery they paid for, then use seat covers later if the upholstery gets damaged. Personally, I would rather have bare alloy wheels with curb rash than the cheap looking Prius plastic wheel covers.
Yep, I took mine off and I'm saving them for when my wheels get all scratched and then I'll put them back on right before I sell it and they'll look all shiny and new! Seat covers is another story, I'll put on the leather seat covers on now, were them out, and pull them off right before I sell the car and the original upholstery will look good as new as well! Proven fact a car that looks clean and well maintained will pull a higher price when it's time to sell, regardless of the actual mileage!
Like many others, I took those cheap plastic covers off and put them in the recycle bin. Without them (and with center caps), the alloy wheels look really great and don't trap debris that could cause corrosion. And I've have not suffered any decrease in MPG. Do a search on this site and make your decision accordingly.
The design of the rims is cool but 15" looks odd. There's too much tire. Nevertheless if I had a Gen III, I would take the covers off too. As Mary J Blige said, you gotta work what you got.
my feelings exactly. i also upgraded the tires to 215s. Looks meaner and my mpg after one week is still 48+ in cold weather.
Hi - after one week and upgraded to 215 pilots my mpg is 48+, with very short trips and cold weather. And I like the looks and really enjoy the car. Have a happy holiday. Peter
The only way I would consider putting seat covers on a car would be if I liked the way they looked and felt better than the factory upholstery. If you drive your car 100k miles you are going to be in it roughly 3000 hours.
Fstr911, if you still have them and they are in good/new shape, no rash, I will buy them from ya/pay shipping instead of throwing them away. pm me if you are interested. I want to experiment with painting them. let me know.
Dang ! Don't throw out the covers - they can make nifty art for your garage wall.... add a light fixture behind it and it can make a neat-o wall sconce light(s) for you den!!!!
Saw some interesting results driving with and without wheel covers - Drove about 50 miles without wheel covers, put about 2 more psi all around to 40 front / 38 rear, then drove 50 more miles ... the cons. gage got up to 54.2 MPG Then, I put the wheel covers back on, reset tripmeter, temps went up about 5 deg F, drove about 50 more miles ... cons. gage went to about 56.2 MPG, never went under 56. interesting.
I bought a set of 15" wheels from another member for my winter tires. Got enough for the like new wheel covers on Ebay to cover the cost of the new solid state hard drive I'm installing in my laptop. Merry Christmas to me! The center caps from my 17" wheels work perfect on the 15"s. I think the wheels look better without the covers.
