Dealer called and said the hood deflector and all season mats I'd ordered came in. While I went in to get them installed, I picked up the rear bumper guard too. Pleasantly surprised with the look of the hood deflector!
I think it looks pretty good on gray Priuses like yours or on black Priuses. But on the other colors ....
I really do not like the looks on a car I have on on my pick up . It does save the front of the hood but the hood is sqaure to the front of the truck not sloped like a Prius And I do not believe it save the window shield So what is the purpose of the Hood Deflector on a Prius?
These hood protectors seem popular in America but nowhere else. What are they for (other than protecting the hood)? Do they not cause more problems with damp and dirt trapped between the paintwork and the protector? or are they just for use in warm States?
Has the hood deflector helped? I am thinking of getting one for my up coming road trip and remove it when I get back. I know the hood is aluminum and any rock chips would not rust. So, maybe I should just forget it. Also, the hood deflector doesn't blend in on a BP.
If you like it that is all that matters. I'd never put it on mine. When I looked at your picture my first thought was you hadn't finished taking the wrapper off of your car.
Hood deflectors often cause more damage to the hood then not having one. Toyota spends a lot of money testing the aerodynamics of the car. I am sure adding this drastically affects all the work Toyota invested in making this care get good gas millage.
Hmmm. Just installed mine from PriusChat. You are probably right on all points. The deflector is held in place by 6 poorly somewhat fastened brackets. Two are fastened to the hood in existing holes and four just clip around the hood. The paint is protected by six plastic stickers and two bumpers. It amost feels as if the deflector almost doesn't fit. It is also fastened with somewhat cheap pressure based screws. You press the fastener in than screw in the screw making the fastener expand. The screws seem a bit cheap as some didn't screw in, they just pushed streight in. I purchased several other items from PriusChat. All were excelent quality, this was the only uitem that was slightly dissapointing.
For those who have installed the 2010/11 hood deflector how do you find it working? Does it prevent any damage? Has is come loose at all? Any affect on mpg? I just purchased a 2011 two silver and thinking about buying one but would like to have some real life feedback. thanks
Yea, your right. But they are popular in the USA because, if you have ever driven across Texas in June without one, you will quickly run out of winshield washer fluid. They have bugs, called, suprisingly June Bugs. These are 1 cm long, by .5 cm in diameter, and when they hit a windshield at any speed greater than 50 mph, the sploch is about 4 cm in diameter. After enough hits, you cannot see out of the window! With a deflector, much of the bugs get shot over the roof. Some years around here we get Cicadas. I remember driving home one day and going through a flock of them. These can be like 2 to 3 cm long, with an oval body 1 by .5 cm. Cars actually spin out on highways from the slick road surfaces when enough of these get run over.
Hmm. The 3rd Gen Prius is allot worse aero drag wise, no matter what Toyota says the CD is. The deflector might make the effective rake angle closer to the second gen and reduce aero drag!? At least in my opinion. My guess right now is the lower front rake is resulting in a higher momentum induce flow over the roof, causing a greater effective cross section. Or else its the bigger tire openings and wider tires? Something is really draging down my 3rd Gen compared to my 2nd Gen at 50 mph! And I have had the alignment checked already....
For those who have the 2010 hood deflector shown in the post ...what is the width of the deflector. I know the hood deflector goes the length of the hood but was curious as to the width or depth. Looks like 5-6 inches.
Tires perhaps? When I switch from different 15s (I've tried 3 different brands) or god forbid my 17s the drag varies a lot.
