2012 Alloys

They come painted black with new better looking plastic covers. I assume Toyota did it to make the new covers look better. You can find other threads that identified them, going back to last year's car shows.

 

It's more to make the new wheel covers look better and larger by providing contrast.

 

Black is the new chrome.

 

Are the standard wheels under the hubcaps alloy?


Why would they do that -- still have the wheel cost and then the hubcap.

 

To keep people from buying the car.

 

One theory is the wheel covers help with aerodynamics (as several members have reported a mpg hit with the covers off especially with lots of highway driving) and it's more expensive to machine the 15" wheels to make them like the factory 17" than alloys plus wheel covers.

 

X2............UGLY...........

 

it matches the shiny black trim above the lower grille

 

To make them beautiful?

 

Yes. All liftback and prius v wheels are alloy. Only the base Prius c's will have steel wheels.

Most base model cars, Corolla, Camry, etc, come with plastic wheel covers but on those cars, the wheels are steel. At least we get alloy wheels.

I don't like the looks of liftback wheels without covers. They just look like wheels that are supposed to have covers on them, not bare alloy wheels where the spokes are flush with the rim. They look horrible without center caps also.

 

I bought a 2012 prius three, several days ago. My dealer had the wheel covers off (with the center cap in) and told me he thought they look better that way. Needless to say, I called yesterday, and I just can't get used to the look. I am going today to pick up the wheel covers. They just look like steelies/spares to me without the cover, unless you are within 2 feet from them. Otherwise I love the car.

 

It's a look... Maybe it's a conspiracy to get people to upgrade to better wheels? Who knows - it's a model year change. It could be Toyota wanted people to keep their covers on for the slightly improved aero and mpg. I like my 2010 w/o the covers and center caps installed. It doesn't look like every other Barcelona Red Prius out there - which I'm seeing more of these days!

 

I don't particularly care for the look of the 2012 covers but they definitely look better on then off so I won't be removing mine! lol

 

What bothers me about the 2012 15" wheels is that the retaining ring for the cover is so tight that it chips the finish on the aluminum wheels.

When took a couple of the wheel covers off of our 2012, I saw that there were large chips in the black paint on the wheels. They went so deep that you could see the bare aluminum. At first I thought that the dealer may have used unnecessary force when pressing the covers onto the wheels. When i went to put the covers back on, I saw that it was because the metal retaining rings on the wheel covers are almost absurdly tight. It might be appropriate on a steel wheel, to minimize the risk of a wheel cover ever falling off. I think Toyota only saw the black 15" aluminum wheels as offering unsprung weight savings over steel wheels.

I wish the 2012 15" wheel covers could be used without damaging the finish of the aluminum wheels, as they could on the 2004-9 Prius.

 

That is a major flaw... hope you are going to bring that up with the dealer. My 10 covers are not scratching my rims.

 

I love the black wheels. So anyone with a 2012 that doesn't like theirs, ill trade you wheels from my 2011.

 

Unfortunately, it can't be considered a "flaw" if Toyota intends them to be covered. The most likely reason it's scratching on the 2012 but not 2010/11 is because of the black paint, despite being the same alloy.

If anyone is pre-ordering a 2012 and plans to drive with the covers off, all you need to do is ask your dealer not to put the covers on in the first place (just like front license plate bracket). All Prius are transported to dealerships with the covers off and dealers are to put them on.

 

A person still has to remove a tire now and then and if it scratches exposing the raw material which will corrode, etc.... seems like a flaw.

 

Someone said it's not painted throughout, indicating that the "raw material" is already sealed. It just has a layer of paint on already sealed silver 2010/11 alloys.