So I go to install my new trailer hitch for our bike rack tonight, get under the car, and low and behold....no rear plastic skid plate under the car...or any plastic skid plates as far as I can see....is this something new or did they forget them? I thought all prii had black plastic skid plates all over the underside of the car for aerodynamics purposes. Does the 2 not come with them because it is a base model? Help me out guys....I am bewildered....
I was meaning to look last night but I forgot. I'll take a look tonight. How did the hitch install go? Bolts line up pretty well?
Simple - 20 mins with sockets and extensions. You just have to push the muffler out of the way a bit when putting that side up. Bolts line up perfectly. Looks great, can barely be seen, and all I have left to do is torque it to spec before I put the bike rack on cause I threw it on quickly the other night. I am going to get a 1.25 hitch cover - you know the little square rubber piece that goes on the front of the hitch to protect it from rust and water getting inside the receiver.
There are not very many cars that have rear skid plates; I've not seen any. We are lucky we have front skid plates. Subaru's don't have any and the engine bay get dirty very fast.
The GenIII has "side" skid covers. The "v" does not. Since the "v" has larger tires and wheels than the GenIII, there is more ground clarance than the GenIII. I can't be sure, but I would conject that Toyota did wid tunnel air "flow" and "drag" test of prototypes of modes with and without the covers to determine a cost v. benefit analysis and found that they were not reallly needed ar affected the mileage minimally.
Danbob, can you tell us what you bought for a hitch, and where you got it? Have you picked out a particular bike rack? I'll be looking for a hitch and bike rack for my new V three. Thanks.
I'm willing to bet the weight of the skid plates didn't improve fuel Economy enough to warrant their installation. Saves money in vehicle cost and repairs.....
Indeed the "skidplate" present on the 2010 is not there on the V. Seems really naked and uncouth. I just transferred the tow hitch/bikerack setup from my traded-in 2010. It swapped with no problem, other than slight bending and a 2" slice in the muffler heatshield to accomodate the longer hitch bracket. You'll see it when you do it; heatshield is very lightweight aluminum, modifies readily. I only carry two bikes, but am contemplating a trailer such as towed behind a Hardly or a Honda.
I'd say it's not an issue of weight so much as chronic problems people have had with hitting debris and having their undercarriage covers coming loose and excessive dealer costs related to fixing them under warranty. Not having them also cuts down on production costs.... But seriously, there's significant MPG saving at freeway speeds if you have a aerodynamic underbody. Yet only super expensive luxury sports cars do the full body covers for the undercarriage. So I understand why Toyota doesn't do it in economy cars... But what I don't understand is why more Prius owner don't modify their undercarriage for improved MPG? Why no templates for a DIY undercarriage that's not only more sleek, but more durable then the cheap milk carton plastic that rips off when the car scrapes on something?
