Chrome Wheels

I thought I remember seeing someone chroming their stock Prius wheels on here somewhere. Am I wrong?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(theforce @ Apr 21 2006, 08:50 AM) [snapback]243144[/snapback]</div>

"You are correct!" When I purchased mine in February of 2004, the dealer offered me that very option. They of course had to remove the plastic trim rings. (See photos)

 

LOTS of Prius owners have swapped out their stock wheels for chrome ones. In fact, I bought a complete, brand new set of wheels and tires off eBay for $100, because someone did that immediately to their Prius! Many have found that the Scion wheels fit pretty good. But, you will experience a significant loss in gas mileage, as most chrome rims fit wider, less efficient tires, and can often weigh more than our stock rims.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BMcGraw @ Apr 21 2006, 01:07 PM) [snapback]243192[/snapback]</div>

Now THERE'S a great idea! There are places that will chrome-plate the stock wheels! B)

 

I have a 2006 in Black, I added the Scion TC 17" wheel and am still getting 50+ mpg average. You will have to put the tire pressure sensors on any new wheels you add. Otherwise you will get that little yellow light comming on telling you that you have low tire pressure. Not a big deal.. The 17's look awesome! You can get them pretty cheap on ebay. I also added the fin antenna just for a different look and I have been getting tons of compliments (purchased antenna from PC)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(keydiver @ Apr 21 2006, 01:11 PM) [snapback]243194[/snapback]</div>

Wrong. I did a test to see if this as true, and I was still able to verage 53 mpg even with the Scion tC wheels. The mileage loss is a huge misconception. What makes a much greater difference is driving style. I started a thread on this a while back.


That said, pretty much any wheel that will fit on a Scion tC will fit on a Prius. Just make sure the overall outer diameter is very close, or your speedo and odo will be off. There is a huge selection of wheels that will fit, chrome or otherwise.

The stock tC wheels are within 1% of the stock Prius diameter, sothe effects are minimal.

 

My Prius came with the chrome wheels straight from the dealer.

 

I've seen Prii with different wheels and wondered what the story was- I thought, "those wheels look nicer than the cookie-cutter wheels on mine." So it turns out those are the SAME wheels, with the plastic trim rings removed! (that was the sound of me, smacking my forehead)
The chromed wheels look sharp- does anybody have any idea what it costs to get a set of wheels chromed? Also, is there any significant drawback to removing the plastic trim rings (i.e., does it adversely affect aerodynamics, and hence mpg?)

 

There are past and former threads on the subject. Outside of Toyota nobody has quantified the effect.

(Stickin' my finger in the air, I'd bet that it would not be noticeable at speeds under about 40 MPH.)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BMcGraw @ Apr 21 2006, 10:07 AM) [snapback]243192[/snapback]</div>

Nice! But admit it now... I just KNOW you want to put the plastic trim rings back on.