Anyone know whether the plastic wheel covers on my 2011 III are functional in any way? Lost one and the wheels look just fine without them. I have seen others without them and plan to just remove them but just wondered whether, Toyota being so sharp in hybrid design, they might improve aerodynamics. Or are they just cosmetic?
We can only speculate. The best aerodynamic design for the wheel would be completely smooth and covered up. However, this does not look appealing, so all manufacturers incorporate some kind of design. You will see that ECO versions of regular vehicles have hubcaps or rims that are more covered up. Compare the rims on a PiP and a regular Prius for example. While there is improvement in aerodynamics, it's a small amount.
I think some Toyota executive like's 'em, insists they be used. They're certainly not popular with owners, and an unusual design decision. The bare rims likely have an infinitesimal increase in drag. To make it look presentable you'll need to get center caps. I believe Toyota charges a ridiculously high amount, for what's essentially a fiddly piece of chromed plastic with a spring. There's aftermarket available for much less.
I bought the center caps, you can get them online cheap. I pulled the wheel covers as soon as the delivery man left. The black finish with the chrome center caps looks fine to me. The hubcaps to me make the car look cheap. The stock rims really do look classy. I like the way you can see your brake calipers through them.
Completely smooth wheel covers, as I've installed on my car, are worth 1.45mpg versus the bare alloys at 50mph (that difference will increase the faster you go). The stock wheel covers will be somewhere in between those two.
Peter: I am not a scientist. But I am an English Major with a Masters Degree in developmental psychology. ...which means I don't know a lot about anything in particular. I am old, but I still think I want to be cool. In 2010 I leased a 2010 Prius II. I immediately took the dorky wheel covers off and hung them neatly on the garage wall. The silver alloy wheels looked great. When the lease was up, I took the wheel covers off the garage wall and put them in the back seat on the floor. I returned the car. I leased a new 2113 Prius III with Navigation, sun and solar roof, and a lot of other electronic conveniences I cannot yet operate without the help of my children and grandchildren. I immediately took the dorky wheel covers off and hung them on the garage wall. The black anodyzed wheels look great. I bought circular electrical box cover plugs for hole covers (1.50 each), painted them with rustoleum, and adjusted the mounting spring clips appropriately. They look cool because I think they look cool. When the lease is up and it's time to return the car, I'll take the dorky wheel covers off the garage wall and put them in the car. I still don't know much of anything in particular; but I'm cool with that.
Sorry I am getting picky, but the 2013 models used numbers spelled out (three) and not roman numerals which were only used on the 2010 models of gen 3. Right? ...but I agree that the wheel covers are ugly. And don't get me started on the 2016 wheel covers.
In my opinion, the aerodynamics advantage of the wheel covers is so slight that removing them is probably a weight vs aero toss up. One offsets the other.
Like everything else it's a matter of personal taste. I think the Prius 2012-2015 style wheel covers look great! They remind me of my toy Hot Wheel cars when I was a kid. Don't care for the bare black painted aluminum rims. For the 2010-2011 style wheel covers, it's a different story, don't like them. The bare silver painted aluminum rims look better!
They were functional, adding just enough tiny increment to insure that the 2010 Prius' EPA rating rounded up to 50 instead of down to 49. The increment is so small that you cannot measure it yourself outside of laboratory conditions. Other, uncontrollable variables are larger. Toyota had to do a lot of little things like this to achieve that 50 MPG EPA label, on top of the many big things such as the special engine and hybrid transaxle. Wheel covers on or off, do what you like. The cosmetic factor is much larger than the MPG factor.
Yeah but comparing plastic wheel cover equiped Prius alloys to the utilitarian bare rims under is missing a point: there are bare alloy rims that are designed to be bare, and look great. Look at corollas for example, very nice alloy rims, no covers.
My neighbor has one with those alloy rims. They do look nice. I also like the G3 17" alloy rims too. Coverless and much nicer aesthetically.
Plastic wheel covers when scraped on a curb...cost less than alloy wheels. On post above seems to have some data that wheel covers can had 1 mile per gallon at speed 50. We used to call these wheel covers (hub caps) beauty caps. Some rims were vented/ vaned or designed to either inhale or exhale air to keep the brakes cooler. So are 2011 wheel covers functional...I do not know.
Well replacement costs between a plastic wheel cover and an alloy isn't small. Toyota dealer $83 for a plastic wheel cover, online $56 salvage yard $25 How do I know I picked up two wheel covers yesterday at a salvage yard. I cracked one about a year ago. The crack has gotten much larger and the cover is going to be replaced very soon. Since I was there I bought two so I would have a spare in case I have another problem down the road. Alloy wheel at the dealer $322, online $213, at the salvage yard, $100 The hubcaps look fine to me, I look at the cover as a cheap way to protect the alloy wheels.
They are functional for slight aerodynamic gains, more so at higher speeds. As long as you periodically remove them to clean the alloys from dirt, grime, salt, etc. During the Winter months, I remove the alloys and OEM covers, clean and store them, and then install snow tires mounted on steel rims. I then proceeded to purchase cheap stylish wheel covers similar to the OEMs from ebay and mount them on the steelies. The reasoning is to keep salt spray from seeping into the studs and hub, thus protecting them from corrosion.
So, after reading deep into the Priuschat website, I found someone who purchased some auto trim and got creative putting in on his stock 15" black rims. I liked the idea, but his were racing red. It looked great, but I wanted something that would accent the edge of the rim while complimenting the center chrome cap. So, I bought some Cowles Custom Chrome Trim, 1/4"- 20 feet and got busy. The end result is the pics I attached. It looks much better and for me, does exactly what I wanted. And I purchased from the Priuschat Accessories area my Priuschat Decal to show off to Prius haters.
