Hi: If anyone out there is looking to chuck their wheel trim rings, I'll pay UPS or US Postal charges to have them sent to me. Contact me off chatline. It's an art project....... Thanks, Bob Allen
I really fail to understand why anyone would want to do anything to alter the appearance of their prius... I think my car is damn sexy just the way it is... trim rings and all... and I love my wheels!!!
The trim rings have a purpose. I understand it is aerodynamic in nature. Toyota didn't put anything on this vehicle that it didn't absolutly need, so I figure the trim rings are needed.
It's just personal preference. It doesn't matter much one way or the other, to me. I'm not taking mine off but if someone did steal them, I'd probably just go without. I doubt missing trim rings is going to hurt resale value. The main benefit that I see in them is it makes the wheels a little easier to keep clean. What puzzles me is 'why' someone would steal them. They're not that great looking on the Prius as it is and I can't imagine them being used in any other application where they would look good.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jeromep @ May 23 2006, 06:21 PM) [snapback]259988[/snapback]</div> Aerodynamic or...? When I purchased my 2006, the dealer told me the rings to prevent curb-scuffing of the alloy wheels. I took them off.
that too. It could also be weight savings. Instead of that area being aluminium alloy, plastic is much lighter.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jmccord @ May 24 2006, 12:59 AM) [snapback]260180[/snapback]</div> I heard the same. So conversely I took them off, it looks good, she'll scuff the alloys, I'll put the original new rings back on, and when its time to sell or trade, voila new wheels!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ May 24 2006, 01:18 AM) [snapback]260190[/snapback]</div> Not having them on is even lighter.
Hi: I wasn't intending to start a discussion on the aesthetics of the trim rings, but it's interesting to hear different takes on their worth. On several other posts, there have been comments by folks who hated them and were going to chuck them. My thought is to have a second set of rings painted either to match the car, or some other color, and occasionally swap them out, and to that end, I'd rescue a set from the trash. I prefer keeping trim rings on, and I also fitted discreet curb feelers to the mud flaps so that I can keep the rings and the wheels from being scraped. So far, so good. Bob
I just put mine back on. Others have convinced me that Toyota would not have spent the money, nor added the couple of pounds, without a reason. Scraping the rims on curbs? Hardly...they wouldn't care about that. Gotta be something more sensible.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rick Auricchio @ May 24 2006, 10:36 PM) [snapback]260689[/snapback]</div> I'd say it's for aerodynamics to improve gas mileage, largely based on similiar wheel styling efforts on such über mileage efforts like the Honda Insight and Civic Hybrid. It would be hard to imagine that a wide trim ring would make that much difference in gas mileage but since Toyota went to such lengths as designing the roof to smooth and improve airflow for mileage, I can't imagine them slapping some trim rings on just because someone thought they looked good. Although, if true, Toyota definitely compromised on not adding rear fender skirts, as well. I'm certain that would have helped gas mileage even more than smooth trim rings but Toyota, probably wisely, decided it would make the car look too strange and the trade-off on putting off some buyers wasn't worth it. I've always wondered if the rear fender skirts on the Insight was a significant styling faux pas that kept some people from buying that car. Not to mention the added difficulty and expense of adding them during production and removing them to change a rear tire. The only area that I can see on the Prius that appears to be for styling ornamentation alone without an actual purpose is the goofy fake LEDs located between the front headlight and turn signal within the housings on the '06.
