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wheel covers

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by pete katz, May 5, 2004.

  1. pete katz

    pete katz New Member

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    why does the Prius come standard with those little plastic liners in the beautiful cast aluminum wheels? What purpose do they serve? It sure looks better with them off the car!!!!! :|
     
    #1 pete katz, May 5, 2004
  2. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    Feel free to do a search - we've covered this topic a few times.

    In summary - several reasons:

    * It's cheaper to replace a plastic trim cover if you bump a curb than an entire rim.
    * The plastic cover reduces drag (wind resistance)
    * The plastic cover allows the overall wheel to be lighter than it would be if it were solid aluminum alloy. This is especially true since the reduced weight is at the outer edge of the wheel which reduces the effects of inertia when accelerating, decelerating, and during vertical travel over bumps (unsprung weight).

    The Euro 16" wheels appear to be covers as well - and unlike the US 15"ers, the majority feel the wheels look better with the covers on. I'm mixed on the 15", but I'm letting functionality win over asthetics.
     
    #2 HTMLSpinnr, May 5, 2004
  3. bigal

    bigal Junior Member

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    I have removed the wheel covers on my 2020 Prime Limited.

    Got a low tire indication; just an "idiot light" with no indication of which tire and its pressure. Now I had to find which tire (isn't it always the last tire). Getting to measure the pressures, I found those wheel covers to be a real pain. Try getting that valve stem cover off with the wheel cover on. Space limited for your fingers to get in; that is if there is any space. I found one cover mounted such that the valve was wedged onto the cover. I had to pull the cover off in order to remove the valve stem cap.

    Installed Tire Pressure Monitor. Ever since I had a serious puncture traveling in our Pilot I am a bit paranoid about tire pressure. On getting the Pilot tire warning, I could see the affected tire and the magnitude of the puncture. It just wasn't a slow leak, it was a gusher, so I responded immediately. Based on this experience, I decided to get a Tire Pressure Monitor for the Pilot. This involved replacing the valve stem cap with the sensor assembly. I had to remove the wheel covers to install the sensors. Now those sensors had to be removed (sensor itself plus a lock nut) before I could get the filler attached to the valve. Would have to remove the wheel cover now. But wait, those wheels look pretty good to me, so off they go.

    Why is the high end called Limited? Each day I am discovering what the Limited means. Why is the high end called Limited? I got the Limited naively expecting such things as Android Auto and individual tire pressure monitors (that I have both on my Honda). But nieve me, that's what Limited means.
     
    #3 bigal, Nov 1, 2020
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    I've thought about that more than once lol.
     
    #4 Mendel Leisk, Nov 1, 2020
    Last edited: Nov 1, 2020
  5. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    And before that, it was "Plus," "Premium," and "Advanced." Nothing in those terms spells out "good," "better," or "best."

    As for what features to expect, it is quite naive to assume that any of the trims would have any particular feature. That's why they provide brochures. But even they are not guaranteed 100% accurate.
     
    #5 jerrymildred, Nov 1, 2020
  6. mr_guy_mann

    mr_guy_mann Senior Member

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    I just find it peculiar that given how tech-crazy Toyota got on the Gen2, that they didn't implement a tire pressure display on the MFD. Instead they went only with a minimal TPMS indicator light.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #6 mr_guy_mann, Nov 1, 2020
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    Coolant temp gauge would be nice too.
     
    #7 Mendel Leisk, Nov 1, 2020
    jerrymildred likes this.
  8. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Big Al Mini-profile.png
    Just curious as to why are you posting this in a Gen 2 forum?

    Will you be updating your profile, now that you have traded your 2012 Prius Plug-in Base for a 2020 Prime Ltd?
     
    #8 dolj, Nov 2, 2020
    jerrymildred likes this.
  9. bigal

    bigal Junior Member

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    Didn't know what I was doing.
     
    #9 bigal, Nov 2, 2020
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