REVIEW: Hybrid Effects Wheel Skirts

Introducing the new 4 door Toyota Insight Honda Prius.

AKA Priusight

Thanks Xcel for the name​

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Just could not wait to reveal it at Hybridfest.

So anyway I quickly bought a set of wheel skirts from Hybrid Effects and got them installed. It took about 4-5 hours for the installation and if I were to rate the ease of installation on a scale of 1-10, 1 being that a baby could install it and 10 being you need a pro to do the install I would give it 6. It really was not that hard once I figured everything out. Its just that first time you kind of have to just figure everything out.

The skirts I receive were professionally built fiberglass wheel skirts that when installed correctly will fit very snug and will flow well with the curves of the Prius. The paint matched my Barcelona red perfectly as far as I can tell. There are a few paint blemishes on the right skirt but they are kind of hard to see unless you are looking for them. This was to be expected since I requested these skirts on such a short notice. My score 9 out of 10.

The way these skirts attach is very simple. A bolt is screwed almost dead center in the top of the wheel well as a guide for the skirts to slip on. Then there are two screws at the bottom that hold the skirt in place. These two screws can be removed by a thin ratchet. This is really the only major flaw at the moment. With the wheels attached I found it kind of difficult to attach and remove the skirts. I'm sure this can be fixed with a few hardware design changes. Once a few people get these skirts I'm sure someone will find the right hardware to make these thing easier to remove and attach. Just remember that the Prius was not designed for skirts. The Insight was so if you want a skirt easy to remove like the Insight you may have to make your own fasteners or just get an Insight. I have to give this area a 6 out of 10.

I had a little trouble with the right skirt since I started it first. I did not get it up close to the car so there is a little gap around the edge and the skirt is a little loose. Its really not big deal and I think I can fix this but it will have to wait until after Hybridfest.

Even though I gave the attach and removal process a low score I will still give the skirts a 9 out of 10 because they just look GREAT on the car and if it takes me a few minutes to remove or attach them so what. They are still worth it to me.

I will try my best to describe the install process above each picture.

You will have to remove the black screw holding the bumper to the car. Its located a few inches from the bumper seam. Hybrid Effects supplies a flatter screw to go it its place.

Here is the top view of the skirt.



Back view of the skirt.



Side view of the skirt. As you can see it must flair out a little to make room for the tire. The little flair you see in the Hybrid Effect pictures is there but its so small the picture on Hybrid Effects just makes it look bigger than it actually is.



Here you can see the bolt that goes at the top. You can also see white areas around the bolt. Toyota puts some kid of bead around the out side of the wheel well. This bead needs to be removed in order for the skirt to fit nicely. I did not remove all of the stuff around the edge of right well because I thought I did not need to remove it all. I later realized that you really need to remove it all in order to get a nice tight fit. I will correct this later. The left side has all of it removed. To remove it all you need is a razor blade and a steady hand. I also used some touch up paint to paint the bolt and the white areas so you wont see them through the little space between the skirt and the quarter panel.



Here is the rear hole drilled for the skirt. If you have mud guards the hole is about in the same place as the one the hold the mud guards on. And yes you must remove your mud guards. You wont need them because the skirt is taking the place of the mud guards.



Here is the front hole. Its drilled through the metal quarter panel.



Here you can see where I took off part of that bead around the outside.



Here you can see how far up I cut it off. You really need to cut it all off.



Here you can see a temporary attachment so I could mark the locations of the holes that needed drilled.



Another view.



Here you can see the little flair out to make room for the tire.



Skirt attached.



Another view.



Clarence for the tire. Front.



Clarence for the tire. Rear.



Side shot.



Another side shot.



And the final side shot.


[edit] Added more pictures with hubcaps added.






Just a note. My current aerodynamic hubcaps will not fit under the skirts. I will have to fabricate a set out of sheet aluminum. Unfortunately I don't have time to make them before Hybridfest. So theirs not going to be any panties under the skirts but I will have the hubcaps on the front wheels.

I will try to get some performance data later. Maybe after Hybridfest.

Now we just need to get front wheel skirts.

 

After looking at pictures of the grille block I don't think it will fit with my chin spoiler and also my front mounted camera is mounted under the grille. So a hole would have to be cut out for the camera. Thanks but I don't think it will work. See you in a few days.

 

I "Photo Shopped" the skirt in my avatar since all I had to do was move a few pixels around. Aparently the new forum software has a smaller limit on the file size and I cant upload the new avatar. The forum requires 19.5k or less and mine is 31.9. I cant get any smaller than that unless I turn it into a gif and maybe 256 color or something.

I want to make it look uniform all around even through the skirts block off %80 of the wheel.

I got them from Hub Cap Mike and they have gotten expensive since I got them. Currently $38 a pop.

Thanks. I considered lowering the car but all the places I go I almost bottom out the car as is. I have actually bottomed out the front end a few times around here.

 

I'll update as soon as I get some time and get this E10 crap out of my tank. Thats the only thing bad about coming to Hybridfest. E10 is everywhere.

I never really did any official tests with the caps. I from what I experienced I guessed about a 2mpg gain with a 2mpg margin of error.

When the E10 is out of my tank I can do some highway test and see if I get better or worse compared to my previous highway experience. If I have time I would like to do a highway run without the skirts and caps for the control, then with the skirts, then with the skirts and caps and then finally without the skirts and caps again to verify the control.

Yes that would be a PITA. The skirts can be removed it just took me a few minutes to do it. I think what I really need is a smaller ratchet. The one I have now is a little big and makes it really awkward to reach up in there. I'm going to try to find another way to attach these things after I get back from Hybridfest.

With no caps under the skirts all I have to do is roll the car a little bit until the air stem comes in view. When I make my aluminum caps for the rear I will cut a hole in it to get to the air stem.

Yes I have the touring spoiler. I got the spoiler before they even announced the touring would be available in the USA.

I'll have to see if a touring Prius is here at Hybridfest and take a look but I think the skirts should fit just fine.

The front spoiler I got from Sigma Automotive – Toyota Hybrid Prius 2004 - 2009 OEM & JDM auto accessories .