I am the proud owner of a new magnetic gray 2009 Prius. But I am the not-so-proud owner of 4 ugly trim rings. I have four 2009 Prius trim rings for sale. I will sell them as a set or separately. I don't really know how much they're worth, nor do I really care. Just make me an offer for 1, 2, 3, or all 4. I don't want these AT ALL. Just bought a new Prius yesterday and they were only on the car from the dealership to my house. I took them off immediately after I got home so they are pretty much BRAND NEW. No scratches, scuffs, breaks, etc. They are spotless. I will take PayPal or pretty much any other form of payment. My loss is your gain! Buyer pays shipping from Austin, TX (for the next 4 days) or Boston, MA (after 4 days from now... I'm moving!) Here is a pic of one of them (they all look the same): http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m234/xtheregretx/IMG_4803.jpg I also have a cargo net that I don't really want, so if I get a good enough offer I could sell that as well. Again, buyer pays shipping.
Which cargo net is that? The one that lies horizontally on the cargo floor (and clips onto the floor's existing 4 corner D Rings)? Or the one that stands vertically and forms a pouch to hold grocery bags etc. (and which would need to have 2 additional D Rings supplied and installed in order to hang properly)?
I don't like those trim rings either. But there's an interesting reason why they're there. From what I read, Toyota found a problem with air flow past the wheels when they did their aero testing. The trim rings were the fix.
Aegison, the consensus here on PriusChat is that the trim rings make no significant contribution to fuel efficiency. do you have data (even if it's anecdotal) that suggests otherwise?
I'm VERY interested in buying your trim rings (all 4) if still available. I can pay via Paypal.... What is the least you'll accept for them (I'll exceed it) Mike email: [email protected]
My post did not address whether the trim rings make a significant contribution to fuel efficiency. do you have data (even if it's anecdotal) that suggests otherwise? My point was that some people actively dislike the trim rings. They're not "just there" but they are disliked. Toyota could have done market research on their appeal, and found them lacking, if they were a cosmetic issue. But Toyota apparently didn't market test their appeal, yet it added the rings at extra mfg cost. Why would Toyota do something so stupid? Perhaps because the rings served another purpose. And, from what I've read elsewhere (sorry, I don't store it all up lest someone challenge it), that was because they addressed an aero issue in the flow of air along the wheels. While the trim rings alone may not have a material effect on fuel efficiency, many minor aero improvments taken together can add up to a significant contribution to fuel efficiency. Then again, so can a good tail wind. Perhaps it's similar to the quotation: " A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money"? A little aero here, a little aero there, and before long you're talking about a real aero effect. (BTW, the quotation is usually attributed to the late Sen. Everett McKinley Dirksen, but when asked it he had said it, Dirksen replied, "Oh, I never said that. A newspaper fella misquoted me once, and I thought it sounded so good that I never bothered to deny it." >>the consensus here on PriusChat is that the trim rings make no significant contribution to fuel efficiency. do you have data (even if it's anecdotal) that suggests otherwise?<<