15" wheel center caps

Right you are sir. I just found the chrome abs plastic trim rings for $42.49 including s/h at Lakeshore Wheel & Tire - Welcome
and they apparantly will fit all standard 16" wheels:rockon:

 

why does Toyota even put these stupid covers over the wheels in the first place?

 

I suspect to lower the drag and increase MPG. Don't know how big a MPG difference/

 

Dumb but obvious question:

Do the Gen II wheels fit on the Gen III ???

 

I'm pretty certain the 15" wheels both have the same bolt pattern. I personally like my 2010 wheels, w/o the covers better than my 2005's w/o their covers.

 

I just popped off my ugly Gen III 15 inch hubcaps tonight and replaced them with center caps. Even though the rims are supposedly not ornate enough to be bare, I think they are much more attractive than either the 15 inch wheel covers or the 17 inch V rims.

 

Finally, I able to see the different between 42603-52030 and 42603-52110.

Link for 42603-52030:
http://www.ff.em-net.ne.jp/~eddy/Photo/DSCF1268X.JPG

Link for 42603-52110:
Yahoo!??? - ?????

As you can see, 52030 is dome shape, and 52110 is flat.

And their prices are also the same, and they both fit on the GenIII Prius apparently.

So, it is up to your personal preference (nice to have 2 choices).

 

Here is a pic with the covers removed and the new wheel caps. I ordered them on Monday and they arrived 2 days later.

 

Nice! Where did you order and what style (i.e. part #) Thanks,
Peter

 

I picked up my 42603-52110 center caps yesterday. Thay fit like a glove and because they don't protrude I can slap on the wheel covers with no modification for the highway. Anyone know of a full disc for the wheel?
Tony Renier,
Green Bay, WI, USA

 

Anyone try the 42603-AB020 on GenIII Prius 15" wheel?

Most of us either have 42603-52110 or 42603-52030.

Anyone that have 42603-52110 or 42603-52030, can you tell me the outer diameter of the cap and how many clips it has on the back. Please specific part #. Thanks

 

On their website parts for 2010 models have yet to be listed..

 

Did you order these 42303-52110 from your dealer?

 

In the quest for my Prius, I had one particular salesman/dealership state that the wheel covers not only slightly improve the mileage, but they offered two other valuable benefits in addition to the "curb defense" theory. He stated (and I would love to know if anyone else has heard this) that without the covers installed you will get more dust and road grime in the regenerative charging system. He also stated that they are designed to improve airflow to the brakes and charging system in order to keep them cooler and more efficient. I also like they way the wheels look without the covers, but I'm not sure I will remove them because I don't want to cause any negative impact to the systems. The largest benefit I'm sure is the defense of the occasional curb hop and rim rashing...the replacement covers are only about $40 as opposed to the much higher cost of a rim.

 

What about the Prius V that comes without the covers (and decent alloys)?

 

The 17" wheel [comes with] [does not need] center caps:

 

It's not a 2010 part. You should have read 4 posts down (Post #69).

"The part number is 42603-52030
It's actually for the 04-06 Prius"

 

I went with the hubcapless look as well. I got the center caps at parts.com, thanks for the advice folks!

 

Yep, sales people (some) are the experts, as per usual... :doh:

There are no parts related to the regenerative braking located within any of the axle areas. Regenerative braking is basically either MG1 or MG2 in the CVT working as a generator and charging the main battery.

So the wheel covers improve airflow to the charging system eh? Now that's well and truly spinning some crap!

That guy should NOT be selling motor vehicles, simple.

edit: btw, does anyone know what the part numbers are for the 17" wheel and centre cap (same as the pic Boo has posted above)?

 

I've decided I'm going to remove the covers. I've found a company in Nor Cal that takes OEM wheels, strips off the finish, then will chrome / black chrome / or powder coat the wheels to your preference. So, my 15" stock wheels are going to get either a black chrome or black powder coat along with some new center caps. If anyone else wants to check them out I will provide the link. I just happened to see one of their delivery trucks on the freeway so I wrote down their website. I haven't spoken to them yet to see what it costs, but I'm sure it's less expensive than custom wheels. The URL is: www.pacrims.com

Also noticed an advertiser on this site called www.centercaps.com that shows these: http://www.centercaps.net/caps/details.php?stockNumber=500 Anyone try these?