cAstro my Prius c: Project thread

Thanks for the props! A set of Volk's would be posh indeed! If you're set on the style and cache', you'll love 'em, but don't get them just to save a couple more pounds. While the Prius C does like light rolling stock, it's not as sensitive to wheel weight as some other cars [like the Miata as a strong example]. The most fun I had with the C was when I put my friends 215 wide Kumho XS's on the car and was flooring it through the apexes of corners while the car just stuck and cornered cleanly.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the stock tires, but that's because I love cornering so I prefer a tire that has more grip. Honestly, my Michelin winter tires had notably more lateral grip than the stock 175's, with seemingly identical rolling resistance too. I guess it comes down to your goals. If you're going strictly for fuel economy, then the Volks may actually hurt FE, as they likely have greater aero drag than the stock smoothie hubcaps. Broad flat flush mounted spokes will generally have better aero drag than deep dish wheels, but it's just a rule of thumb and not definitive.

A couple affordable yet still very lightweight 15" wheels for the Prius C include, the 949 Racing 6UL, Konig Daylite, and Enkei RPF1. Of the lot, I'd expect the RPF1 to have the best aero, but that's just assumption by association since that wheel design is derivative from Formula 1 wheel design.

I enjoyed the Prius C very much! Some people say I change cars more often than most change underwear. While that's not literally true, I do average a new DD every year or so. I don't regret having the Prius C at all and will continue to recommend the car to people that want a great commuter car with a dash of fun all wrapped up in a super practical form factor and amazingly reliable & efficient powertrain.

Cheers,
Ryan

 

Nope, I still have them. I'd prefer to sell them as a set with the tires if possible. B2FiNiTY has dibs on them if I'm not able to easily sell the set, FYI.

 

I'm glad you found the modifications easy. The cabin is a much more serene and relaxing place to be without the annoying lights.

 

B2FiNiTY bought them off me. Happy cornering.

I do still have my Powergrid drop-links and OEM carpet set, FYI, if anyone wants them.

 

Thanks! It's actually not a stupid question, and it's something I've been trying to create a rule of thumb regarding. If you don't change any aero components on the car and just lower it, it typically seems that aero drag is increased due to the added velocity of the air underneath the car, however there's also slightly less aero drag due to the reduced frontal area from tucking the tires further into the wheel arches. The net result appears to be typically slightly more total drag, which surprised me and didn't seem intuitive, as Garm points out above.

I can't recall if I read that from Grassroots Motorsports or Racecar Engineering, but if I run across the source again I'll post it up.