Skirts over back wheels

I think one of the things that has detracted interest from the Insight is the "weirdness" of it's look. It looks too high tech, too "geeky".

And one of the things that give the car that "look" are the wheel well covers.

American's don't seem to buy things that are too too different from what they've always bought. When the Ford Taurus design first came out, it was said that the design was just different enough to be appealing and not too too different to scare buyers away.

Of course, there are many other reasons why the Insight did not catch on like the Prius so I’m sure the back wheel covers was not that great a factor. And in addition, any single person that puts covers over the rear wheel wells will not affect an entire market.

I’d like to say also that I don’t dislike the “look†of those wheel wells being covered and I’m sure covering them will help decrease drag.

I played with Paint Shop and made this. (Today is my day off)

This is not my car. It belongs to another prius chat guy who has the great luck to live in a wondrous part of the country.

 

Very, very ugly.

 

just a quick look at it and it remined me of a 4 door Insight.

 

One of the things that always made me question the Insight was those "skirts". (Plus I have a kid so I need room for 3)

For some reason I have this memory in my head of how much fun it was to deal with flat tires in cars with "skirts". Must have read it some place since I never had one with it.

Also since I grew up in the NE, I look at that as just a larger place for slush to collect and turn to ice on my car. Not that I have that problem in the SF Bay Area any more... :mrgreen:

To each his/her own, but the "skirts" just creep me out (1)....

Cas
(1) of course if you make the skirt flexible and extend it as an airdam all around the car and replace the 4 wheels with fans and.... there you have it boys and girls.... the Prius Hovercraft... roads we don't need no stinking roads... give me a canal any day :mrgreen:

 

Actually the pic of the skirts fitted kinda' reminded me of something from the past attempting to break the land speed record on the lake flats quite a few years ago. :lol:

 

Hello,

I just installed racing disc hubcaps (as a cheeper alternative). I got them from hubcap mike's. At this time I do not have any mpg data... but looks cool.

Regards,
Robert

 

That is strange the Prius has a drag coefficient of 0.26 and even wheel skirts will not do much to improve that.

 

I was thinking the same thing, skirts may make it look great, and reduce wind resistance.
[attachmentid=1760]
I also thought it would make it look like a blown up Insight, but as you can see above, if you squint your eyes, it looks pretty good!

 

Chaque un à son goût, but I think it looks butt ugly!

 

So make them out of clear 1/4" plexiglass. Of course they won't stay clear for very long.

 

So, what do you really think?

 

OK, I admit it... I'm a freak. I like the look of the skirts, and would do it in a minute if I thought it would do any significant good. And to put your mind at ease - at least about flat tires - all the skirts I've dealt with (most recently on the EV1) are quickly *removalbe*. You just unclip them, and have unfettered (that's a word, right?) access to the rear wheels. The Aerodynamics of the skirted EV1 make the Prius look a bit brick-like... though I don't think too much of that was *due* to the skirts.

 

these?
http://www.hubcapmike.com/rdc01-15.html

Do they snap right in to the stock wheels?

Pictures Please?

thanks,
Joel

 

Can you post a picture? I'd be interested to see what they look like.

 

I made a quick photoshop a few weeks ago with some wheel skirts on the barcelona red car. I think it looks pretty good. It would make it stand out and I would like that.

 

Sign me up for a set. When we tried to get these professionally made for the Rav4EV, it would have cost us about $1200 for the first few sets. Oops.

 

what would it do for FE?

 

enjoy ;-)