[Isabelle]

I had a fiasco trying to get the tires up to pressure for a trip today.
First, the line was three deep at the free air at the Mobil. I'm in a hurry,
so I get on the Masspike and stop at the first rest stop, where a.] the valve stem cap fell into the little crevices that exist in that plastic hubcap rim that encircles the alloys; and b.] the dilapidated pump was broken anyway.

The curiousity was this...I noticed, after a year and a half and 28,000 miles(crossed today), there is NO hub-encircling rim hubcap on the left rear wheel. Since the others seem to fit so snugly, I'm guessing it was delivered that way, or was not replaced after a rotation.

Anyhow, I think the alloys look great without the plastic rim, so I may take the other three off. They are purely cosmetic, right? :?:

I ended the day by buying a portable pump for $19...even has a pretty headlamp built in.

 

[Hep]

Many owners have removed the plastic trim, feeling like you that it looks better without. They provide no function.

 

[Isabelle]

thanks

Thanks. I owe you a coffee...

...and if I take them off, I might find my valve stem cap. This happen to anybody else?

 

[efusco]

Many owners have removed the plastic trim, feeling like you that it looks better without. They provide no function.

Some have speculated (I can't say I've seen proof) that the function is aerodynamic. Hard to belive it is very significant though.

 

[mrv]

note: you are supposed to measure the tires when cold (not driven upon)...

 

[hyperion]

about the plastic wheel rings. If in the smoke filled wind tunnel, if you can remove the burbles around the rotating wheels with the addition of plastic wheel rings, "have at it."

 

[KiwiPrius]

Wheel trim

Thanks for that guys, have wondered about the fuction of these things. Curious to see if the car looks better without them - suspect that it will. Always thought that the trim makes the wheels look odd.

 

[KTPhil]

The trim makes it look like a 13" wheel. I had to look at the tire markings to convince myself they really are 15".

 

[Isabelle]

Linked picture

Thanks all....but has anybody lost their little valve stem cap behind that ringee thingee??

Hyperion...english please...I no capisce wind tunnel.

Rules: there's a nice picture of one without the plastic rings on another forum, but I'm a newbie here so I don't want to offend by posting the link.

....and I can't figure out how to paste the picture here....

 

[KiwiPrius]

Wheel trims etc

Speaking of appearances, has anyone tried a larger wheel size, eg 17 inch and if so, got a picture that they can post?

 

[hyperion]

Isabell, the car was completely designed in a wind tunnel for low drag. The Prius has the lowest co-efficient of drag of any manufatured car in the world. Beats anything designed by Ferrari, Porsche, and even the Corvette. Thats why the roof is concave and not adaptable to a sunroof. Thats why bike racks destroy milage, ditto mudflaps and maybe larger wheels. Even those plastic wheel trim rims were added in the wind tunnel tests. The spoiler on the rear of the car was reputably changed over a dozen times, all in the effort for low drag and added economy.

 

[bobc]

Richard,

As for the valve stem cover. Yes, I've lost mine behind there, too. I had to back up so as to spin the wheels 180 degrees to get them out.

The bad news is that I think yours is long gone. With enough starting and stopping, I'm willing to be that it fell out by now. Sorry.

-bob

 

[RJMusser]

Hyperion,
I put mudflaps (from coastal tech) on my 2004 Prius. They do stick out in the airstream but they look very small in relationship to the whole car. They do a good job of keeping stuff off the the areas of the car behind the wheels. This time of year it is mostly mud and manure. (I live in cow-country and all of the farmers manure does not make it to the fields, some of it ends up in the road.)

About how much extra gas would you suppose that I will burn over the life of the car? I do very little high speed driving, usually in the 40 to 60 mph range.

Have you seen those disk hubcaps on the Prius that Toyota shows in the ads. I am refering to the Prius that goes very, very fast.

Roger

 

[hyperion]

You know, I'm sure the mudflaps will not affect your yearly milage all that much but observing wind tunnel aerodynamic tests for years I know that with the installation, the whole unrestricted flow would be destroyed. Ditto with a bike rack mounted anywhere on the exterior. The rear mounting probably would completely destroy the vacumn behind the car created by the spoiler. Milage though would be hard to measure. Not enough to worry about.Someone on this net may be able to again post the URL that was here last year of a wheel company that when selected will show you a dozen different wheel selections actually on a Prius at stop and in rotation. I've lent all my research papers to a friend researching the Prius so I don't have it now.

 

[Isabelle]

Rats!

Thanks to all, especially Hyperion and Bobc, for the info. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one to lose a valve stem cover (stole one off a bike and we're back in business).

Turns out to be all moot. I asked the 'ol Ball and Chain what she thought of wheels with the outside rim versus the alloys alone, and she was decisive: "I LIKE Isabelle with those outside rims".

Rats! Well, we now know that they are "aero-dyna-aesthetically" superior.

Which means: in our house, they stay, so I have to find one...anybody have one? [I suspect my dealer has mine, although as Hyperion knows, the potholes around here may have grabbed mine]

 

[RSnyder]

Re: Rats!

. . . Which means: in our house, they stay, so I have to find one...anybody have one? [I suspect my dealer has mine, although as Hyperion knows, the potholes around here may have grabbed mine]

Well, if your dealer doesn't have it, I'm sure their parts dept. does.

 

[melgish]

I might be cheaper to find someone who didn't like them enough to remove them, and buy theirs.