Why the plastic wheel cover on 15" wheels?

[dtjoint]

Hi,

We took delivery of our pearl white 2010 IV with solar roof option on Monday of last week. First in Southern Oregon if we heard correctly. My question is why the plastic wheel cover which hides an otherwise quite attractive 15" multi-spoke allow wheel?

In our first 200 miles we are averaging 49 mpg without doing anything special, just driving normally but at varying speeds during break in. Quite impressive for a brand new car. But, most impressive of all is the ride and drive quality. It is far quieter than the earlier generation Prius, seems far better sorted out, sits cleanly and firmly on the road and is actually quite peppy. Independent of the hybrid stuff this car would compete well with other four cylinder mid-sized sedans like the 1999 Subaru Outback it is replacing.

If any of you know why the silly hub cap or what difference it makes to run without it, please let me know. If there is no downside then this is the fastest and most cost effective customization move one could make as the car looks far better without the plastic covers. Thanks for the help.

Jerry

[mr.whit]

Originally Posted by dtjoint

Hi,

We took delivery of our pearl white 2010 IV with solar roof option on Monday of last week. First in Southern Oregon if we heard correctly. My question is why the plastic wheel cover which hides an otherwise quite attractive 15" multi-spoke allow wheel?

In our first 200 miles we are averaging 49 mpg without doing anything special, just driving normally but at varying speeds during break in. Quite impressive for a brand new car. But, most impressive of all is the ride and drive quality. It is far quieter than the earlier generation Prius, seems far better sorted out, sits cleanly and firmly on the road and is actually quite peppy. Independent of the hybrid stuff this car would compete well with other four cylinder mid-sized sedans like the 1999 Subaru Outback it is replacing.

If any of you know why the silly hub cap or what difference it makes to run without it, please let me know. If there is no downside then this is the fastest and most cost effective customization move one could make as the car looks far better without the plastic covers. Thanks for the help.

Jerry

check this http://priuschat.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif

[mr.whit]

we talking about just the same thing under 15'' wheels with center caps

[Tideland Prius]

What's with the icon Mr. Whit?


The covers are for aerodynamic reasons. They're meant to cover up the spokes to reduce turbulence around the wheel area. In addition, a plastic cover is lighter than the alloy (even though the 15" are lightweight alloys already). I presume achieving the same design with all alloy material will add a bit more weight.

[hybridtwins]

Originally Posted by Tideland Prius

What's with the icon Mr. Whit?


The covers are for aerodynamic reasons. They're meant to cover up the spokes to reduce turbulence around the wheel area. In addition, a plastic cover is lighter than the alloy (even though the 15" are lightweight alloys already). I presume achieving the same design with all alloy material will add a bit more weight.

Is the reduction in turbulence for the purpose of reducing road noise, increasing FE, or both?

[Tideland Prius]

CE Otsuka didn't mention road noise but I figured if it's for aerodynamics, it could be for both since the less turbulence there is, the lower the noise and the better the car slips through the air so better FE.

[mirak]

The real reason is to encourage folks to buy the V with the 17s. Those 15s are some of the dorkiest wheels I've ever seen.

[yardman 49]

.

Originally Posted by mirak

The real reason is to encourage folks to buy the V with the 17s. Those 15s are some of the dorkiest wheels I've ever seen.

I wholeheartedly agree! (Wait a minute....I need a chance to get behind the couch before the new 2010 owners start throwing things at me..........ok, go ahead).

The 6 spoke 15" wheels with the ring covers on the G2s look a lot better than the G3 2010 five spoke 15" ones ( ), IMO.

In fact, since I've started using tire shine on the tires, and keeping the rims clean and bright, I actually like the look of the trim rings on the G2s. So I decided to leave mine on. In conjunction with the color-matched body-side molding, I think that they actually look very appropriate for the car. But when they get dirty, they don't look so great.


.

[joe1347]

Originally Posted by yardman 49

.


I wholeheartedly agree! (Wait a minute....I need a chance to get behind the couch before the new 2010 owners start throwing things at me..........ok, go ahead).

The 6 spoke 15" wheels with the ring covers on the G2s look a lot better than the G3 2010 five spoke 15" ones ( ), IMO.

In fact, since I've started using tire shine on the tires, and keeping the rims clean and bright, I actually like the look of the trim rings on the G2s. So I decided to leave mine on. In conjunction with the color-matched body-side molding, I think that they actually look very appropriate for the car. But when they get dirty, they don't look so great.


.

I don't think that anyone will throw any bricks at you for liking the new 15" wheel covers. Instead, I suspect that many will instead suggest that you seek medical help

[yardman 49]

Lol.....actually, Joel, I was agreeing with Mirak, who said that the new covers are "some of the dorkiest wheels" that he's ever seen! That's why I'm hiding behind the couch!