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11 Prius

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by 08redvette, Aug 22, 2011.

  1. 08redvette

    08redvette New Member

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    I have a 11 Prius 2 it has alloy rims and hub caps why is this
     
    #1 08redvette, Aug 22, 2011
  2. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    Welcome to Prius Chat and congratulations on your new purchase.

    The hub caps are for aerodynamics and mpg. A lot of us on here take off the outer plastic covers and add a cap to the center hole. I have not seen any appreciable impact to mpg.

    Toyota went to great lengths to lower coefficient of drag and increase mpg.
     
    #2 jdcollins5, Aug 22, 2011
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  3. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Yep. It was for aerodynamic purposes (the idea was that the air flowing past the wheel is smoother and doesn't interfere with the air coming out of the wheel well). It could also be for weight savings since plastic is still lighter than alloy (even though the wheels are lightweight alloys). Some of us have taken it off because we like the look of the twin-spoke alloys underneath, and like JD said above, added a centre cap to complete the look.
     
    #3 Tideland Prius, Aug 23, 2011
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  4. 08redvette

    08redvette New Member

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    that sounds good where do you get the center caps at and do they look thanks
     
    #4 08redvette, Aug 24, 2011
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  5. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    #5 F8L, Aug 25, 2011
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  6. edjnsd63

    edjnsd63 New Member

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    You can get a set of 4 from Ebay for about $10, shipping included from China, Chrome plated plastic caps with the Toyota Logo on them!
     
    #6 edjnsd63, Aug 25, 2011
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  7. Cyberous

    Cyberous Junior Member

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    That's the first thing I've noticed too and there are large debates on here about it. I just think its pretty neat so I'm keeping them hybrid hubcap/rim thingamagigies.
     
    #7 Cyberous, Aug 27, 2011
  8. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    On the 2nd gen, the plastic trim rings seemed to serve another purpose. When you have a flat and use the tie down straps, they seem to prevent the alloy wheels from getting scratched by the straps.
     
    #8 cwerdna, Aug 27, 2011
  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I got OEMs so I got them from the dealer (not cheap!). You can get them off ebay or warehouses that sell Toyota parts.
     
    #9 Tideland Prius, Aug 27, 2011
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