Here's the deal on 2007 Touring Edition wheels

Just grab a 2007 Prius brochure. It shows the Touring Edition without the plastic hubcaps but with the center cap in place. I'm fairly certain the 2004-2006 center caps will fit that spot.

Mike
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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sho-Bud @ Oct 3 2006, 04:06 PM) [snapback]327535[/snapback]</div>

 

I like the look of the wheels without the plastic cover, but it must have a center cap. I just ordered my Touring yesterday and I had now idea about the plastic covers. The 2007 showroom brouchure is what sold me.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(narf @ Oct 2 2006, 10:37 AM) [snapback]326879[/snapback]</div>

Perhaps it's not so much about function as it is economy; I'd suspect that those slightly unfinished looking wheels with plastic covers would be less expensive to produce than if a one-piece wheel were painted and clearcoated in the usual manner.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(narf @ Oct 2 2006, 10:37 AM) [snapback]326879[/snapback]</div>

Too busy and too full of pizza and beer to work it out now, but I believe that even in the ideal case of all the mass located at the circumference, its only twice as bad as linear acceleration of the mass. Given the relative weight of the body and the wheels, I don't think this is significant. It is a minor consideration/fetish among bicycle racers due to the relatively heavier wheels and larger circumferences. But even there, modern sprinters use solid, heavier wheels because the aerodynamic advantage outweighs the rotating mass disadvantage.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Oct 2 2006, 09:23 PM) [snapback]327088[/snapback]</div>

Hi I'm new to the forum, just got my '06 T Spirit here in the UK (which has the 16in wheels like the US Touring edition).

Been looking for a while for a nearly new one at a sensible price


but back to the wheels... The guy at the Toyota dealer (who was the first really informed salesman I had met in six dealerships I have visited) said "do you know why the wheels have plastic covers? It is because they are magnesium alloy, and are easily scratched".

That would make sense, no doubt making them lighter than aluminium.


T

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sl7vk @ Oct 2 2006, 11:13 AM) [snapback]326865[/snapback]</div>

Do you think if we all threw our cheezy plastic rings (like frizbies) back onto the Toyota dealership, that they'd finally get the point? :^O

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Silverlode @ Oct 1 2006, 07:25 PM) [snapback]326594[/snapback]</div>

WHO WANTS PLASTIC HUB CAPS , That's what they look like to me !
The brochure doesn't say 16in alloy wheels with PLASTIC COVERS ? What a joke !
Now I'm debating if it worth getting a Touring or I change order to a standard
Prius ? especially since in the Northeast it is difficult to get a Touring w/ Nav that option only
available with the standard model

 

One nice benefit of the plastic covers is that they save the wheels from curb rash, at the expense of something failrly cheap and easy to replace.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Oct 8 2006, 05:59 PM) [snapback]329824[/snapback]</div>

Yeah, but those can be ripped off to expose a relatively nice looking rim. Point being, you're paying more for the 16" and if they look like crap, forget about it.....

Couldn't be happier with my 15's.....

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Silverlode @ Oct 10 2006, 12:01 AM) [snapback]330427[/snapback]</div>

No offense, I think they look ok with the plastic covers, but like hell without....

What is the difference in price between the base models of the two? So they can amortize the price of the touring with all sorts of features..... Not my bag.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(trevd01 @ Oct 8 2006, 05:33 AM) [snapback]329523[/snapback]</div>

THe Prius in my country also comes fitted with the touring wheel as standard. According to Toyota Japan website, it's aluminium alloy not magnesium. U sure that salesman got it rite?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GreenBeanMachine @ Oct 13 2006, 12:07 PM) [snapback]332331[/snapback]</div>

I remember my lab partner in high school taking a magnesium strip and lighting it on fire in the sink...it *really* burned!

I know the B-29 bomber from WWII had magnesium engine casings which were notoriously difficult to extinguish once alight...wouldn't magnesium wheels be somewhat of a safety hazard if you got a flat tire and the rim rubbed on the road...?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sl7vk @ Oct 9 2006, 11:18 PM) [snapback]330443[/snapback]</div>

Personal taste aside, I'm wondering if those full plastic covers might make it easier to keep the wheels looking nice...? I mean, if you scraped a curb or whatever, you could just replace the cover instead of having the damaged wheel repaired and repainted.

On the other hand, anything that isn't a part of the wheel might begin to come loose over time, as the retaining clips age.

The cool thing is, we have our choice.

 

Large chunks of magnesium are very difficult to light (pun intended). Once burning however, it is very difficult to extinguish. If you mix it with aluminum and light it the aluminum will start burning as well. Now THAT'S entertainment! Only thing we found that would put it out was sand. It would burn underwater! A chunk of magnesium got mixed in with aluminum we were melting to cast machine parts. I leave it to your imagination to visualize the workers and fire dept. running around trying to extinguish it!

So I'm going to throw a wrench into this discussion and state that I like the look of the 16" wheels without the covers. So there!

 

The only thing that strikes me as a little odd is how you can see the metal wheel peeking from behind the plastic cover (mostly near the center, where the spokes come together and are not completely hidden).

I do think that maybe Toyota should mention that there are plastic covers, though. Something like: "seven-spoke argent-trimmed aerodynamic slipcovers provide a unique styling statement, smooth airflow at highway speeds, and offer increased curb-damage protection for the unique alloy wheels fitted to the Touring Edition" ...or like that.

The 'hub cap' on that Euro Prius looks to me like a wheel bearing cap, all decked out with the Toyota logo and everything.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sl7vk @ Oct 10 2006, 12:18 AM) [snapback]330443[/snapback]</div>

What he said....

 

Hi. Long time lurker, first time poster. Anyway, here's some pics of the "Pistachio" aka "Silver Pine Mica" touring prius w/o the plastic covers.

My sales guy tells me there's some sort of new cover on the horizon; maybe he's just talking about the tiny axle cover mentioned above. If so, I'm stoked... I like the naked wheels -- if only there was a center piece.[attachmentid=5449][attachmentid=5450][attachmentid=5451][attachmentid=5452][attachmentid=5453]