Hubcaps

You know the car has rims underneath, pull it out

 

Yes, I removed my cheapo plastic wheel covers and run with the alloy rims that they covered. I purchased a set of 4 center hole caps on eBay for about $22.00 total (really stupid auction - caps cost $1.95, shipping was $20.00) auction was for 2010 prius center caps.
I really like the look.

 

I removed the hub caps and bought 4 - 1.5" electric box knock outs for about $2.00 each at Home Depot, then expanded the tabs to get the proper amount of tension to hold them in. Those have been working without trouble for about a year. They have not rusted, and I have not painted them since about 10' away from the car, they disappear (and the 1 1/2" stamping disappears as well.)

 

Here is what they look like with the plastic hub cab removed. No affect on MPG's that I can tell. This photo does not have the center cap, but available at Toyota for a bit more than what previous posters paid.

http://priuschat.com/forums/attachm...-official-2010-prius-owners-pics-dscn1953.jpg

 

I drove about 6 months before removing, and then compared my MPG's before and after. I didn't see any difference, so if there is a drop in MPG's due to increased drag, it's in the noise.

The only reason I can think for the plastic is that it does help to reduce the amount of road crud reaching the brakes...But maybe the marketing folks at Toyota thought that buyers would prefer the the style with the hub caps? do not know?

 

I have noticed that the plastic wheel covers are much easier to keep clean. With the alloy wheels there is a slight indentation about 1/2" from the outer lip of the rim. I think this is the point of contact for the plastic cover. It catches quite a bit of grime (all for wheels) and each time I wash my car it takes a little extra to clean this out.
I will live with the extra time to keep the wheels clean - I like the look.

 

They realized the Gen3 Model 2,4 and 4 wheels looked better than the Model 5 wheels so decided to fix that by hiding the 2,3 and 4 wheels with some cheesy plastic.

 

I'm doing this mod this weekend in combination with a 5k mile tire rotation. I found them at Lowes for less than half that: .97 cents/ea. I spent more on metallic spray paint! LOL

By "1 1/2 stamping" do you mean the actual numbers "1 1/2" are stamped into the exterior of the knock out? If so, the ones I found at Lowes don't have any.

FWIW

 

Anyone have pics to post of their modifications? The wheels/hub caps, IMHO, have been the least attractive part of the Prius.

 

Yep, that's exactly what I meant!
Went back to our local Lowes and they no longer have a spot for the 1 1/2 plugs. Sizes go up to 1 1/4.
I needed another set for an associate of mine (who truly hates the "cheesy plastic hub caps" on his soon-to-be-picked-up 2010 Prius IV).
After having no luck at Lowes, I went to Home Despot. They had a whole box of them, all embossed.
After some sanding, priming, color coating, clearing and baking:

 

Just finished mine today along with doing a 5K tire rotation. I used rustoleum's silver metallic spray paint mainly because I all ready had it on the shelf. It's not a match but it's in the ball park.

Before:



After removing the wheel covers and cleaning:



Electrical knock out caps painted and cleared (unpainted backside shown for comparison) :






And center caps installed:

 

Nice work and a pretty good match, fotomoto.

I'm still trying to find resin/acrylic medallions with the Toyota logo on them. Back in the day (here he goes again ) you used to be able to get them for all of the major auto makers. They were done by accessory companies like CP, Cal Custom, etc and cost about $5/set.
I guess they became too expensive to produce (due to licensing fees, no doubt).
I was able to locate a seller in Thailand on ioffer who had them, but haven't heard anything yet.
It's only been a few days, though.
Here's a look:

 

I just bought the Toyota Logo caps on Ebay for .01 and 19.95 shipping from China.
They fit great and look much better than the 1 1/2" knockout plugs from HD I had on previously.

 

I kind of like the idea of electric box knockouts being used on a hybrid! ;-)

 

Am I the only one having trouble removing the plastic wheel covers? I have my caps (Ace Hardware) painted and ready to go---but I cannot get a firm grip on the plastic covers. I know you just "yank and they come right off". Well on my 2011 Four there are no good "yanking" handholds.

 

Hi Hamil,

I've found that, getting fingers of one hand behind the cover (through the opening), then the other hand behind the next cover's opening, a sharp tug works.
I just took a set off a brand new (127 miles) 2011 Prius IV (4) using this method.
Note: brace yourself well (or have somebody stand behind you) when doing this as there's a chance you'll end up flat on your butt when the cover releases.

 

Found the secret. Just "yank" on one side of the cover. I was trying to pull both sides at the same time so as not to put too much force on the plastic.

 

There is also a little notch where a flathead screwdriver fits on the outside edge of the wheel cover. A flat head plus a gentle pull gets the wheel covers off easily.