plastic wheel covers- keep or remove?

i was worried the build up of brake dust would eventually damage the rim, along with scratches from the clips. i thought it looked sportier off as well

 

I'm now a true believer in the plastic pieces. I swung in too close to a curb for the first time (bad habit of mine) which usually results in alloy rim edges getting dinged up. I got out and saw that the plastic ring simply popped out of place at the place of impact without any marks at all. I just snapped it back in and it never happened!!!!

 

Thanks Jon for posting the pics. Now I realize I've seen it with the cover all along.

Eventually I would get new wheels for my Prius, if and when I get it.

When I find some time I'm going to photoshop these wheels onto the Prius and see how it looks.

 

I took mine off before they got damaged. Someday if I sell it I will cover the scratches on the wheels with the "new" wheel trims that are in my attic right now.

 

If you are going to remove the plastic trim rings on the wheels on the '04 Prius, the sooner you do it, the better. The alloy wheel is painted and the edge were the wheel hits the trim ring gets damaged by dirt and sand that gets wedged under the trim ring. Paint is missing in a couple of spots on the wheels on my car and it will only get worse with time. Either way, with the amount of crud build up on the wheels, the trim rings should be removed occasionally for cleaning and then re-installed (if desired)

 

That made no sense at all!!!!

 

Siai, i noticed too and took mine off first week. I guess i am a pretty good driver or just lucky. I have never curbed it in any of my past vehicles. I also get a static wheel balance, keeping the wheel weights on the inside only to minimize damage to outer rim

 

Ignorant Question: what's a "static wheel balance"?

One of my main concerns (when I get my Prius) is not to scrape the wheel rims against the curb when parallel parking.

I'm definitely planning on taking Bob Allen's advice and attaching round parking mirrors to the side mirrors, so I can see how close I am to the curb. However, any other recommendations (short of those spokes that very old people have attached to the wheels of their Lincoln Towncars ) would be of interest.

 

A static balance is when the tire and wheel assembly is balance as a non-moving, static object. This can still be done if the balance information is generated with a dynamic balance machine, it just depends on where you put the balance weights. Think of achieving static balance by setting the tire/wheel center on a round object, then adding weights around it until it stays perfectly level, as if it is levitating. The weights are then placed on only one side of the wheel, typically the inside to keep them from view and from damaging the wheel surface.

Dynamic balance is when the weights are placed by achieving the static balance, but then allowing a computerized machine (other manual methods can work also) to effectively divide the tire and wheel in half vertically and determine where the weights previously determined must be placed to also make the tire/wheel "levitate" vertically. This is the side-to-side balance. When rotating, the side heavier will tend to pull the tire sideways, causing a shake or shudder. You effectively get a non-uniform centripetal acceleration effect.

Static balances work fine for speeds up to about 60 mph. Many vehicles will begin to shake or shudder above 60 mph if they are not dynamically balanced, even if the static balance is good. This was very apparent when the highway speed limits were raised across the country. Many found their statically balanced tires to be unacceptable at 65, 70, or 75 mph.

 

Ah! Got it! Now I understand the reference to static wheel balance in iffster's post, and how it relates to parking.

Thanks for the clear and detailed explanation, mdacmeis!

 

Fortunately i haven't had any problems with vibration up to 80mph. Haven't had the need to fly any faster than that