Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - How to attach pizza pan smooth wheel covers to my PIP? (Prius)

Jerry Liebler · 11-04-2014, 09:51 PM

The Plug in Prius standard wheels are 10 spoke cast alloy 15" with a snap in center cap. My driving is mostly on 55MPH hilly 2 lane roads with rather light traffic. I use the usual foam pipe insulation gill block and watch results on an Android tablet running Torque. After studying these forums I'll add some pizza pans to help improve fuel economy. Now the tough choice! How to attach the pizza pans? I see several options, which would you choose?

1. Single bolt centered in a center cap that is epoxied into the wheel + optional caulk around the perimeter of the pans.

2. Drill and tap 5 small (8/32) holes in the wheel spokes and use 5 pan head machine screws again with optional caulk.

In favor of 1 is the ability to restore to completely stock but against 1 is problems balancing wheels in the future. 2 Gives away the ability to economically restore to original stock condition and adds a negligible risk of structural compromise resulting in wheel failure. 2 Is more "work" to implement but probably results in a more reliable attachment. Which should I do?

11-04-2014, 09:51 PM	#1 (permalink)
Jerry Liebler EcoModding Lurker Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Science Hill Kentucky Posts: 16 LuvmyPIP - '13 Toyota Prius plug in base 90 day: 57.94 mpg (US) Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 2 Posts	How to attach pizza pan smooth wheel covers to my PIP? (Prius) The Plug in Prius standard wheels are 10 spoke cast alloy 15" with a snap in center cap. My driving is mostly on 55MPH hilly 2 lane roads with rather light traffic. I use the usual foam pipe insulation gill block and watch results on an Android tablet running Torque. After studying these forums I'll add some pizza pans to help improve fuel economy. Now the tough choice! How to attach the pizza pans? I see several options, which would you choose? 1. Single bolt centered in a center cap that is epoxied into the wheel + optional caulk around the perimeter of the pans. 2. Drill and tap 5 small (8/32) holes in the wheel spokes and use 5 pan head machine screws again with optional caulk. In favor of 1 is the ability to restore to completely stock but against 1 is problems balancing wheels in the future. 2 Gives away the ability to economically restore to original stock condition and adds a negligible risk of structural compromise resulting in wheel failure. 2 Is more "work" to implement but probably results in a more reliable attachment. Which should I do?