Prius Aero Mods...

[Handsome Jack]

I have started making a few small modifications to my prius as I want to get on the hybrid top ten list I bought 4 pizza pans from dollar general and drilled some holes to attach them to the plastic trim ring that snaps in around the perimeter of the rims. I made plastic spacers and attached them with stainless steel screws and locknuts. I put on a 3" stubby radio antenna and removed the rear windshield wiper. I also deleted the passenger side view mirrow. I used the old mirror frame but cut the arm off and filled the void with tinted black epoxy bedding compound. I sanded it smooth and spray painted it black.

[Phase]

you try and before and after tests for fuel economy?

[ME_Andy]

The mirror delete looks great!

[Blacktree]

Can you provide some more info about the pizza pan install? For example, the size of the screws and the plastic spacers?

[Handsome Jack]

So to answer your question about more details on the pizza pan moon covers. They are the dollar general 16" pizza pans. I used #10 stainless steel machine screws from home depot with SS washers and locknuts. The machine screws are 1" long (and you don't want them any longer or else they get in the way of the rim). The spacers are made from gray plastic cut to fit water faucet supply line from home depot, (I had extra laying around). I cut spacers out of the supply line down to 5/8" long. The six holes were drilled on the trim ring in the center of the flat points on the plastic ring. See picture. All the little modifications seem to have improved things on this last tank average, it ran over 56 mpg mostly highway driving.

[Blacktree]

Thanks for the info. I have some pizza pans, and was thinking how to securely install them on my Prius.

[Talos Woten]

Howdy all!

I did something similar with my hubcaps, and they worked great. Unfortunately, I lost two of them because of user error in shops. This is what happened. One of the wheels has a small rectangular box on it that causes the hubcap not to mate properly. (I think it's related to the Tire Pressure Module but I'm not sure.) I notched one of the hubcaps and labeled them to match the tire rims. But two shops ignored that and just slapped on the hubcaps randomly. Twice caps without notches were put on the wheel with the box, and they flew off after a hundred miles or so.

I'm about to make a new set and am going to do things slightly differently. This time around, I'm going to drill six 1 3/8" holes through the pan, (5) for the lugnuts, and (1) for the air nub. That means the wheel can be serviced without ever taking the hubcap off, and I'm going to write DO NOT REMOVE HUBCAP on it. That's faster maintenance and should ensure the caps stay matched to the rims. It also provides some minor airflow to aid in brake cooling, as well as dust and debris removal.

This is just one of several examples where I've had to tweak a mod in order to make it easier to service. I've been writing service instructions in Sharpie black right on the mods now, so that it is less likely mechanics will mess things up.

[Blacktree]

I'll just remove the hubcaps myself before driving to the tire shop. And reinstall them myself afterward.

[Handsome Jack]

Blacktree, I just checked out some of your youtube videos about your Prius. Very nice. I'm going to do the foam pipe insulation upper grill block that you did on my Prius tomorrow

[freebeard]

I started doing that after I watched a technician seat a Baby Moon hubcap by tapping it in the [off-]center with his lead weight pliers.