My Prius v came with door edge guards installed on all 4 doors. Certainly helps to reduce dings to neighboring cars (which can happen a lot given my circumstances). Does anyone know if this is standard on all Prius vs? Since the edge guards stick out from the side of the car, has anyone done any research on what impact the edge guards have on the car's drag and fuel efficiency? I would have expected it to increase drag, but one site I read said that the edge guards may actually create a "golf ball effect" which actually reduces drag. Thoughts?
Probably minimal. The gap that between the door and pillars are likely to cause more cavitation in the air flow.
Perhaps insignificant at the cruising speed around 70 or so. Look like the size of the other car spoilers with that much surface area to produce any effect.
I'd guess the effect is near zero for any practical purposes. It's an extra cost option on Prius, kind of like the Fargo sealant. I got my dealer to throw in the door edge guards and rear bumper applique as part of my deal. They put the clear 3M film door edge guards on as part of the package. Nice touch. If the don't like the look or the "drag" of the one's you have you could switch to the 3M film type.
