I followed the advice of other pc members and bought the motegi sp-10 rims(17lbs) from tire rack. I added continental extreme contact DWS 205/50R17 (20lb) at discount tires. They moved the tpms sensors from the other tires. There are 825 revs per mile on these which is very close to the 829 of the stock Yokohamas that came with the car. The tires really give the car much better traction and stopping especially in the rain. The noise is about the same as the stock tires. The ride is a little more bumpy, but still comfortable. I'm sure the extra traction comes at the expesnse of higher rolling resistance, but for me it is worth the trade in mileage. I have the tires at 40 psi, but will be playing with the pressure. Any advice here will be helpful. I'll be adding fog lights (likely the Yaris kit with prius lenses), and a new head unit and speakers.
So bumpier = better ride? It looks good! I agree that that stopping power, cornering ability, and steering response is much improved with 17" wheels/tires. That darn MPG hit still bugs me though.
lol. That is one of the down sides. It does have a connected ride on smooth highway and roads which I like. The bumpiness is mainly over construction, but I'm sure I'll feel it on rutted dirt roads. I used less than a tank of gas on the 15s, so I won't know how much of a hit I'm really taking. I hope its 3 or less.
Thanks Spiderman, I wouldn't normally buy a red car, but the color looked right on the prius. I am going to try to follow your directions on the fog lamps. Good luck on the audio installation. Brian, thank you for helping me pick out the wheels and tires. I think we did better than the oem 17s. I'm glad you only took a 2mpg hit.
i have to agree that the prius handles better on largers wheels. after i installed my 18's that handling was like night and day. the stiffer side walls makes turns a breeze. with the 15's it always felt like the car would tip over. but i did take a hit on my mpg, its a fair trade off because now my car looks sooooooo much better
Just took my first trip on my 17's and noticed a reduction in mpg's but it is also about 20 degrees cooler than it was on my last trip on the 15's. Handling is much improved and the car sits pretty on the larger wheels.
