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Stock V wheels on II - impressions

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by MJ225, Jun 5, 2010.

  1. MJ225

    MJ225 New Member

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    I made the swap after about 15,000 miles on 15s and thought I share some of my impressions.

    I went with 215/45 – 17 Yokohama AVID Envigor Tires. While the car looked a lot better, I was disturbed by how little rubber there is between the road and the wheel. Perhaps for the next set of tires I will consider 215/50.

    These wheels are heavier than I expected. On 15s I only drove on ECO. Trying to adjust to the stock 17s while driving on ECO all the time required some adjustment on how heavy my foot has to be on the pedal.

    Everything I read in these forums made me expect a rougher ride but I didn’t notice much of a difference. There is a difference but it's slight and I stopped noticing it after a day.

    Handling was the most significant change in feel. The car doesn’t lean and roll as hard into and out of turns.

    Noise/Comfort stayed the same. I was expecting more noise but it's probably is because the stock tires sucked.

    MPG took about a 4 MPG hit but I should be able to decrease that a bit once I adjust how I accelerate from stop.

    Hope this helps.
     
    #1 MJ225, Jun 5, 2010
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  2. damn_gas

    damn_gas New Member

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    Are the suspension bits the same between the II and the V or does the V have a little bit lowered springs? Any pics? If you don't mind me asking, where did you source your 17s and how much? Thanks!
     
    #2 damn_gas, Jun 5, 2010
  3. MJ225

    MJ225 New Member

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    My technical knowledge on cars is limited. But in doing my homework in the forums, the suspension is the same across all models.

    I will post pics if you would really like, but the exterior looks the same as any V would minus the LED, fog lights, and tires and the mods that I have already done.

    I procured my stock wheels from another fellow priuschatter. I kept an eye out in the For Sale section and got lucky. I can tell you that if you walk into the parts department at the dealership, they'll want around $325 - $365. I got mine about $212 per wheel. There are definitely cheaper and lighter after-market options to go with, but IMO, these really look the best for what I was going for.

    Hope this helps. Good luck.
     
    #3 MJ225, Jun 6, 2010
  4. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    Do the 215/45-17 Yokohama AVID Envigor tires have the rim protector found on all three OEM tires?

    I'd think 215/50 would look too fat and make the rims appear smaller.

    All the trims have the same European tuned suspension. The only difference is the brushless motor EPS that allows for a different steering ratio in the V.
     
    #4 32kcolors, Jun 6, 2010
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  5. MJ225

    MJ225 New Member

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    I asked the same question about the rim protectors when I was shopping for tires.

    http://www.yokohamatire.com/tires/avid_envigor.pdf

    This PDF describes something called the "Rim Protector Bar". Since my previous OEM Yokohama 15 AVID S33s had a rim protector, I would assume Yokohama would use similar technologies on all their tires.

    You are correct about the 215/50 looking fatter =(. That and it'll add more weight to an already cumbersome setup.
     
    #5 MJ225, Jun 6, 2010
  6. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    What is the weight on the OEM 17" alloys?
     
    #6 macmaster05, Jun 6, 2010
  7. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    Sounds like a scuff guard. See Tire Tech Information - Tire/Rim Protectors The 17" OEM tires have the raised rim protector. Whether or not it has a raised one is size-dependent within a model. Do you see a raised one on the 215/45 Yokos you got?
     
    #7 32kcolors, Jun 6, 2010
  8. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    24 lbs, but before you declare it too heavy keep in mind that lighter but less aerodynamic aftermarket rims will suffer the same or worse mpg. It's only a 1.5-1.8 mpg hit with the stock 17" rims.
     
    #8 32kcolors, Jun 6, 2010
  9. MJ225

    MJ225 New Member

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    Just looked and compared with those pictures at that link. It is not raised.
     
    #9 MJ225, Jun 6, 2010
  10. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    24lbs is heavy, so youre saying the aerodynamics offset the extra rotational mass? Hard to believe, but the price is also hard to beat. :)
     
    #10 macmaster05, Jun 6, 2010
  11. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    Well, I've asked a few aftermarket 17-18" wheel Prius owners why they get the same mpg hit as a stock V despite their much lighter wheels and at least one of them attributed it to the worse aerodynamics.
     
    #11 32kcolors, Jun 6, 2010
  12. mmichaell

    mmichaell Member

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    24 lbs, wow. A set of 4 Honda Civic HX alloy rims I had on my '99 Civic for a while were 14", fit 185 or 195/60r14, and weighted only 11.75 lbs each. I sold them very easily for $250. Got great mileage on them, around 30mpg %75 hwy %25 local, and I drove that car pretty hard.
     
    #12 mmichaell, Jun 8, 2010
  13. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    What if I forged my own lightweight alloys keeping the same exact design as the Prius V wheels. I would have a 14lb 17" wheel that gives me 25% INCREASED mileage. :D

    Now how the heck do I make a wheel....
     
    #13 macmaster05, Jun 8, 2010
  14. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    The biggest mileage hit is from the rolling resistance of the higher performance wider tires. People are over estimating the effects of the added weight on fuel use. At city speeds the aerodynamics will have very little effect. At higher speeds I'm sure that rear wheel fairings would have more of a contribution. At these speeds drag on a normal car accounts for 60% of energy needs (prius may be different), fairings might improve cd by 0.01 or 4% on the prius, leading to savings of 2.4%. Aerodynamic wheels will not get close to this savings.

    The extra unsprung weight is will slightly affect accelleration and braking performance, so I did go for lighter 17lb wheels, though they may be slightly less aerodynamic.

    btw: if you want a slightly larger sidewall the proper size on a prius is 205/50R17 which is about the same overall diameter as stock 15 inch wheels and slightly larger than the 215/45R17s.
     
    #14 austingreen, Jun 8, 2010
  15. rstark18

    rstark18 Member

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    Pics please.
     
    #15 rstark18, Jun 9, 2010
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