Installed 15" MB Wheels "Viper" in an effort to maintain MPG

I'm surprised at you F8L! You could have squeezed out better MPGs from those 17s!

Seriously, I'm certain you would have been able to get better fuel economy than I get. For my first 60,000+, all on the stock Toyos, I did pretty well, even though I have a very short commute (good for low fuel use, bad for MPGs) and live in a tough climate for high FE. My last tank on the Toyos was 58.0 on the MFD and 55.0 calculated. I have been able to get a few 60+ tanks, but not many.

Fuel economy clearly has dropped with the new Primacy MXM4s. I don't yet have 100 miles on them, so I don't know how bad the drop will become. I'm also facing colder weather and brand new tires, so it will be difficult to figure which one is contributing more to the drop. I suppose next Spring is when I'll really know.

In the meantime, I like the look of your new wheels. Maybe not quite as much as the Lexus wheels, but pretty darn close.

Question: I know my Prius V (Model 5 these days) had a different steering column and rack build, but do you know whether there are also changes in the suspension? It feels much different than other Gen IIIs when driving, but I don't know if that is attributable only to the wheel/tire/steering combo or something more.

 

Yep! A very nice look. Maybe I do like them as much as the Lexus wheels . . .

 

The more I look back at things, the more I'm convinced my memory is correct: The V model has a different suspension and a different steering system.

Much has been made of the different and tighter steering (2.8 turns, lock-to-lock, vs 3.7 turns for the other models), but I had forgotten there also is a brushless motor for the electronic power steering for the Model V (Five).

When some people started checking up on the "rumors" of a different suspension for the Model V (supposedly started by a Car and Driver review), they found their local Toyota dealers' parts departments listed not only different shocks for the Model V, but also different springs. Here's a link to an older PriusChat thread on the topic.

I keep pretty good fuel purchase and use records. I've always seen seasonal changes with my lowest FE in the winter, next lowest in summer, and spring and fall sharing the best FE honors. (Cold temps, slushy roads, heater and heated seats are much tougher on FE than A/C!)

No doubt I'm going to take a hit on fuel economy, but I feel much safer on these tires. I pushed them a bit today during a wild thunderstorm (complete with tornado warnings). The rain was coming down so hard it was difficult to see, and there was plenty of water on the road surface, but the new tires made it feel like I was driving on dry surfaces in the middle of the summer. WOW!

 

You couldn't have been a better friend to me the way you've helped me thing through the purchase and consider what I was looking for in a tire. I want great FE (I have a PRIUS!!), but I'm looking for a better overall driving experience than I was getting with the Toyos, as well as a safer all-weather drive. I think you led me to the right choice. Thank you!!

 

Have you push the pressure back to the 40s yet?

 

Yes. For the past couple of days (and many miles), I've run at 43/41. I may bump it up just for grins for a while, but I'll be out of town for much of this coming week, so that will have to wait. Also, I've tended not to run at higher pressures during the winter, and if the cold arives early, I'll likely hold back on testing higher psi until later.

 

if you decide to sell the 15"s let me know

Nexus 7 ? 2

 

Dang F8L, I wanna be your wheel and tire dealer!

 

where are you from again?

Nexus 7 ? 2

 

Be careful, the ceiling sheetrock might come tumbling down.

 

How much do you want for the 15" Energy Saver A/S?