Best Wheel Size

The only thing I will say is this. You may end up costing yourself a lot of money and losing MPG in the end.

Take a look at this string.

Huge loss in fuel economy with wheels | PriusChat

Good luck to you and "Welcome" to Prius Chat.

Ron

 

I wasn't happy with the look and handling of the stock 15in rims and tires on my 06 gen 2 either, so I got 16x7 alloy rims and paired them with 215/60/16 Yokohama Tires (not LRR). I can still get up to 60mpg on long trips if I hypermile and the car handles and looks much better in my opinion. There are huge potholes on some roads in my country as well...so the additional inch or so of ground clearance is a big plus for me. Note, however that I did experience some slight grazing between the front tires and the the plastic lining of the wheel well if I hit a bump or dip in the road at high speeds...I solved that problem by installing rubber dampers between the front spring coils to limit the spring compression a bit. If 205/55/16 or 205/60/16 tires are used, the grazing shouldn't be an issue. I think the key to minimizing the impact on fuel efficiency is to get the lightest alloy rims you can find that you like. I'll post a pic of my ride if you'd like to see how it looks. I initially intended to go with 205/60/16 but opted for 215/60/16 for the bit of extra ground clearance.

 

Check this thread out for some good info on rim and wheel weights:

What is the weight of our stock 15" rims? | PriusChat

Looks like the stock 15in rim weighs 14.2lbs and the stock 16in on Touring models weigh 15.2lbs. I found it interesting that that the guy who upgraded from stock 15in wheels that weigh 32lbs to 17in wheels that weigh 42lbs only took a 0.7mpg hit IF the car is driven conservatively. If you drive aggressively on a regular basis or at high speeds for prolonged periods you will take a bigger hit.

Generally, people are advised to try to maintain the overall wheel diameter when upgrading to larger rims (meaning thinner tires). The argument is that it will affect the accuracy of the speedometer and affect traction control. I checked my speed with GPS and compared it with the speedometer and it's spot on even though my overall wheel diameter is 26in vs about 24.5in for stock....maybe my car's speedometer has an issue...has anyone else done this test after upscaling wheel size? I don't experience any unusual traction control behavior either.

I personally prefer the bigger wheels. Even though they are heavier than stock and require more energy to turn...they cover more distance per rotation and this compensates to some extent for the additional energy used. A stock wheel covers 76.8 inches of road per rotation, my 215/60/16 wheels covers 82.2 in per rotation...that may not mean a lot for a short trip to the grocery store but drive a couple hundred miles and those extra inches add up. It all comes down to personal preference...I'm not saying big is THE way to go but it certainly works if you need the extra ground clearance and don't mind sacrificing a few mpgs here and there. As I said before, If I pulse and glide on long trips I get 6o mpg easily.

Here is a pic of my car with 16x7 in League alloy rims and 215/60/16 Yokohama Geolander tires (these are typically used on Camrys I think).

 

I agree with Riaz as I have recently put Toyota 'Will' mags on my 2004 Gen2.
Previously the speedo was way out but now with 215/60x16's Kumho Ecowing KH30 it is almost exact when checked with a good GPS.

Similar problem with it touching under the guards, would be interested to know more about the rubber dampers in the springs to limit travel.

Cheers

 

Nice rims! I am thinking of upgrading my tires on the stock 16' touring rims to 215/60/16. Do the wider track means it rubs the fenders during full lock cornering or only during big putholes? I am only interested in larger tyres because the speedo is off by 6 km/h.

 

It won't rub during full lock turning but they will hit the front fender plastic liners and bruise them if you hit bumps or dips at high speeds. Also the the back tires will scrape the sharp edge of the back fender under heavy load and high speeds. The car is still drivable under normal circumstances but these things can be annoying and causes you to exercise more caution when driving. I plan to change to 205/60/16 when these tires are done...that should be perfect.

HTC One_M8 ?

 

The speedometer is intentionally 2 mph faster than the real speed. So, larger diameter tires would low down the revolutions and possibly make the car's real speed match the speedometer.

 

Yes, unless you put on the size tire the car was designed for, Toyota obviously in their money saving ways uses the least expensive option, always.

Shocks----junk
Springs----junk

 

Maybe yes, maybe no. the Touring model 215/45R17's that came with our 2010 have slightly smaller outside diameter than stock 195/65R15.

Personally I don't care about the speedo, can live with the (legislated) slight exaggeration. I'm more concerned to keep the odometer accurate.

 

Changing from stock 195/65/15 to 215/60/16 gives a 1.2 inch increase in diameter so the increase in height would be 0.6 inch since half will be above the axle. It also causes a 4.7% change in speedometer reading so when the speedo reads 60.0 the actual speed would be 62.8, subject to whatever error the system started with. A 215/55/16 would be very close to the overall size of the 15's, only a 1.3% difference giving 60.0/60.8 readings.