Tires size possible deal breaker on 2023 Prius?

The compound is very soft and you'll run them bald by mid summer. I had a brand new set of x-ice tires winter of 2019-2020. Couldn't get in anywhere to swap them until almost June due to covid but I was still driving 100 miles a day. By the time I got them switched my 2 rear tires were basically ruined and the fronts only had 1 more winter left in them. This was northern NY so similar to New England weather. This is why I made sure to buy a new set of rims for my snow tires when I bought my Prius Prime in 2021.

 

I put on a set of those just into October last fall, and we almost immediately set off on a road trip into the BC interior. Snow tires are mandated from October 1’st here, for the interior. Weather was sunny and quite warm, both going inland and returning to the coast.

Just took them off about a week back, with not a lot of mileage accumulated, maybe 2000 kms (we don’t normally drive a lot): tread-depth was still at 10/32”, which I suspect is the new depth, judging from the barely worn pattern on the face (not the sipes, a ribbed texture).

In 195/65R15 (it’s a Gen 3) they roll easier than the 215/45R17 Michelin Primacy MXM4 on heavier 17” stock rims, actually deliver better mpg.

 

Right. But CrossClimate2 is not available in 195/50R19, so did you downsize rims for your XSE to get that tire?

 

Bad idea. The rubber compound in the tire is meant for temps about 40F and below. As the temps rise, two bad things happen. First, the rubber compound becomes softer so the tire begins to lose stability. It won't collapse or anything catastrophic like that, but handling performance will degrade as it becomes a little wobbly. Secondly, the tire will become stickier as the temps warm. That means more tire residue will tear off the tire and remain on the road, greatly increasing wear.

As of right now, the only acceptable and available* summer/all season tires in the stock size(19") are the Michelin Primacy and the Toyo Extensa(talking USA here). We can only hope that will change as more gen5 Priuses hit the road and tire makers start viewing them as a viable market. If I had to guess, I'd say around early 2026(three full years after the first gen5s hit the market and start needing their first full sets of replacement tires in large numbers**). Hope I'm wrong and it's earlier, but...



*they're often on back order, but you can at least order them in the US unlike the Bridgestone Ecopia and Yokohama BluEarth.
**high milage drivers will need tires earlier, but that small market can be satisfied with existing Primacy and Extensa production

 

Here is a link to a screenshot comparing Extensa A/S II, X-Ice Snow and CrossClimate2 from consumer reports to put some numbers and ratings to what is being discussed. Available sizes listed too for each tire.

 

I switched to 17" wheels a couple months after buying my Prime. I still have the wheels in the garage as I can't decide if I want to keep them or try to sell them. I went with 215/55R17 It's close enough in diameter to the original. The ride is a little less harsh and I'm not as worried about getting flats as much.

 

Did you get the Toyota 17 inch wheels or did you get aftermarket alloy ones. If it was the latter what width did you buy? Standard wheels are 6 inch but with the tyres you chose did you go for 6.5 inch?

 

The standard wheels are 6.5". (And I didn't actually find any third-party wheels that narrow on the market for 17"+ diameter - I imagine most people here not using Toyota wheels will be on at least 7".)

 

My mistake. You are correct. The standard 17 inch wheels are 6.5 inches wide.

 

Which literally is perfectly acceptable, rims width is not important outside fringe use cases on the normal tire sizes available in 17”

 

Hello,
I'm AL, and just got a beautiful LTD model 2024. So far I love the car. this is my 1st Prius ever. I was wondering and I have been trying to research around, to see if there are possibility to put different tires size keeping the 19'' but wider. Cannot find any 19 '' for this car ( had the same issue with my I3 Sport and only BMW could order it. Also I thought that the car would be a little bit stiffer on the away but there is allot of rolling. Looking to get little bit stiffer suspension from Japan. so far here there is nothing for the new Prius. Anyway just some thoughts

 

Anyone tried 215/55R17 yet? If so, what’s the impact on fuel economy?

 

That's what I'm driving on now. So far can't tell any noticeable difference. We'll see over the long run but I'm actually expecting slightly less since the tire is wider.

 

Nice, I hate these Toyo 195s. Planning to switch to 215 Pilot Sport All Season tires.

 

It's definitely frustrating to feel like you might get stuck in a tough spot without spare options or easy replacements.

I did a bit of digging myself, and you're right—it does seem like those sizes are pretty scarce out there. It's a bummer that many popular tire outlets don't even list them.

While it's a bit of a puzzle, I'm optimistic that there's a solution out there. Maybe some smaller, specialized shops might carry them, or there could be online retailers who stock those sizes. It might take some hunting, but hopefully, we can track down some options together.

If anyone else has any insights or has spotted these elusive tires somewhere, it would be awesome to hear about it! Let's keep our fingers crossed for some leads.

 

I stopped to chat with a woman who was driving a 2023 Prius. I asked her how it’s been going. She’s an Uber driver and loves it! Has had two blow outs with the Michelin OEM tires so she switched to Michelin X ice and/ or snow…whatever they are called. She insisted they are all season but obviously they are not per the website and discussion above. She and her husband own some sort of driving company with 15 cars that are all some type of Prius from different generations. She hasn’t had much trouble with people getting in and out of her back seat except for the one 6’ 5” passenger. : )

I read reviews on the OEM Michelin tires and they are awful. Blow outs on Rav 4s etc. and early replacement due to premature wear. Does a Rav 4 get low profile OEM tires? Seems strange. From the look of things the Michelin X winter tire might be the way to go for an emergency replacement during the winter months.

Michelin needs to get their act together!

She also said she has not received a notice about the recall. She even went to her dealership to ask. They looked up her vin # and said her Prius is not on the recall list. I thought it was all 2023 and 2024.

 

A rant. I find this whole tire issue frustrating and makes no sense. Toyota does a great job with Prius Prime 2023 redesign, but puts a tire on it that is difficult to find and more prone to flats. And, no spare. Car gets new car of the year awards, but this issue really stinks.

For now, I am just living on the edge, hoping not to get a flat. Long term, I will need to decide whether that is what I do, or, get the 17" rims/tires, or carry a spare behind my passenger seat (I rarely use the back seat,, use the trunk, for my dog, every day).

 

I think the 19 inch wheels were a nod to style - not performance - as that would require major suspension tightening. So, why have them? They are a net negative. This is one of the reasons I got the Prime SE. I got factory dimension 17 inch Michelin X-Ice snow and got the dealer to install and balance on the original wheels as part of the initial set-up. I ordered 17 inch alloys and gave the original 17" Toyo all-season tires a try. Awful! So, I got the Vredesteins for summer, and bought an 80 buck steel wheel at Discount Tire to mount one of the OEM Toyos as a spare. A 20 dollar scissors jack from Harbor Freight, spanner wrench, and I feel ready for road trips now.

I honestly think the 19 inch wheels were a huge mistake by Toyota. Not sure what we'll do with the wife's 23 XLE AWD. Already got 17 inch alloys and Blizzaks for the winter. Guess when the Toyos give up, will have to order more 17 alloys and decent summer tires for that car too. What a waste!

BTW, if you run your X-Ice much above 50 degrees ambient, expect rapid tire wear. They are soft for a reason.

 

just add 19 inch wheels to the list

 

The tires installed at the factory aren't the same as the ones you get from a tire store. Generally, the car company gets a modified version that does better on required testing. Then what the car company specifies for tire pressure may not be the best for the tire. Gen2 OEM tires were seeing excessive wear on the edges when set to the pressure Toyota called for.

Low profiles are for style, but the narrow tire is for efficiency.

The Prius design has always been aimed more at the home market. The gen5 isn't the first car using these tire sizes there.