Tires size possible deal breaker on 2023 Prius?

No one ever got a ticket because his speedometer read too fast.

I like the idea that the stock 17" wheel and tire size are a bit modest. This should mean that a tire replacement in 215/60 should be close enough and give a little extra sidewall.

While it's true that suspension and wheel and tire size are all part of suspension calibration, whoever does that calibration for Toyota must live in a world of perfect roads.

I first drove a current generation Corolla in 2019 or 2020. It had 18" wheels that made the car sound and feel cheap with lots of road noise. I eventually bought one and put 15" prius wheels on it.

People complain about the reduced efficiency and higher frequency of sidewall damage with stock 19 wheels, but the most frequently experienced downside will be noise and a perceived harshness of the suspension on rough pavement.

 

Yep! I'm using 205/55R17 myself as i wanted to be 100% sure they would'nt rub and i needed studded tires to get out of my driveway but some customers are reusing their Camry's 215/55R17 successfully on their Gen 5 Primes.

 

I appreciate those sharing their experiences with 215/55R17 tires. My partner is getting a 2024 Prius LE, but she was worried about the availability of replacement 195/60 R17 tires if the need arises. We've heard there's been a lot of issues for buyers, with few options available and little stock of that strange size.

From what I've been reading here, if we were to replace the stock tires with 215/55 R17 tires, they should work on the 17x6.5 rims without causing any issues. They're a little wider, and I've seen buyers report slightly better handling, with slightly worse MPG, but the diameter and revs per mile are extremely close (~0.3%). It's not something we're looking into doing right away, but if one of the OEM 195/60's died, replacing them all at that time could make future replacements simpler if OEM is still hard to get hands on.

I'm a little concerned about clearance issues since they are wider, but people here don't seem to indicate any clearance issues. Would y'all say that's accurate? Any issues with using 215/55 R17 on the stock 17x6.5 rims on a 2024 LE? No rubbing?

I was also concerned about the recommended PSI since this isnt exactly the recommended tire, but using charts online, it looks like the recommended 35-36 psi from the OEM spec remains valid on a couple of the 215/55 R17 options I've checked.

Just wanted to check in to see if this is all correct. Anything else I need to worry about or do 215/55R17 tires "just work" on a 2024 LE with stock rims? I appreciate any feedback, I am far from an enthusiast!

 

I wasn't given a choice; my car came with 19" wheels. Oowee, premium wheels!
But I don't like them. they ride rough, which is hard on my back sometimes.
I really miss the smoother ride of my Gen 3.

 

Toyota Canada's 5th Gen Prius line-up is very sparse; other than the Plug-In, it's only 19 rims and AWD. With the Plug-In both 17" and 19" are available. All the 5th gen plug-ins I've seen here have 17", with the dorky-black wheel covers. Seem like the Plug-Ins are more prevalent too (compared to regular 5th gen), just a smattering though. Could be some of the plug-in sales are motivated by 17" rim preference?

 

Also, don't some of your markets have considerably greater subsidies for the PHEV?

The 17" wheel is what allowed my to buy a Prius. If I had to buy a Prius, which is already not a raging bargain, then spend a couple thousand dollars on wheels that would let me drive on roads as they actually exist here, then the price all in just wouldn't make any kind of sense.

 

A little real world feedback. My experience covers 17 years, 175K miles in a 2002 Prius, 180K in a 2010 Camry hybrid, almost 100K in a 2017 Prius Prime and 1 year (14K miles) in a 2024 Prius Prime XSE Premium ... 19 inch wheels.

I've enjoyed the 2024 model the most. It has handled near misses at freeway speeds. Last week I avoided a near collision while driving in the rain at 50 MPH. The scenario; there were cars on my left, right and ahead of me on a rainy super highway in San Diego. A 5th car (an SUV) tried to cut me off to allow him to reach an off-ramp that was quickly approaching. All of us dodged him in different ways. My car slowed the fastest and was easily able to change lanes to avoid the other cars.

The tires performed well. The suspension did it's job. Only the driver of the SUV failed to do his job.

 

Funny thing: 17" used to be the extravagant size.

 

I don't doubt the ability of the 19" wheel with low profile tires to grip.

For those of us in places where the pavement freezes, heaves and breaks every winter, the ability to drive over a moderate pothole without having a wheel bend or tire go flat is important. Toyota makes some wheel choices that don't make a lot of sense in some markets.

 

A quick question for you Winston... What would you describe as a "moderate pothole"? I don't see them very often in my area, so could you provide your dimensions for depth, width and the speed you are traveling when you encounter one?

Oddly, the highways in the area around Silicon Valley are fairly well maintained when it comes to potholes. A pothole encountered Monday morning is often patched before the next day's commute.

 

The long answer to a quick question:

I've never measured one, but I've surely driven over thousands. I drove through one on I-90 some years ago that bent a wheel (A 15 inch wheel downsized from a stock 16 inch wheel) and the passenger side axle of a VW Golf.

I'm not suggesting that the roads in the great lakes region are the only bad roads in the country, but ours get bad in a specific way. After a road is ground down and new asphalt applied, it's great...until the next winter. The freeze thaw cycle and snow plows take out small chunks. Holes can't be patched in 10 degree weather, but in the spring barrels go up and crews with hot asphalt pounds patches into the surface. With the next snowfall, lots of those patches are ripped out by plows. After a decade some streets will seem most composed of asphalt patches and holes.

How does this apply to little Toyotas? I test drove a Corolla in 2018m or 2019. It had low profile tires on 18" wheels. It felt like a very cheap car -- every little seam, hole and bump made a noise. I bought a Corolla with stock 16" tires and some more sidewall. It was better, but there was still a lot of road noise transmission into the car. I bought some Prius 15" wheels that barely fit over the front brakes with plenty of side wall and all those crashes and bangs turned into more muted thuds.

In this market, "wheel repair" is a common service and dealerships will try to sell you a wheel warranty. People who display other kinds of poor judgement (large, expensive aftermarket wheels, lowered cars, cars with odd lights or things hanging from the rearview mirror) will fit huge wheels and ultra low profile tires to cars in search of a specific aesthetic. Those people and people who buy some new Toyotas.

It isn't just the Prius. The Signia is a sort of crossover wagon; the top trim comes with 21 inch wheels even though the brakes are no larger than on the ones that come with 19 wheels. It's just an aesthetic that isn't a good fit for this market.

 

I cannot agree more. And it doesn't really matter what state you live it. Every state has gravel and dirt roads and I like to explore. Low profile wheels/tires are worse in every way: ride quality, reliability, off road capability, fuel efficiency and EV range. (Well, I guess if you take your car to the race track a lot, and don't care about efficiency and ride quality, low profile tires do corner a tiny bit better.)

The signia looks awesome as a practical vehicle. Except, two very major deal killers: no phev trim and, as you pointed out, ridiculous wheels on both trims. Give me at least a 60 series tire and a phev trim, and then take my money.

 

Sunken manhole covers are prolific here; rarely if ever remedied.

 

Plug ins are less expensive around here (Quebec) considering the Provincial and Federal rebates. Might change in 2025 though as some rebates will be less starting Jan. 1.

 

I remember my dad saying that his Reliant K would cost a lot to put new tires on as it had 14" tires...

 

This makes a world of difference. If you want to use a sports car for off road exploring you are very likely to be disappointed. It's like trying to use a cybertruck to cross a lake. It might work, but that's not what it's designed for nor what it's best at.

 

Agreed. Using a car with low profile, 50 series tires in all 4 seasons on real world american roads (with their potholes, sunken manholes, pavement gaps, buckled asphalt, weather damage, erosion, road debris, and so on) is a near certain recipe for wheel and tire problems.

 

Your previous post said that "it doesn't really matter what state you live it. Every state has gravel and dirt roads and I like to explore." That sort of contradicts your assertion that all states are the same. Gravel and unmaintained roads are not proper for driving a sport car.

In close to 1/2 million miles on California roads (sea shore beaches to mountain snow skiing resort / -20 degrees to 120 degrees) I've never had a manhole damage the car or tires.

 

Me neither. I guess you and I have lucked out in the manhole dept.

Sorry, I was not clear, I was not trying to say that all states are the same. I was more trying to say that every state that I have been to (most of them) have at least some bad roads. Some states have a lot of bad roads. And I too have driven a lot in Calif. And I have seen a good number of bad roads, potholes, and other pavement flaws there (and some nice roads too). So I do think that the tire set-up on the XLE/XSE and higher prius trims are a poor choice for regular roads in most any state, but that is just my opinion and, of course, YMMV. Clearly, toyota seems to be ok with them, but the numbers show that those wheels are worse for fuel consumption and ev range.

That said, I would call a supra or a corvette a sports car. But a prius? Not so much. A prius is a sedan, yes, that is for sure. And should one be able to take a sedan on an imperfect (or even gravel) road for a short distance if driven carefully? Yes. Would it be smart to do that with a ferrari? Probably not. But with a prius? Maybe I am crazy, but I think, yes, as it is just a regular car for all around use. Or so one would think.

 

Meh. 18 months and 18k miles on the 19" wheels while living in fairly rural North Dakota and I've personally had zero wheel or tire problems that were related to the roads or their condition. (I had to have the wheels rebalanced once, but that was because the tire shop did a crappy job remounting the summer tires back on the wheels.) I tend to avoid gravel roads if possible, but that's just because I hate rock chips in the paint(or dealing with a cracked windshield from a rock kicked up by a passing truck). I've never felt unsafe with my 19" wheels when I've had to use gravel roads.