Scion TC wheels on a Prius

they look good. according to tire rack 215/45/17 is the closest match.

 

i prefer my 215/50/17... 45's were nice.. with the extra cushion, i'm less likely to bend a rim.

 

Yes they are... I've taken about a 4-6 MPG hit since having them installed. I have to drive extra efficiently just to limit myself to loss range. It takes too much effort to P&G and drains the traction battery way too quickly when I coast. I love the look but so torn about the MPG loss.
I've driven on them for about 3K miles, and I'm at the point of swapping them back to the original rims. I actually just finished loading the originals in the cargo area for the swap. However, I am thinking of having the rims powdercoated first... just can't decide on the color (really leaning towards bronze).

 

I'm only doing an average of 40-42mpg since I've had them on. Been driving on them for about 7k already.

 

I went from 44 MPG with the Scion TC rims on my '08 to 51 MPG with the stocks back on. It's a matter of choice but the car is designed for lighter rims for better acceleration and efficiency.

John

 

I like the look of the TC rims but I am glad I read the real World sitrep - I think I'll keep the bare 15" alloys with center caps.

 

I'm sure if I had a fat 300 lb friend sitting as passenger in my Prius, my mileage would decrease due to the extra weight and the effort from the ICE and traction battery needed to accelerate from a dead stop. In that instance, you can't attribute a decrease in mileage due to drag.

 

Your car is going to look like a Subaru (most STis used to have that paint scheme).

I went with ADVAN Neova AD08 tires on lighter wheels and I saw a 6mpg drop in mileage at 40psi. The tires make more of a difference in mpg while the wheel weights make more a difference in acceleration.

 

I like the blizzard white pearl with black rims. I initially wanted to buy the white prius, but they didn't have in stock what I wanted and I didn't feel like waiting so I just got the silver instead. I wanted either the silver or white, but seeing the black rims on the white prius makes me want the white color even more.

 

I am trying to decide on colors for wheels. I also have a bp and not sure if I like the black wheels. I think I might go with silver. Thoughts?

 

lol sorry...

 

I'm curious if any tire manufacture has a low rolling resistence tire that is comparable to stock 15s in the 17" size. Then there might not be a difference in MPG. Wheel/Tire weight should have minimal effect, for what you loose in initial start up you gain in inertia. They balance each other out. Perhaps use the same tires as the 17s that the Prius IV offers. Although the tire manufactures are fighting it, there may soon be another numeric value on the sides of the tire representing rolling resistence

I really like the look of the TC wheels on the Prius.

 

The MPG loss is still there if you use lightweight 17s and LRR rated tires. There is nothing special about the V and its 17s. The V was never tested for an EPA rating or else it would have tested lower than the standard 15" wheel models. If the owners of V model cars were to trade their 17s for 15s with LRR then their average MPG would go up. Same for the Lexus ct200h folks.

With the larger heavier tire you expend more energy to get it rolling and keep it rolling because inertia is not enough to overcome the much higher friction.