Here you go guys. I was never able to find a photo of these 17" inches on the Gen-2 so I thought I'd share with you photos of my new shoes. =) After driving for 40-miles, it looks like economy has dropped a whopping 7-MPG from 50 to 43 mpg. Hopefully after the tires are broken in and settled the economy will increase. ENJOY!
Looks great indeed. Do the new wheels (including tires) have the same diameter as the old ones? You can simply determine that by comparing numbers on the sidewall of the old and new tires. In case the new wheels are bigger (which they seem to be), it would explain the MPG drop, since the measured distance (and speed) would be lower than real distance (and speed).
Rolling diameter is fairly identical. The loss of MPG most likely is related to increased rolling resistance due to the larger rubber contact onto the pavement. Also, the 17" wheels are significantly heavier than the light-weight 15" wheels. The added weight of the wheel makes the ICE/generator work harder to get things rolling. Hopefully after the tires are broken in the MPG will increase. If not, oh wellies! It's the price to pay for looks!
If the rolling diameter is the same, you are right and the MPG loss must be attributed to the factors you mention. Well, let us know whether it picks up again eventually .
Your car looks great! but I am surprised you would lose 7 MPG. Going up to 215/45-17 tires has been a fairly common upgrade for the Gen2, at least one region offered it as a dealer or region installed option when the Gen2 cars were being sold new. As I recall (from posts on this site) the decrease in mileage was more like 2 or 3 so maybe yours will get better? What tire pressure are you using?
Looks really nice. At first glance, I would think it is a genIII. Keep us posted on your mpg. I put 17s on my GenIII as soon as I got it. Drove straight to the tire store. Unfortunately, I don't have any data to compare my current mpg to. I have only gone through two tanks of gas, the one the dealer put in and one I put in. Both were exactly the same. 50mpg displayed and 47 calculated. I guess that is the price we pay to look good.
Have you noticed a huge difference in ride quality? I've been wanting to put some 17s on my Gen II as well, but one of the big advantages the Prius has over my previous sports cars is ride quality. I'd prefer to not take away from that as much as possible.
I like these wheels, they look good with that color!! Also like the GENII touring wheels!What brand of tires??$$$
It's a bit firmer with the 17s, but in no way harsh. I run tire pressures at 42/40. If you lowered it to the factory settings in the lower 30s range you would probably be able to get it to be not as firm/taut.
T he average mpg loss for those of us,who swapped from factory 15" to 17" wheels is about 6mpg. Because my 17so weigh the same as my 15s, I attribute my loss to increased friction due to increased contact patch and increased rolling resistance with a high performance tire. The car looks great!
Just in case anyone wants to see what they look like on the 2009 charcoal gray color ... I just bought this certified and had them swap out the 16 inch touring wheels for the 17's.
