Sportier wheel for a Prius V ?

I'm a fan of Five Axis rims, S6-F shown, especially gunmetal on white Prius. Chrome is too blingy for me.

 

Volk Eco-Drive are about as light as you can get. The forged versions are expensive but extremely light and strong, in 17x7 they should be around 15lbs each, stock is 24lbs. The cast versions are not as light at around 20lbs, but less expensive.

The finish isn't chrome but it's close. Chroming the wheels will make them even heavier than the heavy stock wheels.

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I have heard that the OEM 17" rims, while a bit heavier (22 lbs i heard) than the forged rims, are designed specifically to be aerodynamic. So, if true, then putting on a lighter rim may not be any better from the fuel economy side. True or false??

Anyway, i actually love the OEM rims, but then again i am bias.

 

Actually, I have a III with the 15" covers removed and have noticed no drop in mileage. The 15s are definitely "not" aerodynamic and I seem to be getting better mileage than a lot of people on this forum.
Maybe it's because I started with a muscle car in the sixties and now at 61 y.o. I don't need the drive aggressively anymore. I too love the 17" but think you have to take a mileage hit for weight and tire width. I'm considering some 16s in a year or so.

 

That's the hypothesis based on the worse mpg hit that people with lighter but less aerodynamic 17"-19" rims seem to get compared to OEM 17", but we don't know until someone conducts a scientific test on it.

 

Wedssport makes very aerodynamic rims and have been proven to get better mpgs here on the forums

 

The aerodynamic drag of a wheel isn't a frontal surface, it's just dirty air passing along the side of the car. So it's unlikely you would even be able to measure the difference.

The width of the tire is a much bigger factor because it increases rolling resistance and aerodynamic resistance.

The weight of the wheel will not make a huge difference for normal applications like a family commuter car. Rotational mass is more detrimental than static mass, so a lighter wheel does make the car accelerate/brake slightly easier. Saving 5lbs on a wheel is more beneficial than saving 5lbs out of the chassis.

 

Maybe. A poster upgraded from stock 17" to less aerodynamic aftermarket 17x7s that were 4lbs lighter than factory 17" and saw no improvement in mileage. Another poster with lighter 18x8s with multiple, narrower open spoke design suffered a 3 mpg hit.

Then there's a group here who swear the 15" wheel covers make a difference at freeway speed.

Would be nice to do some scientific tests.

 

The 18x8 is an inch wider so it will have more aero drag. And the tires were probably wider as well, causing more rolling resistance. Those conditions will undoubteldy contribute to lower fuel economy.

But aero drag on the face of the wheel isn't a big factor until you get to very high speeds.

 

Probably doubtful any organization would put that much effort into this. But, if one had access to a precise fuel meter and a few m-80's with long fuses, they could run the car on a level surface at 65 mph then blow off the hubcaps and see if the instantaneous mileage changes. :boom:

 

Yes, but it didn't cancel out the reduced unsprung weight which is also a big factor. It also doesn't explain why the mpg didn't improve upon upgrading to lighter but less aerodynamic rims in the stock size.

Aero drag on the side of the wheel likely also becomes a bigger factor at freeway speed, but someone has to do some testing to confirm.

Very funny. All you need to do is do some runs with wheel covers on and some off (which serves as a control).

 

Now just to give you an idea. I had the Enkei EKM3's in a 17x7 on my car for about 7 mos. and I didn't lose anything in the way of MPG's. The factory 17's are about 24lbs. The Enkei's are 20lbs. each. Now my new wheels which weigh only 20lbs. as well are Wedssport 19x8's and I knew I'd take a hit but wasn't overly concerned. It's all about the look and stance and either way it's still way above what I would have ever have gotten in my old car. I lost 5-6MPG's. For those that were interested before and maybe new people in the So. Cal area, I have finally decided to put the Enkei's up for sale. Hit me up if interested. Will be posting them in the for sale section probably by tomorrow.

 

I've never experienced a big hit to my MPG since replacing my 15" OEM wheels/tires with 17" wheels/tires. Maybe 1 MPG at most but nothing like what people have described on these forums. And I've installed the same 17" aftermarket wheels on 2 different Priuses. In fact, my MPG dropped more when I changed out the tires on my 2007 Prius for all-seasons with good snow tread.

 

Did you go with 215/45/17 tires?

 

Yes.

 

I switched from the stock 15"s to 17x7 wheels with non-LRR tires and took a 5mpg hit. Seems to make a small difference but if you already hypermile, it doesn't seem to be much difference.