I have only had my new Prius for about a week now, but I am already looking forward to the time when the OEM tires need replaced, mostly because I do not like the wheel covers the car came with. But since this is my first hybrid experience, I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to proceed when looking to upgrade the rims. Does the Prius require any special type of rim because of the regenerative braking? I'm a total nube here, and I don't want to risk jacking up what has already just in this short week become my favorite car I've ever owned. I really thought buying/owning a Prius would entail making many more compromises than I have had to. This is a great car. Wish I had bought the 3rd gen when it first hit the market, then I would have it almost paid off by now.
Welcome! It seems that most folks who opt for larger diameter wheels experience a drop in MPG. I mounted winter tires on the factory wheels (with no wheel covers) and found a set of lightweight 15" wheels for summer use with my factory tires. I don't have the BLING factor, but that's OK by me.
Here's a link to a helpful thread that I used to research wheel/tire combos. If you search the forum or google Prius wheels, you should come across a ton of info. There are a lot of discussions regarding wheel size and width as well as tires and how they all affect mpg. Good luck! Gen III aftermarket wheel thread...post your pictures | PriusChat
Not so. You have to use a wheel with an offset of 38mm-48mm or you risk the wheel not fitting (or looking terrible) without modifications.
You can always get the Plus wheels (17"), made by Toyota.. The MPG hit should be very minimal on those..
^ What do those weigh? I don't think 17" Toyota rims would have less impact on mpg than others. FWIW, my touring edition comes with 17" OEM Toyota rims (5 spoke, different than above) and Michelin Pilot 215/45R15 tires, per the US "V" or "5" model. The whole assembly weighs around 45 lbs, with the rims making up around 22~23 of that.
Not sure what the weigh is, but I'm sure a Google search can tell you.. Then again, I heard it's not all about weight when it comes to MPGs.. With your 17" rims, what is your MPG rating?
Thanks for the help guys, I saw some rims that I think look really good. I should still have a year or so before I have to make a decision. Still loving the car though. Most fun I've ever had in a Toyota.
I said the same thing about upgrading when the tires wear out but i got impatient. I have been rolling on a set of tC wheels with non LRR tires and my mpg has gone from 50 to 44-47...with the Tein Springs, worth it for increased cornering and less sway in crosswinds. Driving to Arizona Saturday so I'll update how she does. Also, the MPG hit seems to attributed more to tire choice than wheels to a point. I tried some OEM Prius 5 wheels and got 50mpg on the same road my tC wheels with Sunny tires get 45. Specs on these are 215/45ZR17 Extra Load with a 280 AA rating. Aggressive tread design, seems more of a summer HP tire.
