Has anyone upgraded to different sizes of 15" tires (205 x60 x15 or 215 x 55 x15 or 225 x 50x 15) without any interference with the wheel well or suspension components (tire rub)? Thanks for your time.
first, there is no 215/55-15 for sale (at tire rack) 205's are .3 inch smaller, and 225/50-15 are 1.3 inch smaller. I dont think they would be suitable for the prius.
I did not ask for specs on these tires I was asking the people on this forum if any of them had tried these size tires on their Prius's and if so did they have any clearance issues with body parts or suspension components. I did my research prior to posting MY question.
I have not yet tried different size tires, but I have studied the various sizes trying to decide what's best for handling, performance and MPG. The Prius is equipped from Toyota with two sizes: 195/65-15 These are 25" dia and 78.5" in circumference. 215/45-17 These are 24.6" dia and 77.3" in circumference (-1.4%). (Does anyone know why Toyota chose this slightly smaller tire?) I would assume that a tire that falls close to these would function, although you must also take into account the section width to insure it does not rub the front wheel well when turned full lock. There is also some variation between tire manufacturers. A 205/60-15 is .3" smaller than the OEM 195/65, but it is still .1" larger than the 215/45. A 215/60-15 is .2" larger than the OEM 195/65, but I would think it would work as many of the 17" wheel folks have switched to a 205/50-17 and it is also slightly larger (.1") than the 195/65-15. I'm sure their are other combinations that may work, but again you are in new territory and will need to do some calculations and then experiment with the size you decide on trying. Some tire stores will work with you. Discount Tire even has a "plus size" listing for custom wheels and tires, but these are usually 16"-18" wheels sizes. A side note: Most Prius speedometers read 1 mph slower than actual when compared to a GPS at 60mph (roughly 1%). Therefore, a tire that is 1% larger would help correct the speedometer error. Best of luck!
