Aftermarket Wheels: Tires & Lug Nuts

Hi all. I'm picking up my 2014 Prius tomorrow and am jumping on the hybrid bandwagon. I'm very pleased with the package, but I must admit that the wheels are ugly. So I went ahead and ordered MOMO Raptor 17 x 7.5 wheels...

RAPTOR

MOMO's website states "5-hole run flat", which I presume means that compatible lug nuts must be flange / flat / mag. Will the OEM lug nuts work? I'm considering getting blue lug nuts or blue tip lug nuts (to compliment the blue in the Toyota emblems), but have only come across blue acorn seating lug nuts online. If anyone knows of blue lug nuts with the proper seating, I'd really appreciate a hyperlink...

Regarding the tire size, the majority size that I've come across from reading the threads is 215 / 45 / 17. So I too am going with this size. Now here's the thing - I used this calculator (http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTireMath.do) and found out that going from the OEM size of 195 / 65 / 15 to 215 / 45 / 17 affects the speedometer. 65 MPH will display as 64.06 MPH. But doesn't Toyota have the Plus package with the 17" alloy wheels? So, would the Prius already be equipped with differentiating the tire sizes?

On a side note, I've read mixed reviews on several forums about the impact on MPG. I don't even know what my MPG will be based on my driving, but will this wheel modification significantly impact MPG? (After all, I did buy the Prius for its MPG, but am willing to sacrifice a bit for some hot wheels.) The MOMOs are approximately 24 lbs. each. I understand that the Plus package 17" alloy wheels are approximately 20 lbs.?

Anyway, thanks for your time; looking forward to all of your feedback...

 

Hi KennyGS - it's Winter Gray. This is my first hybrid, so it's going to take a while for me to get the hang of it. (I just returned a leased car: Infiniti G37x Coupe.) For instance, when getting onto the highway, I'm so used to merging in immediately and keeping up with traffic (with 336 HP at the tap of my foot). It took me about two weeks to merge onto the highway today with the Prius...! I kept it in EVO Mode during the attempt...

But the interior is sharp - I really like the comfort and convenience of everything. I drove 20 miles from the dealership to my home, and during shut down, the car summarized that I spent 0 $$$ on gas. Not sure if that is literal, or an average...

I will post pics as soon as I get them on. If only someone can help me with my lug nut dilemma...! So I know that the lug nuts for the Prius are 12mm x 1.50. I called MOMO, and they said that I will need 60 degree conical lug nuts. Now my only dilemma is the length of the lug nuts. I don't know which length to get - I'm worried that if I go too short, then it won't secure the wheel. And if I go too long, then they might stick out of the wheel too much, which is not what I want...

I definitely want short lug nuts - just down know what the minimum length should be...

 

I kind of like these lug nuts, but am concerned about the paint chipping:

Set 20 12x1 5 Blue Spline Lug Conical Tuner Nuts Lock Key Honda Accord Civic JDM | eBay

I'm thinking about just going with blue tips, rather than fully colored lug nuts. And these got some good reviews. (Temporarily out of stock though.)

 

So I've decided to go all Italian with my wheels. I've got MOMO Wheels, and I'm going with Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus tires (215/45/17). They've gotten good reviews and have a low rolling resistance which saves MPG apparently...

I can get the tires extremely cheap online, and have them installed by a local tire shop / gas station. The thing is, the local tire shop really doesn't know much about swapping out the TPMS and adding Hubcentric Rings (if required). I could tell when the guy looked at me funny after hearing about them...

If I go to a legitimate tire shop, it'll cost me $200 more, because I've got to get the tires from them. But they know about the TPMS and Hubcentric rings. But the guy was mentioning something about having to change out the TPMS because they don't work most of the times. I think that that is BS, because I've read many forums where people have said that they've swapped out the TPMS with some simple o-ring changes (at Costco for roughly $1.00)...

Did anyone have to use Hubcentric rings when changing out their wheels...?
Costco doesn't carry the Pirelli tires I'm looking for. But they've got some decent tires - should I just go through them...?

 

Also, does anyone know if the wheels come with the rings...? I believe the Prius' bore is 54.1, and the MOMO's are 57.1...

 

Ok, so the wheels and tires are done...! Pictures are attached, and details are provided below.

2014 Prius Four w/ Solar Moon Roof (Winter Gray Metallic)
3M 50% Tint on all windows (except the little window on rear hatch)
17 x 7.5" MOMO Raptor Wheels in Anthracite Gray
215/45/17 Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus (low rolling resistance / enhances vehicle fuel economy)
McGard Spline Drive Blue Tip Lug Nuts P/N 65557BC (to compliment the hybrid blue Toyota logo)

 

If anyone is in the NY / Long Island area and are interested in the original wheels, I am selling them for $460. Package includes 4 15" wheels and 4 Yokohama Avid S33 tires. Hub caps are also included. Everything has less than 200 miles on them and they look flawless...

 

I'm still breaking in the Prius; I understand that the true MPG is realized after the car is a couple of months old. I was averaging 46.8 MPG during my commute with the OEM wheels / tires. This morning when I reached work, the summary stated 49.0 MPG, and this afternoon when I reached home, the summary stated 55.5 MPG...

I'm not going to get excited, but hopefully the new wheels and tires keep this up, and doesn't decrease the MPG...

 

Farad, I bought the lug nuts off of eBay. It was an open box return item that was 50% cheaper than the kit on Amazon. Here is the link to McGard's website.

SplineDrive Lug Nuts - Lug Nuts / Lug Bolts - Automotive - Products

I'm not sure what you mean by the bore size being at 57...? The Prius bore size is 54.1mm, and the MOMOs bore size is 73.1mm. I bought hub centric rings from Amazon for $10 to marry the two...

 

jyoungprius - wheels look nice. The calipers / rotors stick out quite nicely. I'm not that much of a fan of the 65mm profile though, but that's just my opinion...

With regards to the lost MPG, I haven't had the Prius for long, but I'm averaging 55 MPG on a 60 mile commute, with approximately 50 miles on highway and 10 miles through local streets. My 17" alloy wheels are 24 lbs. each. The 195/65/15 Yokohama tires that came with the car were low rolling resistance tires, which aids in the MPG savings. So I also went with Pirelli low rolling resistance tires for the larger wheels...