Wheel upgrades ............go with 17's or stick with 15's ?

We are getting 60+ mpg on rolling freeways at 65 to 70 mph. Be sure and leave it in ECO mode. Going up the hills you will use the ICE but going down the hills your car will automatically change to EV,,,,,,,,if you have it in ECO mode. My daughter purchased a Prius wagon two years before we did. She never used ECO mode until I explained it to her. She had no idea what it was for. She has increased her mileage by almost 10 mpg's!

 

I'm still rockin the stock 15s and am lucky to get over 50mpg. I drive 65mph on my morning commute and it's pretty much uphill for 20 miles—I average around 44mpg and my record so far is almost 49mpg. Only time I get above 50mpg is on the drive home if traffic moves enough to keep me in EV range.

This is all done in Normal mode. I've found that I actually get worse mpg in ECO mode. I tend to gas it harder since the throttle response has that horrible lag.

 

If you were to switch to 16 or 17 rims, I would wager you would take a 5 mpg hit.

I find that EV range works better for me the slower traffic is moving.

Since I have a PIP, I have a greater battery capacity and that allows me to stay in EV range longer and thus significantly increase mpg. On a roundtrip from Riverside to Long Beach (about 150 miles at 65 mph in ECO mode which we do a couple of times a month) we average 70 mpg's for the trip, about 25% of that mileage in EV (when we go 60 mph or less).

I haven't found there to be a significant throttle lag in ECO mode, but that is just me and the way I drive. We also have Dynamic Radar Cruise Control and we pretty much let the car drive itself through the computer when on the freeway, like the 15, 60, or 91. I have found that the car can drive itself more economically through the DRCC computer than I can with my foot on the throttle.

 

15 inch wheels will yield better mpg! SO why does my prius w 17 inch wheels get 50-60 mpg, why does my volt has 17 inch wheels, why did my jetta hybrid come w 17 inch wheels, why did my subaru xv crosstrek hybrid come w 17 inch wheels, why does the BMW i3. comes with 18 inch wheels?

 

Why does mine get 70 to 80 on 15s?

Comparing apples to oranges. Bigger rims and rubber band tires are a fashion statement today, even if it hurts gas mileage and ride comfort.

 

I wouldn't say my 17" rims are a fashion statement. The handling is much better...trust me. If you've ever had to swerve out of the way of a tractor trailer going 65 mpg's you'll have much better control on bigger rims. The driving characteristics of the 17" rims on my persona are far superior to my old Nissan on 15's.

LG-D801 ?

 

I do not know. We go from Michelin Pilot 215/45R17 to Michelin X-Ice 195/65R15 every year, cornering is not that different.

 

If that is the way you feel about it, fine, whatever works for you. If what you say is true, you might want to consider going to 20" or 21" rims.

 

Lol...not trying to be contentious, just stating what I have experienced handing wise. There is much less sway with the bigger rims. Obviously there is a tipping point to ride quality vs. handling with larger rims. The 17's are a perfect compromise IMO.

LG-D801 ?

 

17s will definitely handle better and more securely vs 15s. More contact patch. of course tires have a lot to do with it too. My 3-Series with built suspension and Michelin Pilot Super Sports are a different story altogether ...

 

If that is true, why not go to 20s or 24s? Why stop at 17s?

 

Because of the ride quality, like I stated. There is definitely a point of diminishing returns and that's why I think the 17's are perfect on the prius, since they provide both nice ride quality and good handling. 18's would probably even be too much and I have stock 18's on my Hyundai Sonata.

If you had 20's on a prius it would not only look ridiculous, but you'd feel every pebble you drove over. 24's would probably be physically impossible as I don't think you'd have any room for even a centimeter of sidewall.

LG-D801 ?

 

I've test driven a lot Prii on 17", I'm very glad I got one with a solar roof and the 'mandatory' 15" wheels. Thinking back to the test drives now, the drive was extremely harsh compared to 15" wheels. I was thinking of putting 17" wheels under mine when I first bought it, but after driving for a week, no way. It looks very dorky, but I can live with that.

 

Models that come stock with 17" also have modified, tighter steering, less turns lock-to-lock. Having first test driven a 15", then a 17", the latter felt more stable, planted, and we bought it.

But I wonder if it's the different steering that's the main factor, behind the improved feel? As I said earlier, when we have 15" X-Ice on in winter, it has that same planted feel.

And yeah, the ride can be frustratingly rough with the low profile 17".

 

There are quite a lot of brick roads here in the Netherlandds, driving on those roads with 17" wheels, the car rattled so much I was afraid it was going to fall apart. I agree the car drives a bit floaty on 15" wheels, like a hovercraft, but the ride is so smooth and comfortable compared to 17" wheels. I never felt unsafe though, the car is always stuck to the road.

 

2015 Scion FRS wheels and tires. I got them for $600. Brand new take offs. We put them on all of our Prius. You either have to use a very thin spacer or grind on the caliper brackets just slightly to get them to clear. Other then that I really like them.

 

17inch wheels are definitely better for ride and handling,.
You will suffer a bit lower mileage, I get around 47 (mostly)-49, but I do enjoy driving those 47 Miles
Wish they had a variable steering ratio, lock to lock seems like going forever.

 

That is a matter of dispute for the Prius. It is a matter of opinion.

Agreed. The amount of degradation of MPGs will depend on the specific rims and tires you choose. If the "look" of 17" rims is more important to you than maximizing MPGs, then go for it! However, I get 70 to 80 MPGs with my stock 15" PIP rims!

 

How much pressure did you have in those "floaty" tires? Air is cheap.