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Aftermarket Wheel Fitment Guidelines

Discussion in 'Prime Accessories and Modifications' started by Rob43, Apr 3, 2018.

  1. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    Recently I've been reading about PRIUSchat forum members choosing different types of aftermarket wheels for their Prius Primes. There seems to be some "confusion" about how things work concerning fitment versus what doesn't work, so here's a basic fitment guideline to use when considering your new aftermarket wheels. Take the time & do your research before you buy into your new wheels; there's nothing worse than spending the big bucks to then realize you should've bought something else. As a reference, the Prius Prime has a stock OE wheel size of 15x6.5" ET40 & a tire size of 195/65-15; overall diameter (OD) is 25.0".

    1) Wheel Diameter:
    a) 15" (Prime OE)
    b) 16" (Plus One)
    c) 17" (Plus Two)
    d) 18" (Plus Three)

    Wheel Width:
    a) 6.5" (Prime OE)
    b) 7"
    c) 7.5"
    d) 8"
    e) 8.5"

    3) Wheel Weight:
    Less is more, meaning try *not* to buy into heavy wheels if it can be avoided. IMO this would be any wheel above ~18.5 lbs in weight; 17 lbs or less would be great. One of the big problems with buying aftermarket wheels is much higher wheel weight: higher wheel weight (unsprung weight) *negatively* affects the chassis in many ways. Poor fuel economy would probably be first, other issues will be sluggish handling, slower acceleration & braking & increased strut/shock wear.

    4) Bolt Pattern:
    A Prius Prime has a bolt pattern of 5 X 100, this means there's 5 bolts/studs & it has a pitch circle diameter of 100mm's. Anything Less Or More Won't Work.

    5) Wheel Offset (ET) / Backspacing:
    Offset is the distance from the center of the wheel to its mounting surface. Offset / ET is measured in millimeters (mm) and a Prius Prime's stock ET is +40. Trying to stay close to this number would be a good starting point. I'd recommend staying within 5mm's of stock if possible, which means an ET of 35 to 45. Backspacing (a slightly older method of doing the same thing) is the distance from the inside edge (back side of wheel) of the wheel to the mounting surface. Also, wheel backspacing is measured in inches while offset is measured in millimeters.

    6) Spacers:
    Spacers can typically be used for two reasons. First, to help correct a wheel that doesn't already have the proper offset. An example of this would be if you bought an aftermarket wheel with a ET45 and needed or wanted to correct it back to the Prime's OE ET40. A 3mm spacer would get you close by making it a ET42 & a 5mm spacer would get you all the way back to ET40. The second reason is for aesthetics. Some people use spacers to push the wheel/tire farther out giving the appearance of a fuller wheel well. Thin 3mm (1/8") spacers can be used on any Prime without modification. If you need something bigger like a 10mm spacer, you'll need to buy & install longer wheel studs to accommodate the thicker spacer. When shopping for any Prime spacer, realize that you can buy them with the exact 5x100 bolt pattern & 54.1mm hub bore, which should be your first choice.

    7) Hub Bore / Hubcentric Rings:
    The stock Prius Prime hub bore is 54.1mm's in diameter. This is important because most aftermarket wheels will have a much larger internal hub bore of roughly 73mm's. For example, your stock Prime wheel has a hub bore that's also 54.1mm's. This means the stock wheel is being centered on the hub *before* you tighten down the wheel nuts. The combination of the same hub bore and wheel bolt/stud tightening gives you the best chance for a perfect rolling wheel/tire combo, as relying on *just* the 5x100 bolt pattern does not always equal a good rolling wheel/tire. Knowing all this means it's a very good idea to use a hubcentric ring to convert a generic aftermarket wheel's bigger hub bore to the smaller 54.1mm Prime hub bore. Hubcentric rings are a non-wear item,
    so it really doesn't matter if you use metal or plastic.

    8) Tuner Wheel Lug Nuts:
    Many aftermarket wheels require *tuner* lug nuts for mounting, this is especially true if the wheels you bought are double cut for two different bolt patterns. An example of this would be if you bought a wheel with a 5x100 and 5x114 bolt pattern, it's a virtual guarantee that you'll need to buy tuner lug nuts. Tuner lug nuts are simply smaller diameter when compared to your OE Prime lug nuts, thus they fit inside the aftermarket wheels smaller cut bolt pattern hole. If you're not sure about what style lug nut to use & can't easily find this info, please contact the wheel manufacturer before you try to mount your new aftermarket wheels.

    Here are my two favorite wheel/tire calculators. Play with them by entering in different combos.
    a) Rim & Tire Size Calculator. Custom Offsets - Wheel-Size.com

    b) Online Wheel and Tyre Fitment Calculator. Offset, Tyre Stretch and Speedo Error | Will They Fit


    Let's sum things up from ALL 8 categories:

    1) Pick a wheel diameter that suits you & your style, maybe a 16" or 17".
    2) Pick your desired width, maybe a 7".
    3) Try to choose a lighter weight wheel if possible; call the manufacturer if you can't find the weight.
    4) Absolutely buy a 5x100 bolt pattern wheel.
    5) Try to get your offset close to the Prime's OE ET40 if possible.
    6) Add spacers if necessary, try to buy 54.1mm hubcentric & 5x100 bolt pattern if possible.
    7) Give great consideration to installing hubcentric rings if your new wheels have a hub bore bigger than OE.
    8) Buy tuner lug nuts when needed, stock Prime OE lug nuts won't work for all aftermarket wheels.

    Good luck,
    Rob43
     
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  2. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    Tire guide coming soon...


    Rob43
     
  3. MSAGRO

    MSAGRO 2010 Prius Five with Advanced Technology Package

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    08201BA6-2C19-489A-B9AE-D34CB596EF64.jpeg
    I got these today, they are 17 inch and the weight is 17.1 pounds each
     
  4. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    ^ They're very nice, your Prime looks great !


    Rob43
     
  5. MSAGRO

    MSAGRO 2010 Prius Five with Advanced Technology Package

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    Thanks they turned out better than expected. Somebody on this site ECFBDD6E-17AB-4636-9FBC-6A09F34AE375.jpeg showed me last week these Koenig Intentions and I just thought they look great.
     
  6. Insighter

    Insighter Active Member

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    In the end, is it a bad idea to use anything but the stock wheels or Toyota OEM rim upgrade? Cars are precisely engineered these days, and I'd think that the Prime is probably more precisely engineered than most. With all of the systems in the car being built or programmed to work with a specific wheel and tire size, don't these changes measured in millimeters, inches and pounds mean throwing all of that off? Might that not ad up to some sort of problem over the course of the millions of rotations the wheels make in the life of the car?

    I certainly understand wanting to customize a car. The rims MSAGRO got really look great. However, I don't think anything short of the approval of the engineers who designed the Prime could convince me that aftermarket rims won't cause problems.
     
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  7. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    No, it's not a problem.

    If we were still living in the 1970's you'd have a valid concern, but computers, industrial laser measuring tools, & CNC machining techniques provide us with very straight & true aftermarket wheels today.

    I'd actually much more concerned about using a Toyota factory OE 17" wheel from another model car as my planned upgrade, because factory wheels are overbuilt in terms of strength, kinda like a tank. That of course sounds like a great thing, but OE wheels are HEAVY. Heavy wheels are a bad thing for almost any car (unsprung weight), let alone a Prius Prime where having a lightweight wheel & tire is king.


    Rob43
     
    #7 Rob43, Apr 5, 2018
    Last edited: Apr 5, 2018
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  8. Insighter

    Insighter Active Member

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    It's funny you should say that because I figure the 1970's cars were almost immune to such concerns. My friend in high school had an old '73 LTD police cruiser. It had four different wheels on it, and four different brands and sizes of tires on it. It wasn't an issue on that battle tank! I wouldn't consider a wheel from another Toyota model without knowing it was right in all regards. The only upgrade I'm considering is the upgraded Toyota rims that are made for the Prime (and likely other Prius models, I guess). I figure they are exactly right for the Prime.

    It sounds like you're confident in what you say, but how can you be sure these differences in size and wait, though they can be relatively small, are not affecting the Prime and its systems?
     
  9. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    If modern aftermarket wheels were an issue, you'd read about it on every different car forum. But they're not because of the science used in modern manufacturing techniques.

    In the end, you should only buy what you're comfortable with...


    Rob43
     
  10. Insighter

    Insighter Active Member

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    Maybe I wasn't clear in my thinking. I wouldn't be too concerned about putting aftermarket wheels on most cars until very recently. Now I'd be concerned about the effects they might have on these new collision avoidance systems. Still, if I had a 2017 Camry, I wouldn't be nearly as concerned about aftermarket rims on it as I would on a new Prius. Some of your comments and other comments here make me even more concerned because they mention things like the unsprung weight of wheels (which I'd never even thought of before).

    My concern is that every system on the Prius, and every safety test, had to be done with the wheels and tire size that Toyota put on it. I'd say that differences in millimeters, inches and pounds necessarily must throw all of that off. I mean these differences absolutely have to throw things off. The only question is do they throw anything off enough to present safety or other issues. I can't say they do, but I definitely can't say they don't.

    You can rest assured that these wheel manufacturers are not testing their wheels across all of the models of cars out there. The cost would be prohibitive, and they would be bound to restrict sales on any negative results. And do they even certify that their wheels are fit for use on various car models? I can see using logic and the anecdotal evidence of people who have replaced their rims as reasons to believe that rim replacement is okay, but don't think for a second that the manufacturers of these rims are somehow ensuring your safety in regards to placing different weights and sizes of rims on your Prime (or other vehicles). They are not.
     
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  11. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    Again, you should only buy what you're comfortable with...

    Rob43
     
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  12. Chazz8

    Chazz8 Gadget Lover

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    When I had a access to Toyota's TechStream I noted a function to change the diameter (or Revs per mile) of the tire installed on the vehicle. That should adjust all speed, distance, safety features to within millimeters of optimal functionality (read better functionality). I have never hear of anybody using TechStream or asking dealer to adjust tire size for thier vehicle yet, but I think it should be possible if you throw $ at your local dealership.
     
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  13. MSAGRO

    MSAGRO 2010 Prius Five with Advanced Technology Package

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    97C020B6-9E42-452B-9060-97BE3A882F21.jpeg Insighter has some valid points.

    My final choice of the Konig Intention wasn’t a just a choice on style.

    It was a carefully studied aspect of weight (17.2 lbs), width, camber angle and related stress, even chassis road height was taken in consideration.

    After 400 miles since install, I haven’t noticed a decrease in MPG...perhaps because they are only 12 ounces heavier than stock wheels.

    Guarantee: If down the road I experience and bearing, handling, rubbing problems with my choice, I will let this forum know.

    It’s why we subscribe to sites like these.

    Cheers!
     
  14. Bahn112

    Bahn112 Junior Member

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    If anyone is curious; here's the following set up that i'm running:
    Enkei NT03+M - 17x7.5" +35mm Offset
    Tires are Kumho 215/45r17
    Lowered on RS*R Springs (T581D - Prime specific)

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
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  15. dongkeykong

    dongkeykong Junior Member

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    looks great! is that stock suspension height?
     
  16. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    Bought my new General G-Max AS-05 light-ish weight 17" tires.

    I decided on a 205/50-17 size (25.1 OD) which works well with a 7" wide wheel, these are on the lighter side at
    19.2 lbs according to General. These are not a LRR tire, but the flip side of that is these are a very good ultra
    high performance A/S tire with amazing grip in both the wet & dry so the *fun factor* is really there when you want it. For those that don't know, General Tire is owned by Continental Tire.


    Rob43

    20180420_164419.jpg
     

    Attached Files:

  17. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    Teaser....

    Rob43

    20180505_185455.jpg
     
  18. INFINIT tony

    INFINIT tony Member

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    [​IMG]

    wedsport sa 55m
    18x8 +45 offset
    215/40/r18
     
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  19. Kai_stories

    Kai_stories New Member

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    Quick question?? Would size 17 x 8 infront et 30 17 x 8.5 et 30 wheels fit in Prius prime 2017? If so, what is the recommended tire size? Thanks in advance.
     
  20. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    First question: Are you saying you want to run a 17x8 et30 on the Front & a 17x8.5 et30 on the Rear ???


    Rob43