From 15” to 16” Wheels Would The Reduction In Mileage Be Significant?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by Soba1, Oct 9, 2019.

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  1. Soba1

    Soba1 Junior Member

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    Would I notice a significant reduction in mileage going from 15” stock wheels to 16” custom wheels?
    Thanks
     
    #1 Soba1, Oct 9, 2019
  2. Mambo Dave

    Mambo Dave Active Member

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    You can negate some of the inertial penalty by buying 16" wheels that are lighter than your 15" wheels. By all means avoid a heavier 16" wheel than what you have - that extra weight seems to mostly go out toward the wheel's end (the 'barrel' section is what it is called), so it penalizes you even more than if the 16" wheel weighed the same as the 15" one.
     
    #2 Mambo Dave, Oct 9, 2019
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  3. Soba1

    Soba1 Junior Member

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    Thank you very much
     
    #3 Soba1, Oct 9, 2019
  4. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    I have a Prius Prime, the OE LRR tire size is 195/65-15 (25.0"OD). I upgraded to an ultra high performance A/S 205/50-17 (25.1"OD) Non-LRR tire. As the author of the stickied thread "Aftermarket Wheel Fitment Guidelines" Aftermarket Wheel Fitment Guidelines | PriusChat I went to great lengths to choose a lightweight wheel (17.0 lbs) and tire (19.2 lbs) that was as light as possible for my needs.

    My overall performance is simply outstanding and my Prime feels like a completely different/better car, the best is my stellar rain grip. The downside is MPG does suffer a bit. A real world guess says you'll lose somewhere between 10% to 15%. If you choose a LRR tire, you'll help MPG's out quite a bit. Take a Strong look at the Yokohama Avid Ascend GT, this is a great Performane oriented LRR tire.
    Better Handling On A Budget ! | PriusChat



    Rob43
     
    #4 Rob43, Oct 10, 2019
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2019
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  5. Soba1

    Soba1 Junior Member

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    Thanks....................
     
    #5 Soba1, Oct 10, 2019
  6. Steve Stokes

    Steve Stokes Junior Member

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    On my 2016 four I went from factory 15” with 195/65R15 to custom 17” with 215/45R17 BF Goodrich Advantage tires and mpg has dropped 5-6 mpg. I was averaging 55 with 15s and now 49-50 with 17s. Still not bad imo. And the new wheels look 10x better.
     
    #6 Steve Stokes, Oct 20, 2019
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  7. Soba1

    Soba1 Junior Member

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    5 mpg that’s a bit much for me, for now I’m going to stick with the stock rims underneath. My caps should be here soon.
    If anything I’m considering painting my wheels, light window tint and a bra. I’m loving the 56/59 mpg’s I’m currently getting
    Thanks for the input
     

    Attached Files:

    #7 Soba1, Oct 20, 2019
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  8. Chris Wolfgram

    Chris Wolfgram Active Member

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    So this thread brings up the question; Do the Prius Limited models which come stock with 17"s advertise 5 mpg less ???

    Also, if Im looking for aftermarket wheels, obvious I'm going to be picky about how nice they look. I did turn down so 17"s which not only were 23 lbs, but also special order. So the ones I'm thinking about now are 21 lbs... I thought that was okay. And, I was also looking at the Yokohama Avid Ascend GT's..... but 5 mpg is a pretty tough hit. Hmmm.
     
    #8 Chris Wolfgram, Oct 21, 2019
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2019
  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    No. I think there’s a requirement by the EPA if you expect a certain % of your sales to be that model. Given that it’s the most expensive Prius trim level, I suspect Toyota‘a sales projection for the Limited trim is less than the % threshold.
     
    #9 Tideland Prius, Oct 21, 2019
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  10. Soba1

    Soba1 Junior Member

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    They probably don’t make the distinction. Here is a good site
    Security Check
     
    #10 Soba1, Oct 21, 2019
  11. Chris Wolfgram

    Chris Wolfgram Active Member

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    So then do you believe the Limited Edition really is getting 5 mpg less, and they are just not talking about it ? Id be pretty upset if I had gotten a Limited, and it was falling that much short of what the estimated mileage said on the window sticker.
     
    #11 Chris Wolfgram, Oct 21, 2019
  12. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I wouldn’t worry too much about it. We have a 2016 Touring with the 17” wheels and we have no problems hitting 58mpg in the summer. Heck, on one round trip (about 40 miles?), I got 63.5mpg and that was when the car was new. (4 months old?)

    Edit: ha, it was 63 miles (7 Aug entry)


    316E4D2A-EE0D-4047-AE8C-000050DE6234.jpeg
     
    #12 Tideland Prius, Oct 21, 2019
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  13. Soba1

    Soba1 Junior Member

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    Maybe it’s the weight of the wheels that are a contributing factor.
     
    #13 Soba1, Oct 21, 2019
  14. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    That’s certainly a factor. Another is greater contact patch (more grip but also more rolling resistance). Wind flow against the face of the wheel is another consideration.
     
    #14 Tideland Prius, Oct 21, 2019
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  15. Soba1

    Soba1 Junior Member

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    Do you mind posting a pic of your factory 17”s please thanks
     
    #15 Soba1, Oct 21, 2019
  16. Soba1

    Soba1 Junior Member

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    Right now I'm enjoying my factory wheels with my newly purchased center caps after removing the wheel covers
    and cleaning off the road gunk with simple green. Thanks for the input (y) Prius.PNG
     
    #16 Soba1, Oct 22, 2019
  17. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    stock photo otherwise identical to mine.
    upload_2019-10-22_21-51-15.jpeg
     
    #17 Tideland Prius, Oct 22, 2019
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  18. Soba1

    Soba1 Junior Member

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    Nice thanks well if I were to go to a 17" I would go with those it would be a safe bet (y)
     
    #18 Soba1, Oct 22, 2019
  19. Chris Wolfgram

    Chris Wolfgram Active Member

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    Tideland, those are some nice looking wheels ! Id like to find out the exact specs on those wheels... and on those tires. Id have to imagine, that "those exact 17"s are, in fact, designed for this car, and probably do keep very close to the same mileage. If I could find a set of those for my car, Id probably paint the inset areas to match my car color, and leaves the stars black ;)
     
    #19 Chris Wolfgram, Oct 22, 2019
  20. Chris Wolfgram

    Chris Wolfgram Active Member

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    These are the 17" wheels I was looking at....
    tires wheels.jpg
     
    #20 Chris Wolfgram, Oct 22, 2019
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