17" Rims on Gen II (Pics)

This would likely cure the speedometer error on the GenII Prius. It reads 2mph faster than you are actually traveling. This has been verified with GPS and Scangauge data.

As for the rest, I highly doubt someone is going to just buy any old LRR tire without assessing their needs beyond fuel economy. I.e. I would not expect someone in Ontario or Michigan to purchase a set of my dB Super E-Spec tires for winter driving. Maybe I am assuming too much common sense with my advice but I do not think I am steering people in the wrong direct.

 

I still think it more handy to simply observe the rolling diameter of a given tyre from a spec sheet, rather than work out the usefulness or otherwise afterwards.

that is nevertheless the direction each of your posts has taken.

My issue with that 'knowledge base' was that containing your ideas on combined wheel/tyre weight matters more when your driving experience is comprised of lots of accelerations, because thats where the mass of the wheel combination matters most.

At a steady speed such as highway driving I doubt it would generate a conclusive factor on its own, that is more the province of the rolling resistance coefficient, put variously within a range of 0.0062 to 0.015 and where the accepted norm is 0.009.

So while the former mode might be more common, an eyeball test at hwy speeds may turn a very different result and ought not be dismissed OOH.

leaving your attempt at slight behind, lets take it from the top. It might be better to place the stock tyre RRC (rolling resistance coefficient) and work backwards from there. There is the aid of specified data if one can find it, for which a good place to begin is here:

http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/GREEN/REPORTS/cgrtirerollingresistance.pdf

and where we can see favourable RRC tyres coming close to the approximation of the Prius's stock 15" size over a range of tyres. You may see various tyres you might be familiar with here:

0.00615 Bridgestone B381 P185/70R14
0.00650 Michelin SYMMETRY P225/60R16
0.00683 Michelin TIGER PAW AWP P225/60R16
0.00700 Bridgestone DUELER H/T 113S P265/70R17
0.00709 BFGoodrich RUGGED TRAIL T/A P285/70R17
0.00754 Michelin LTX A/S P255/65R17
0.00758 Goodyear INTEGRITY (OE) P225/60R16
0.00760 Bridgestone INSIGNIA SE 200 89S P195/65R15
0.00767 BFGoodrich RUGGED TRAIL T/A P245/65R17
0.00780 Continental Ameri-G4S WS P235/75R15
0.00795 Michelin TPAW TOURING TR/SR P215/70R16
0.00810 Bridgestone DUELER H/T 104S P235/70R16
0.00813 Goodyear Invicta GL 235/75R15
0.00825 Continental ContiTouring Contact CH95 P205/55R16
0.00829 Michelin CROSS TERRAIN SUV P255/75R17
0.00833 Michelin PILOT PRIMACY 275/50R19
0.00850 Michelin ENERGY LX4 P225/60R16
0.00854 Michelin PILOT LTX P265/70R17
0.00855 Michelin ENERGY MXV4 PLUS 235/65R17

And just one further note. It is thought in some circles and some debate exists around the point, that the test equipment for calculating RRC is at fault, for there should be little recognisable difference between larger and smaller diameter tyres (within reason). Yet the data does show an inclination for larger diameter tyres to have larger RRC, but personally I wouldn't be too averse to extrapolating the RRC between diameter sizes that are close and section heights that are equal.

Still if the mission is to get as close to the stock RRC with a larger diameter tyre then the process is best guided from data without the influence of hearsay evidence for which there may or may not be any providence. Combing the two is the ideal, the absence of the latter a folly.

 

I'm sorry but I can't help but laugh. You really like to say a lot to say very little don't you?

 

strike 2
try real hard to keep the BS and personal attack out of it buddy
then try harder

 

HAH! U read my mind.

When u is be living down undah, thur aint much to do but write write and write some mo'.

 

I don't know man. It just sounds like a lot of technical specifics that really do nothing to make my opinion wrong. It's always easy to take a basic overview then blow it out of proportion with crazy details. The guy is not technically wrong but I can't figure out why he chose to take aim at me. lol

On the same note, I slapped my 17s on today for the first time since Green Drive Expo and OMG the rolling resistance is terrible. I seriously feel that my gliding distance has been cut in half. On the bright side my speedometer is still 2mph fast like it has been with all 4 different tires I've had on this car. Time for some Michelin Primacys with green X yo!

 

Are you talking about your Centerlines?

 

Yeah, I'm still a musclecar guy at heart so I have never changed them to something more umm non-1990s. lol

They are light enough (15lbs) to not pose much of a MPG hit and I still like the way it looks so I'll settle for better tires. The killer is 17" tires (20-22lbs avg.) are pretty heavy compared to 15" tires (17-18lbs avg.). I'm seriously considering the Michelin Primacy MXM4. At $132/ea. LRR $70 rebate, 500 treadwear and the closest revs per mile to stock I think it is a decent deal. If they last me 60,000 miles I would likely save over $200 compared to a cheaper non-LRR tire like my Kumho Ecsta ASX ($92/ea.).

 

I just got new tires and rims yesterday. I'll follow up with MPG and general impressions but wanted to share a pic for now.
These are Toyo 215/45ZR-17 91W Proxes 4 Tires on 17x7.5 Raceline 126 Silver Rims.

 

Congrats!

It handles sooo much better doesn't it?

 

So far I haven't noticed a huge difference in regular driving, but I definitely have much more control when turning at high speed and when accelerating hard from a stop. I have much more confidence when driving for fun.

Also noticeably quieter.

We haven't had any rain yet this week in Seattle, but I expect it will handle wet roads better too.

Thanks!
Alan

 

Just wait until you start taking it through the twisties. It'll stick much better. Looks good too.

 

I am dying to put some new rims on mine but I'm not sure I can justify the loss of mileage for aesthetics, as important as they are to me. Nonetheless, those look great.

 

I put my summer wheels and tires on recently as well. I'm convinced that the decreases in mileage that we see is mainly a function of tire rolling resistance and tire wall deformation. This is because my summer wheel and tire set is individually ~3 lbs lighter than the winter tires, but the mileage is noticeably worse unless I run a relatively high (42psi) inflation pressure (which doesn't seem to be an issue at all).

 

Hi! Are the led fogs bright enough for driving or is it more of decorative? Where can I get them? How much?

 

looks almost just like mine!

 

Just out of curiosity, what rims are those? They look really nice, the car looks amazing.