Hi everyone, My wife and I just recently both got 2021 Prius Primes. I'm trying desperately to figure out how to use my 205/55R16 winter tires on my new Prius. Has anyone found a set of steel wheels that would fit that 16" tire size on their Prime? I'm pretty sure the bolt pattern and center bore size have been the same since 2017.
Do some Corollas have a 16" rim, maybe older ones? That might be compatible. How old are those winter tires, and what's the remaining tread depth? If it's borderline for those two factors, I'd consider loosening the purse strings and getting a new set, in 195/65R15. Here's a steel riim that does work: Corolla steel rim, part no: 42611-02471 (2003-2008 corolla or matrix, CE, LS, S) steel rim lug nuts, part no: 90942-01007 (plain, open-ended, galvanized) I'm using this. Only issue was the exposed hub openings, and the exposed steel that rusts at the drop of a hat. After a year or two, I cleaned that up, applied some sealing, and capped the hub openings with 2" ABS pipe end caps. They're a readily available hardware store item, slightly loose fit, but with some sort of inner tube rubber band pushed on first, they fit securely.
Some Corolla, Matrix, Vibe cars do indeed come with 16 inch steel wheels with 5x100 bolt patterns. I've got a set sitting in my garage right now. FYI, you will need to get standard, acorn type lugnuts in 12x1.5 for them. The OEM Prius lugnuts do come with a compatible end on the mag style lugnuts, but they are meant to mount the space saver spare steel wheel on a temporary basis and look unsightly with the shoulder and washer up on the side. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
If anyone can run down a part number (preferably Toyota), for a closed-ended lug nut, with the proper taper at the base, and NOT 40 mm long, I'd be all ears. With the open-ended ones I'm using (info in my prev post), the stud tips are exposed, and start to rust bloom almost immediately. My work around is: after install, put a drop of 3-in-1 oil on the tip, distribute it around with a toothbrush. Halfway through winter: repeat.
Not OEM, but they look exactly like my OEM lugnuts for the steelies that came on my 2014 Toyota Corolla. Off Rockauto.com, 30mm total length, $0.75 each, but shipping to Canada probably expensive. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Those looks good. One quibble: it's nice to have a flared-out "shoulder", at the base of the hexagonal portion, so that sockets stop, don't grind against the rim: An example: In lieu of finding something like that though, I'll take it, definitely head and shoulders above my "steel rim lug nuts (also no shoulder), part no: 90942-01007 (plain, open-ended, galvanized)":
Thank you for the help! My winter tires still have great tread depth since they’re only driven a few months out of the year, basically like new, but they were manufactured in late 2012, so almost 9 years old. Going by Bridgestone’s recommendation I have another year to use them, but I’m considering using them for the next three years until my lease is up on this Prime, especially since I’ll be paying for the wheels and having them mounted anyway. When it comes to my wife’s Prime, we’ll be buying a whole new set next winter (2023) after we’ve saved up some more, and I’ll go with your recommended tire size and wheels. I’ve read elsewhere on this forum that X-Ice is the recommended snow tires for a Prius.
Similar longevity here, well worse: my X-Ice were manufactured early in 2010, and if I had any sense I’d replace, but lots of tread, NO cracking; I’ll likely go one more winter.
I tried this on my 2018 prime with my winter tires and steel rims from a 2008 Toyota Matrix, 205/55/R16 and I'd advise against it. The winter tires on 16" steel rims were far heavier than the original tires that came with the car. Not only did fuel economy drop, the car handled poorly and felt sluggish. I disliked it enough that I sold my old winter tires and ended up buying new tires in the correct size. Investment up front, but now I have tires I like for years to come. What I did was buy new winter tires (Continental WinterContact SI Plus 195/65R15) and have them mounted the OEM rims (with TPMS). I bought a set of nicer looking alloy rims (DW10015006 - DAI Wheels Apex Classic Series ) for the summer and run them with my summer tires (without TPMS). So far, I'm really liking the setup!
Does that mean the PIP rims come out of the shrine? Or are they permanently shrined. I guess time will tell.
I’m kinda waiting to see what the ballyhooed 2023’s look like too. Or the snows eventually. Who knows. Our kms per year is maybe 4K now. Still need a car, but sometimes I wonder. We’re walking distance convenient to a fair number of stores, and are more’n more taking advantage of that.
These have a shoulder: "Gorilla Automotive 91137B Acorn Bulge Lug Nuts (12mm x 1.50 Thread Size)" $10 for a 4-pack on Amazon, so that's a lot more than the ones at Rockauto.
Thank you for the tip! I definitely see how the bigger tires and rims can be a big downgrade compared to the OEM ones. The biggest factor for me is that I’m leasing my Prime for three years, so I figure using my existing winter tires and only having to pay for the new wheels would make more sense than buying a whole new set that might not fit on the car I get after the lease. But I am second guessing my decision now, after reading your post.
Tough call for sure since you're only keeping the car for three years. I intend to keep mine till the wheels fall off... So makes more sense to get good wheels up front. Worth considering is that in three years you'll be driving on 12 year old winter tires. Regardless of tread remaining, old tires get hard and don't grip as well. I found myself replacing 6 year old tires (with 75,000 km on them) with decent tread left because they were getting to be terrible on icy conditions. If you don't drive in really bad winter weather then it may make sense to stick with your old tires. If you plan on driving lots, I'd still consider getting new tires up front. Above said, I often err on the side of safety, more so than other people.
If I was you, I would consider buying a set of OEM size new winter tires on sale and sell the one you have now on Craig's list or Facebook. If you are leasing the car, don't bother with buying a new set of wheels. Just swap the tires at the time of tire rotation. If you use Toyota Care at a dealer, tire rotation is free. They may charge you a bit extra for swapping the rims and re-balancing, but that still should be less expensive than buying a whole set of wheels and lug nuts for a car you may not be keeping beyond 3 years. Alternatively, you may find a tire shop that would offer free winter change-up if you purchase a set of tires.
This is a great idea and brings up another question - is there a certain benefit to buying a new set of wheels for winter tires on any car, whether it’s a lease or one you own? Or does it make sense to just get a set of winter tires and have them mounted on the OEM wheels every winter? For some reason I’ve never even thought of doing that.
I’m solidly in the separate rims camp. Does make it possible to DIY the swaps, saves wear-and-tear on the original rims, and affords you a good opportunity to clean/wax rims thoroughly.
