I have a 2010 III and I am considering getting 16-inch wheels rather than 17-inch wheels as an upgrade. Any thoughts?
Shouldn't be a problem. Use 205/55R16 as the tyre spec to best match the revs of the original 15". There's a TRD Sportivo wheel that I really like but I know I won't have any moolah (esp. since shipping from Japan is expensive)
The size above is the tire I've seen on regular Honda Civics and they look great. What I like is the 55 sidewall is not too tall nor short. The 45 series tires are quite a short sidewall for a Prius.
Ooooh nice! mmhmm. 45 series is low profile. The IS300 had the same specs 215/45R17. The new Corolla XRS use the same specs too, ditto the old Matrix XRS. The nice thing is that we can just grab a set of alloys off a Corolla/Matrix. They're running 205/55R16. Just have to make sure that the bolt pattern is the same. That is, those alloys are your fancy.
I think when my 17" tires wear out I will go to 16" wheels with 205/55 tires. There are a lot of good wheel choices at Tire Rack and other places.
Hi Guys, I am really new here... going to get my Prius within 2 mths time but already busy shopping for my 16" wheel. OEM comes with 195/65R15. Plan to get a Michelin Primacy LC 205/55R16 on it. Also did consider to get Toyota Camry 16" steel rim. Any comment?
I went from stock 15s to stock 17s. The stock 17s look nice but doesn't quite coast as well nor respond to acceleration inputs as quickly as the 15s. I have a set of OEM 16s from the Gen II that I've been waiting to install and compare... Kelmcw - I would think the Camry steelies would be a bit heavy and wouldn't quite look as nice with that hubcap look. There are some nice aftermarket 16s you could get without spending too much money.
Always worth considering the wheel weight, my UK Prius came with 16" wheels as standard but when I looked at replacing them with after market items they were all much heavier unless they were very expensive. Heavy wheels affect mileage and acceleration they are of course your unsprung weight. I dumped the trims and made centre caps from Toyota badges the 205-55-16 tyres protect the rims and the car drives beautifully
I fitted my 04 with 16X7" rims and cheap Federal 205/50x16 tyres. I went from 900 KM's on a tank to 800. I since replaced the tyres with Toyo Teo 195/55X16's, with an increase to 840 KM's. If I was doing it again I would look for the lightest rims possible, and would not increase the rim width to more than 61/2", or the tyre width to more than 195. On less than perfect road surfaces, there tends to be a lot of low frequency cabin rumble as well. On a Prius, the word Synergy even includes the light weight front alloy hubs, the lightweight rear suspension and wheels. Aussie Camry wheels won't fit the Prius due to the different wheel stud centering. Subaru wheels will in most cases. If you can live with the look and handling of the OEM's, leave it alone. I hope this helps you.
Is that a low rolling resistance tire? You probably know Prius uses LRR's for high economy. btw, I did the math, and the 16" tires are actually closer to diameter of 15" than are the 17's. At least by math anyway. btw, would like to see a pic of 3rd gen with nice 16's.
Guys, I am so sad here in Malaysia. I written to UMW Toyota Malaysia... this is the respond that I got from them... ""...We write to advise that no modification can be perform on your current Toyota Prius that is of the original specification. Any modification carry out on your vehicle other than the factory fitted specification perform on your vehicle will void the warranty of your vehicle. Kindly refer to the Toyota Careplus Booklet, What is not covered on page 15 & 16 respectively. " Well, I think I will be leaving with the 15" for sometime now. Just change the rubber will do. But am just wondering, why the wheel radius is the same but....
Ya'll....... You're driving a Prius not a 911! I had the same question, we found a beautiful 2016 Prius touring for my daughter. Surprisingly, it came with 15-in wheels, I'll be at nice 15-in Toyota alloys but 15-in nonetheless. I was considering the upgrade to 17 in but in the end I'm staying with 15 in on both her all season wheels and snow tires. You're buying a Prius for economy, you go to the 17-in wheels and I guarantee you're probably going to be losing 8 mpg! My son has already confirmed you already lose four MPG on 15-in wheels on a Toyota Prius c over the regular all season I think rather inexpensive Toyo all seasons I have on there right now. We're a multi Toyota Prius family... Lol. Just my two cents worth but I wouldn't go bigger than a 16-in if it were me.
Then there’s Toyota; I think they’ve lost their minds, with the 5th Gen. Up here in Canada the ONLY 5th gens for sale have 19” rims. And mandatory AWD. The plug-in version deescalates to 17”. our ‘10 Touring (CDN level) came with 17” rims. We get better mpg through winter, with 15” Michelin X-Ice. I was using Corolla steel rims for those, now upgraded to 2012-2015 15” Prius Plug-In alloys.
