Looking for winter tires for my '07 Prius. I have the 16" tires. A tire dealer said I should put 205's on. I am just wondering if anybody here has done this. If so, how'd it work out. Thanks Bob
Remember that all things being equal, the wider the tire the more rolling resistance you'll see. So expect worse fuel milage. I had 215s and swapped back to stock.
205's were an improvement We have two 2006's. One has 185's and the other has 205's. The Pri with the 205's has a bigger feel. Impact on milage was insignificant on our constant city driving. However, there may be a milage impact if you do a lot of highway trips. There doesn't seem to be any significant impact on pulse and glide. The car can easily take the 205's. We made the upgrade because the many potholes in our Honolulu streets. The bigger tires took the bumps better. Hope that helps. richard
i have 215/45/17 the mileage hit is pretty high. i now average mid 30's. the problem is the rims are heavy and they were a fast and cheap replacement to my old bald tires. i found my tires on craigslist for 350 with tires fore the entire set. much cheaper than a cheap new set + mount and balance. the biggest problem is the weight of the tire. on bumpy roads the car wobbles back and forth because the suspension is trying to bounce under the weight of the rims trying to bounce back up. i gives me a harsher ride but the handling is awesome and traction is improved in wet weather. so... when i punch it, the car only slips once on slippery roads then accelerates, instead of constantly slipping. when these tires die, i'll buy some light weight rims that are the same size... or possibly 205 instead of 215... but.. i like 215
I think a lot of Touring Edition Prius owners end up with 205s because of the limited selection of tires available in the stock Touring Edition 195/55/16 size.
The 205's (205/55's, that is) fit just fine, and handling is improved, but they also do tend to be heavier, and there does seem to be a bit of mileage loss.
205/50 16in We have had our Bridgestone Potenza 205/50 16 since it has been new. We took a very small hit on mileage, but not enuff to warrant any worries. Our lifetime is 46.2 and still going up each time we fill up. We are at 9600mi, with 8500 mi on the 205/50 x 16s. Last week we drove up to Solvang, 150mi from home, and its a pleasure to drive the Prius. And the tires make the wheels look sharp. Our opinion is that the Prius 15" wheels look too small. I wish TMC would design a 17" model next time. Do not hesitate to change. We have never regretted.
