I'm going to get some rims when I order my Snow tires, but the plan is to get some nice rims for the better weather, and put the snow tires on the stock rims. How much do the stock rims weigh, and can anyone recommend a nice looking rim that is not too ricey looking and won't attract thieves?
Any rims may attract thieves, so a lug nut lock is recommended to make it a little harder for them to take it off. Usually, aftermarket rims weigh a little more than OEM or it can weigh less (but not significant) and it is usually priced on the high end. Do you really want to do this and sacrifice mpg? I've been thinking about doing this, but I am holding off for a little longer. As far as aftermarket rims is concerned, Tire Rack may be your best place to shop.
I just purchased a wheel & tire combo for my '05 from Discounttire.com. Drag D-9 17x7 40mm offset Wheel 14.6# and Falken ZE-912 215-45-17 17.2#. I believe the stock wheel and tire is 37.2#. I am hoping for a better look & save the MPG's.
from what i remembered, the stock rims and tires weight about 32 pounds. think about the stock TOURING rims and tires. they, combined weigh about 37 pounds. YES, you will sacrifice mileage........however, the benefits of handling are worth it to me. if you want to know how much mileage was lost, i went from 47.7 mpg to 44-45.
I have an '07 Touring and did almost exactly exactly what you are referring to. I bought dedicated snow tires and put them on the stock rims; then bought aftermarket rims and summer tires. I went with the MSW Type 11 (they weigh right around 20# for the rim only) from Tire Rack and they mounted and balanced the new summer tires prior to shipping. Two or three days later, they were on my doorstep courtesy of UPS ready to install. A centering ring and all lugnuts were included. It was totally painless not counting the dollar figure but I think I only paid around 700 for everything. If you go to the following link, you can view the rims and tire rack also has a "view on vehicle" option that you can use to see how they tires will look on not only a Prius but also in your car's body color. MSW Type 11 Machined w/Black Accent I think the price may have gone up a bit since I bought mine. For reference, I put General Altimax RT skins on these and the only complaint I have is that the tires are a little noisy at highway speeds but not too bad. I would expect on a typical car they would be considered quiet. I would highly recommend Tire Rack and make sure to ask them if the tires will fit your application. According to the sales person, my sizing came close to interfering but would fit. They can usually tell you what will work and what won't.
The "hot setup" is the Volk Racing ecoDrive wheels. ce28 ecodrives 15 inch: 10.1 lbs 16 inch: 10.8 lbs If you want to consider other makes, you need the bolt spacing and centre hole dia., then the offset and backspacing. Obviously you need to match the bolt spacing. You also should match the centre hole - it's what centers the wheel on the hub (hub centric wheels). For the backspacing and offset, remove a wheel and turn it upside down on the ground. Using a straight edge and ruler, place the straight edge across the rim (keep it off the tire). Measure the distance between the straightedge and the wheel centre that contacts the hub. This is the backspacing. Estimate the thickness from the inside edge of the wheel rim (where your straightedge contacts) to the edge the tire is contacting (the tire bead). This should be in the 1 to 1.5 cm range. Subtract that distance from the backspacing number to get the offset. On the Prius all four wheels are the same. Note that the 16" wheel may have a different offset than the 15" wheel. Prius factory wheel weight: 15 inch 14.3 lbs 16 inch 15.2 lbs
