15" or 17" Wheels

my point was referenced towards the LED package.. since you get the 215/45/17 tires.. i'm running one of the hardest tires made for that size.. they don't last very long... less than my stock tires on the 15 rims. <20k miles...

 

Does anyone know of any technical reason why someone could not buy a 2010 with the Sunroof with the 15" wheels then walk over to the parts department and purchase the 17" wheels to use in the summer and then save the 15" wheels for winter?

 

There are pros and cons to this isssue. Of course the car looks gorgeous with the larger wheels - but have a look at the kind of tires available in 215/45-17 and their cost vs. what is available in 195/65-15 and their cost. In the larger size, apart from the price/durability issue, the choice in dedicated LRR tires and/or all-season threads is, at least in Europe, non-existent.

The main problem with the 15" wheels is aesthetics. Those plastic wheelcovers really look .
But all is not lost: Underneath you actually have quite attractive alloy wheels, as you can see in the attached picture.

Before seeing this I had considered getting a set of attractive aftermarket wheels for mine - because I definitely want the solar roof. Now I think I'll just leave the wheelcovers off - and add a set of Toyota center caps. If there is an aerodynamic "penalty" from leaving the wheelcovers off, it can probably be more than compensated by the weight reduction from the four wheelcovers and (more important) fitting proper LRR tires.

 

Cost?
It would add significant cost, otherwise no reason.

 

Has anyone found a good side by side comparison picture of 15's vs 17's?

 

This would also be my ideal combo for my new Prius.

 

Is it necessary to add the center caps or are center caps used purely for looks?

 

Are there any clearer/larger pictures of the 15" alloy wheels located in a post above?

When I saw the pics of these wheels on some cars in the Japan mfg production lot, I assumed they were alloys specific for the Japan market. I have seen previous reference that the 15" are covers on alloy wheels, but I assumed the alloys were not finished nor attractive. If these are the base wheels, and they appear passable from these pictures - why would Toyota supply the plastic wheel covers? Soley for aerodynamic purpose? To entice upgrades to 17" (As I had planned...)

Also, for those that drove the '10 with both 15" and 17" - was there a noticable ride harshness difference? I'm undecided as to pkg IV or V.

 

Thanks so much for your feedback Rick,
I'm torn between the 15s and 17s. MPG is not paramount to my purchase of the '10 Prius. Important but not imperative. So the minor mpg loss with the 17s is not really in my purchase mix. More importantly, appearance and ride - and the niceties that come along with the investment up to a V; LEDs and foglamps.
Fortunately, the last time I logged into Chat, on the home page, someone included closeup pictures of the 15 & 17s. (sorry I didn't get your user name...) Exactly what I desired to make a decision prior to test drives and purchase. The 17 alloys look awesome and would certainly enhance the appearance of, in my opinion, a very crisply designed automobile... which happens to be the most environmentally conscious state of the art vehicle available on the market.
Hopefully the V model 17" ride will stir the seat-of-the-pants-senses as well. Can't wait.....

 

Tire discussion tends to make my eyes glaze over. All I know is the 17s look much better than the dorky little 15s. But my eyes perk up a bit when I see a bunch of people in this thread estimating that the tires on the 17s will only last 20 - 30k miles.

I've got over 50k miles on my original Highlander tires, and I've got enough tread to probably last me another year. My previous cars, a Celica and a Mustang, each got 60k+ per set.

I know that not all tires are the same, but a 20-30k mile life seems crazy for any tire installed on a mass-production vehicle. In fact, that might be a deal breaker. I'm not buying a car where I've got to spring for new tires every 2 years. Are you guys replacing your tires after going through half your tread, or is this really all I can expect?

 

You can always just buy the package you want and upgrade to new rims later once your stock tires wear out. That is what many of us do.

Stock 15s vs. Aftermarket 17s

 

"It's always something"
...................Rosanne Rosanadanna

 

Rick, that was the original reason I took the picture. I know a lot of people were having a hard time seeing the difference between the two colors without a side by side comparision and similar lighting. It just happened to park next to this one so I pulled behind it and snapped a few shots. It's pretty drastic no?