Can you recommend 17in wheels for IV?

There are approximately 12,457 17" wheels that will fit on the car. You need to start looking around to find the style you like. http://www.tirerack.com/ is a good first place to start as they will sort their relatively small selection by vehicle for you, but you may want to browse a couple tuner magazines to see how vast the selection of different styles of wheels really is.

The stock 17" tires are incredibly heavy for a "weight conscious" car at 24 lbs each. You'll be able to get wheels that are a lot lighter and will save some MPG and provide quicker acceleration and more nimble cornering at the same time. The sunroof IV with aftermarket wheels is the way to go by far, you have good taste!

 

May be heavy like normal OEM wheels but I like the wheels off of the Scion Tc. I had considered putting them on mine until I decided on the Prius V (I already had a set)

 

I would try to keep your aftermarket wheels around 18 pounds or less. Also, consider that some countries have strict safety/quality standards and many don't. Wheels from Japan, Germany, and Italy, for example, need to pass strict national standards. Some manufacturers have standards even higher.

 

I had bad experiences with them but many people like them. Ordered a set of 18" rims a long time ago with Michellin Pilots for my son's 300ZX. After the order came I found that one of the wheels didn't fit. Called them found out the wheel was discontinued and they searched the warehouse to get 4 matching. Sent it back and new one didn't fit either. Third one fit. As I was backing the car out of the garage (no more than 10 feet) one tire went flat. Had a cut in it. They said it was road damage and they couldn't warrant it. My driveway and garage floor are clean. This was a defect from the store. Any way a couple hundred later and a few months down the road, one rim was slightly bent from a pot hole. They couldn't replace it. (also told me the life of an aftermarket rim was 3 years).

I have avoided aftermarket wheels since then. I like the Scion Tc wheel style and while heavier than aftermarket wheels, I know they are designed to Toyota spec's and you can always get a replacement (same for the 17" OEM's on the V). I would have put them on my Prius had I not gotten the V. I probably will use the set I have for snow tires.

 

You are likely to get better handling but the tradeoff will be not quite as comfortable of a ride. They (17 inch) will look much better as well, of course.

 

I don't think the V has any suspension changes.

It does have a smaller steering ratio which will make the steering feel tighter and more responsive, but by how much I can't say. Toyota is not known for road feel in general so the quicker steering may not even make that big of a difference.

 

I think the steering ratio is the only difference in the models. That was a concern as I was worried that the large lock to lock steering in the other Prii would be like the 2001 Tacoma I had. Normally when you go around a curve you simply "think" your way through it, but with the Tacoma it had so slow of a steering that you had to do a hand over hand turn of the wheel on sharp turns. It took some getting used to. The V will feel "normal" to you


I don't find the ride uncomfortable but I'm used to driving "sporting" cars. Coming from an Audi you won't mind the 17". As far as handling, which was a major concern of mine in going to a Prius, all I can really say is it's good. I can't compare to an older Prius or II thru IV. I just know it's "sporty". It doesn't wallow and is not mushy like my TCH. I love the way it handles. The fact that I'm satisfied with it tells me it is better than I thought it would be.

As some have mentioned I would consider a 16" if I was going with aftermarket. It's probably cheaper and may give you more options. For an OEM quality, you may be able to pick up a set of Scion wheels AND tires for less than $600 on eBay. That way if you didn't like them you could probably sell them with little loss.

 

I must say I am very interested in this thread.

In Australia, whether we get the base model or the i-Tech, we only get 15" wheels. There is no 17" option. I am still awaiting my Prius (any day now) but a friend of mine insists that I should change the 15" wheels to 17". I know that weight is a problem in the i-Tech because they have even dumped the spare wheel to save on weight (you get that?)

Anyway, it was good to read that the standard 17" wheel on the V is a heavy 24lbs and to go for something like 18lbs. But can anyone tell me how heavy the standard 15" wheels are? Can we get a super lightweight alloy in 17" that comes in better than that and perhaps even stronger - or am I just dreaming?

 

Just out of curiosity, are there any possible benefits to having a heavier wheel, like being more likely to stay planted on the ground given the type of suspension being used? or less likely to be damaged going over a pot hole?

 

I've had 3 BMW's, 2 300ZX's, a 350Z, an AudiTT, a Vette and an Infiniti FX45. It doesn't meet those levels of handling, but it doesn't make me miss them either.

Test drive a V

 

It would actually be the opposite- heavier wheels take more force to keep planted when they want to bounce up. It's easier for your suspension to keep light wheels planted.

The damage aspect just comes down to material used and design. The only general rule is the lighter and stronger something is, the more expensive it is. I'd guess the heavy 24 pound 17" wheels are pretty strong, but I'm sure there's something lighter and stronger (and probably more expensive) out there. If you were to buy a $50 17" wheel that weighed 15 pounds, I'd guess it was a pretty weak alloy. If the same spec wheel cost $500, it's probably made from something very strong (marketing BS aside of course).

The only possible benefit I can imagine, besides saving $, is the higher inertia while cruising. I don't think this will be a real 'benefit' unless you accelerate once out of the dealer's lot and set cruise control and never slow down until you trade it in 5 years later. The added force necessary to accelerate and decelerate the higher unsprung mass is going to be a much much bigger factor, and even while cruising you have to continuously accelerate to counteract drag.