15" or 17" Wheels

Well said.

 

You're right.

But I suspect that 95% of people with 17's are just going for looks. Most people don't buy the Prius for handling....

 

I agree that the 17" are just for looks. That little bit of size difference won't make a huge change in performance.

 

I strongly disagree. I have 17's on my 2008 and since swapping the rims/ tires the car feels much more stable and safer in emergency maneuvers. IMO it looks much better, and handles much better with a slight sacrifice in fuel economy and a harsher ride.

 

Since you are cutting the sidewall height by almost 1/2, in order to keep as close to the original 15' circumference, you will certainly 'feel' the road more, and all other things being equal, will have a more responsive car as a result. This is one of several reasons that I am picking a Prius V over the others...

 

It may seem to be handling better and even if it is handling better, I doubt it is really that big of a difference.

I have to park in the sun all day long and like having a sunroof so I'm going with the solar package no matter what.

 

Probably a little more road noise in the cabin too. That decreases the "luxury" quality but increases the sense of "sportiness". So, it's a matter of preference.

I've had low profile tires for the past 5 years. I'll go with the 15s this time, looking forward to a quieter highway ride. I guess I'm getting older.

 

ggood: The way we currently understand it, those replacing 17" with 15" shouldn't have any issues. It's the 15 moving to 17 that might require some work.

Erica

 

what about the wheel turn ratio (with regards to lock-to-lock)? I read somewhere here that it was 2.75 for 17",3.5 or 3.75 for 15".

 

Buy a car with 17 inch and swap to 15 inch and you get the smoother ride and better economy of the 15s and the quick steering that comes with the 17s but with that is a slightly bigger turning circle for the 17 inch wheel car over the 15 inch wheel car even after you fit 15 inch wheels.

 

Does anyone have a picture of what the 15" wheel/tire looks like on the 2010? So far everything I've seen has been the 17"

 

I'm confused.. they're going to upgrading the 15" steering eventually?

 

After racing many cars and trucks for almost 2 decades I strongly disagree. Upgrading to a 17"combo from a 15" factory combo is a pretty huge difference. I can definately feel the limitations of the tire when pushing through fast corners. The 15" tire will literally start rolling under the rim when pushed hard, this is evident by the scrub marks on the sidewall after taking a series of hard turns. The 17's give much less and do not roll over so easy.

 

However, the handling of a car when racing it versus driving it normal is completely different.

 

That sucks. I don't like how they are going to be changing so much after the car is already out there in the world.

I'm already holding off until the iPod connection is standard w/ the navi package

 

Have you owned a Prius and done the swap yourself? I've gone back and forth many times and I remain in disagreement. The car just feels different with the 15"s. The closest you can get to the feel of the 17" is running 60psi in your 15" tires and even then it is not the same.

 

It doesn't matter if it is a Prius or any other car. For normal every day driving I don't see it makes that big of a difference. As I stated before, I know it does make a difference, just not big enough to make me want to pay the extra money for it and loose out on the solar package.

 

The Prius comes with a very small tire package given its high weight. A larger tire combo does indeed make a difference even in daily driving so it, IMO, is not like every other car. That is also one of the reasons for its horrible stopping distance. A 185-195/65/15 tire is a pretty small tire for a 3,000lb car (avg. weight)

You should get what you want, I'm not trying to sway anyone to go 17s over 15s. I am simply giving my opinion based on my experiences with the car over 90,000 miles of playing around with different rims/tire combos.