19 or 20 inch wheels for gen 3?

As long as you get the same outside diameter as the stock tires, you shouldn't have a problem as far as the speedometer goes. Wheels and tires have no bearing on any 'computer' or hybrid system components or anything else. You'll only notice a handling difference as a more 'sporty' ride which is either negative or positive depending on your preference.

At the 19" and 20" sizes, the wheels and tires start getting wide though, so there may be some rubbing issues when turning hard. Maybe you'd have to roll the fender. I suspect there will be a limited selection in wheels and tires that will fit, but like anything I'm sure it can be done if you're willing to pay.

 

Yes. It would look terrible.

 

Here's my $0.02. With 19" or 20" wheels, the sidewalls are going to be so extremely low profile, it's going to be like driving on rubber bands. Very harsh ride, and prone to damage from road imperfections.

And even on a sports car, going to 19" or 20" typically decreases handling performance compared to 18" wheels.

As for looks (not that you asked)...my mother taught me if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything.

 

oh yea . . . it's a good look . . .



all you'll need is a couple circus clowns along side of you, with big shoes and honking horns



.

 

experiance people... the OP is looking for experiance.

there was an L.A. dealer that used to equip Gen II models with 18 inch rims with no problems... and my Gen II has 17's on it.. (same as the package V gen III) sooo... i assume 18's or 19's would fit.

 

there are also nice 15 inch.... better mpg

mm maybe i can get some 12 inch? low rider.... right?

 

Tire Size Calculator - A Brief Guide to Tire Selection

 

the thing that's nice about a larger wheel.. my 17's for example... less wheel flex equals better acceleration out of parking lots and through corners... the tire's on the Gen II's likes to trip traction control.. but with my larger wheels, it squeels and actually accelerates. (no tripping traction control) im' not sure how entrusive the control is on the Gen III's...

you Will feel the road a lot more. maybe not the little bumps.. but you'll feel the contour of the road more... it feels like the front end is twisting instead of absorbing.

 

thx for that link

 

Another issue is that your MPG (as calculated by the car) will be wrong if the overall tire dimension changes (gets larger).

You probably should put some spinner hubs on there too....:smokin:

 

As long as you keep the same outer diameter you will not affect the speedometer or the mpg calculator much at all.

MPGs themselves are going to come down to the unsprung weight and the amount of rubber on the ground.

18s are definitely an option. To match the outer diameter, 225/40-18 is a real common size but may be too wide. 215/40-18 are available as well in a more limited selection.

The big problem I would think is once you start getting into 19 and 20 inch sizes, the sidewall profile is going to be tiny. You're going to start to get into the 'hard as a rock' handling zone. If the looks are more important than the plush ride, then go for it!

 

I like the look of the bigger wheels. Like it was said in the earlier posts, you will probably want to keep it 18" and below to maintain a decent ride, but I will be very interested to see what you do. I plan to put bigger wheels on my Gen III package 4 as I was forced into 15".

I think all the haters here are need a smug check.

 

From another thread, here's some 17s: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...igger-wheels-gen-iii-prius-ii.html#post908862

 

Hook up with some phat 22s and park it like it's hawwwwwwt! lol....all jokes aside, I would be interested in seeing some high quality pics once you make a decision. I wonder if blacked out rims would look good?

 

I do too within reason. I think no matter what size you get they still look small on a Prius due to the large area over the front wheel well and the large flat slab side. I can't imagine though wanting to drive anything shorter than the 45 series tires. But then again, I've grown past that. Youth can make you bear many things just for the looks.