2008 Prius wheel on 2011 Prius?

I put Gen II wheels on my 2011 just yesterday with winter tires. no issues

 

I actually prefer the look of the gen2 alloy wheel sans wheel covers over the gen3 wheels sans wheel covers.

 

I have a set of gen II wheels in the garage with snow tires on them, will be putting them on within the next couple weeks. They fit fine.

 

I'm considering (as one possibility) putting the 16-inch wheels from my '08 Prius onto my upcoming Plug-in. Here below are some before and after pics (the latter Photoshopped of course). Any thoughts?

 

i like them! if you can put gen II wheels on a gen III, why does the spare not work?

 

Your plug in will come with alloy rims different than the ones you have in the first pic.
http://images.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/08/2012-Prius-Plug-In-Hybrid-015.jpg

 

Yeah, Adam, that's what my wheels will look like alright, and that's why I want to replace them!

First, they're not that attractive (what's with those danged flying buttresses on the spokes?) and second, they're at least an inch too small in diameter which makes this otherwise very attractive car look boring and silly. I've always liked the look of those 16-inchers on my '08 Gen 2, so I thought maybe I could simply transfer them to the Plug-in when it arrives in January. Today I asked Paul, my local Toyota parts manager, if there will be any fitment issues, so I'll get back here with his answer. Matt and Vas say that theirs fit just fine, but I'll see what Paul has to say.

I've thought about 17-inchers, but there's 10 zillion out there to choose from (it's driving me crazy!!), and besides I'm now all angst-ridden about the extra weight of bigger wheels killing my fuel consumption figures, although perhaps super-light (and, unfortunately, super-expensive) 17s might offset that problem. Anyway, I'm still undecided about which way to go, but thought that maybe the 16-inchers might be a nice compromise, and as I said, I've always found my Gen 2 16s to be very attractive.

Btw, the photo of the Plug-in I used above is from a UK brochure, so it would seem that the poor British Plug-in owners get even uglier wheels! Why, Toyota, why?

And Bisco, I know nothing about the spare issue you mention above. Is this something I should know about?

 

Just be careful which tires you choose. The wrong tire could cause a 3-4mpg loss in HV mode.

 

I'd like to get some good grip out of the tires I choose (safety) plus get high mpg, so of course it will be a compromise. With all that in mind, how do you rate the Michelin Primacy MXM4? I just discovered it has sunflower oil in its tread compound, so it must get good fuel consumption! On the Tire Rack site it says, "Most Primacy MXM4 tires meet Michelin's Green X standard* for low rolling resistance that confirms the tire's contribution to reducing vehicle fuel consumption and emissions of CO2 gases."

 

The MXM4 is a great tire. It's not very fuel efficient but it's not terrible either. If you want safety and comfort then go for it. Read my tire test thread. You can find it in my signature.

 

Thanks for the advice, F8L.

I've always liked the tires that the big white guy with all those spare tires and love handles makes, so I guess I should look at the Energy Saver A/S as well, but of course, before I make any decision on tires I'll have to decide what wheels I want. Aaaahh!!

 

Matt and Vas, could you possibly post some photos of your Gen IIIs with Gen II 16-inch wheels? That would help me a lot with trying to decide on whether to use mine on the Plug-in. My Photoshop job above gives me some idea, but there's nothing like the real thing to really focus the mind.

 

I

I haven't put them on yet but will get to it within the next week to two.

 

Thanks! I look forward to seeing your photos.

 

I got answers from my parts manager and from my salesman about using the Gen II 16-inchers on my Plug-in. Here's the parts manager:

"I believe that you shouldn't have any problem with that fitment."

And here's the salesman's take on it:

"I think they all look good. I also like the wheels that the Plug-In
comes with. I'd say a switch of wheels could be possible, but I
wouldn't myself. You would be trading a set of brand new wheels for an
older set. There is also labour involved switching the wheels and/or
tires from rim/car to car."

Does anyone know if there is any down-side to using "old" wheels? As far as I know, my wheels are still in good shape, never abused, and I only have 55,000 km (34,ooo miles) on the car (with winter wheels/tires used approx. 4 months per year). Do wheels deteriorate via cracking, corrosion or otherwise to the point that they might fail eventually?

 

If they don't show any signs of corrosion which I doubt they do after only 34K miles, you're good to go.

The only thing that can make a wheel go bad is they get corroded around where the tire is sealed on them which is very rare in today's day and age.

 

Thanks for the info, Vas. I've kept my car (including wheels) in pretty good shape so I guess they're probably okay, then. I'm looking forward to those photos.

 

The GII wheel/tyre combination is close to the limit for good tyre life re load rating. The GIII is a bit heavier than the GII. So you will be even closer to the limit.
It's the rim width that's different, along with, of course, slightly wider tyres.
Putting a tyre on a rim that's too narrow will cause excessive wear. You WILL find a nice range of "compatible rim width" in tyre charts. Do check that out and compare using the GIII tyre size for each tyre you might use.
I -suspect- there will be no problem. But you -will- be running closer to the limit.

 

Thanks for the advice, David. So if I'm reading you right, you're saying that at 6 inches wide, the 16-inch wheel and the correspondingly-sized tire on my Gen II are really too narrow to adequately take the increased weight of the Gen III. Does that mean that the stock Plug-in's wheel is 15x6.5, and if so, is it that extra half-inch that makes the wheel (and a suitably-sized tire) able to bear the greater weight of the Plug-in? I've looked for official info about the width of the Plug-in wheels but have found nothing, only the wheel's diameter.