So I'm in. Our '04 gave us 229,000 almost trouble-free miles. Picked up a '12 PIP Advanced with 36,000 miles. Happy so far, but lots to learn! Two quick questions-- a) I have snows on the Gen 2 Prius wheels. These will fit the '12, right? b) I heard a buzzing sound coming from the car this afternoon. I hadn't driven it since last evening and had it plugged in overnight, but had removed the plug this morning when I turned it on to try to reset the TPMS. That was hours earlier. What could have that sound been? PA P
A) second gen has smaller outside diameter than third gen; 185/65R15 vs 195/65R15, IIRC. Enough to be significant IMO. Also, are your snows mounted on separate rims? 2nd and 3rd gen rims may be interchangeable? I'm using 03-08 Corolla steel rims, which are fine. B) very likely the sound is normal. There's a sound that happens hours after shutdown, something to do with evap system I think.
A) It looks like the circumference of the Gen 3 tire is almost 2.3% more than Gen 2. I'm okay with that. I'm concerned about the bolt pattern and offset. I had heard that it works, but just wanted confirmation. Yes, my snows are mounted on original Gen 2 Prius rims. B) Thanks.
Maybe someone can chime in to confirm rim compatibility. I strongly suspect yes, since 03-08 Corolla rims work, on 3rd gen. And I believe 4th Gen as well, but I've nothing to back that up. It just seems to me there's a lot of commonality between models and gen's, no reason to change it. How much tread depth left on your snows. If borderline, and even anything less than 8/32" remaining starts to impact snow traction, I would just ditch them and get correct size.
Thanks. I found this on wheel-size.com— 2004 185/65R15 6Jx15 ET45 5x100 2012 195/65R15 6Jx15 ET45 5x100 So the wheels are identical size, offset and bolt pattern. I thought the Gen 3 may have been half inch wider, but that is not the case. My X-Ice's are still in decent shape and are great in the snow, so I'll keep them on. My next question is whether my Saris roof rack will also fit the Gen 3, but I'll search a bit before starting a new thread.
