Gen 4 Wheel, Tire and Center Cap Specs

I'm not sure. Tire Rack shows a lot of 15" alloy rims in the 14-15lb range, as well as a few in the 19+ range. So if the OEM 15" Toyota rims weigh 19lbs, they are on the beefy side.

Slightly tempting to get alloys for my snow tires, but I keep reminding myself that the steel rims cost roughly half as much and with the snows on the MPG takes a 10mpg hit anyway. They are on the car only for a few months, so why worry about a bit more weight?

 

True, unfair comparison in my case. The 3rd gen 17" rims are about 24 lbs I think. The 17" rubber is heavier too. Getting them installed is right at my limit, have to raise the car just enough to get some clearance, and work smart.

 

I can't imagine that: The outside diameter is the same, and the inner diameter is larger. That suggests less material, and lighter weight, doesn't it??

 

I was kinda shooting from the hip, but checked, got lucky. These are TireRacks spec's for Bridgestone Ecopia EP422. Not a big difference, but more:




The extra width starts to add up, plus they have the rim protrector, I guess.

 

The 17" is roughly 10% wider, 215 vs 195mm, and weighs about 10% more, 20 vs 18lbs. As you say, less sidewall in the 17's but that may be offset by more reinforcement in the tread area needed for the wider tread, and/or the weight of the rim protector.

 

I had a bit of a brain bubble in my last posting, the 15" snapshot was for 195/60R15. Here's 195/65R15, happens to still be 18 lbs, anyway:

 

No, not at all. Most of the tire mass is in the bead and tread area, not in the sidewall area (which is indeed smaller with the 17"). The 17" bead is larger in circumference. The tread is wider, and about equally large in circumference.
Merged.
I thought I'd seen the standard 3rd-generation 15" wheels listed at 15-16 pounds earlier. ??

The 13" steel wheels for my Mazda were about 13 pounds.

 

Thanks! That makes good sense. (I forgot about the width difference, and certainly that mass of the bead material (is it steel?) would be greater...

 

It's only a matter of time, and I will skin up my hubcaps by taking a corner too closely. (Don't ask.)
That's why I'm leaving the hubcaps on, so I don't skin up the nice wheels underneath. (I like these Prius Prime hubcaps.)
Merged to add:
Edit to add: the dealer I bought from, offered a "black out" package. The plastic hubcaps were painted gloss black. As were all the emblems. On a black Prius, with dark tinted windows, it looked like the Batmobile.

 

Gen 4 2016 four with 15 inch alloy wheels look much better than with OEM full wheel covers, thanks for the part number. Toyota OEM parts email questioned about the full cover, waited for the back order. Pretty proud of these little center caps: 4 x part 4260352170 Total $80.11

Snapped right into place, they look great!
My Gen 4 center caps arrived today! Thank you for posting the correct part number, 42603-52170

 

I'd reluctantly disagree, think the rims look ok, but a little utilitarian. At least much better in silver. With bad luck Toyo will opt to black 'em out at the mid-term update. At least with the centre caps they look finished. Interesting difference to the centre cap jaws.

One positive to owners taking the covers off: if enough owners do this, maybe Toyota will wake up. I recall a parts department rep explaining to me there was no steel rim available (for snow tires) because they wouldn't want their "flag ship" vehicle rolling on lowly rims.

 

OK Mendel, suppose you bought a 2016 Prius with the stock 15" wheels. Would you:

(a) leave those (hideous IMO) plastic covers on (cost =$0)
(b) remove the covers and install the caps (cost = $80)
(c) buy a set of alloys elsewhere, say from Tire Rack (cost $400-ish + $? shipping + say $100 mounting and balancing, re-using the TPMS sensors)
(d) buy the Toyota accessory alloys (cost = $900)
(e) buy a set of steel wheels ($212 from Tire Rack + $? shipping + $100 mounting)

What would you do and why?

 

(b) remove the covers and install the caps (cost = $80)
What would you do and why?[/QUOTE]
There is one best right answer to minimize cost, eliminate any MPG hit, and maximize looks...

 

I would leave it stock, and hold my nose. If I had to, but for me it's more or less a deal breaker: last time around, in 2010, I went with the 17" rim model, because it dodged the plastic rim debacle. They've closed that door with the 2016.

 

Wow, even if someone forced me to keep the plastic atrocities (IMO) on it I would still buy the car. Ugly as they appear to me, they are still in the acceptable range of ugliness.

I forgot option (f) Plastidip the covers (cost = $?)

 

I don't much like the look of those $900 rims either, they're chrome aren't they. IIRC the new plug-in was sporting some interesting looking 15" silver finish rims. I liked the rims they had on the first iteration of PIP. Too bad they don't just slam on a set of those.

Basically, when you're blowing that kind of money, you want it right, not the commencement of a project, to fix Toyo's design foibles.

 

How many of you feel totally silly paying over $75 for those tiny caps (like I did) ?

I really like the transformation, but the $$ is cazy.

I would face dire repercussions would it be found out by my significant other.

 

$80 doesn't bother me a bit, the improvement is worth it. Besides, I dropped $$$ for the car and then various $$$ for accessories, so $80 does not loom large.

 

I ordered the caps a couple days ago and the dealer said the national backorder is 124 and 115 have shipped.

 

Worth waiting for...