I Need opinion on Ride Quality with 17's

You have to do it. The 15's felt like balloon bicycle tires I hated the car in winds, it was very twitchy. I kept my stock wheels for snow tires. I put on a set of Scion tc wheels with Nexen 215's, and the ride instantly improved 200%. It tracks straight, sits solid and and looks pretty fine as well. You'll take a 10% hit on gas mileage, but it is well worth it - your mileage will start to go up again around 8,000 miles.

Congratulations on your car, now pull the trigger.

Oh, and grab a BT stiffening plate as well, it's subtle but an important mod.

 

It looks really nice with 17" with it, and I can imagine the improvement on traction.

10% on MPG ... it can be worth it, if you push your car hard around the corner, otherwise compromise it with 16" will be more balancing.

 

That's a sweet looking car; would look *really* great in white
[laughing]

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Another suggestion for the OP: keep the tires and wheels and mod the suspension instead.

Add the TRD parts and maybe a TOM's suspension brace or two; the car will feel lots tighter.

 

Generally, I hunger for cornering performance, but I also don't like spending money. My experience with my previous car with 17" tires is that, generally, they are significantly pricier than a comparable 15". There's also that initial investment for the wheels. With the low-profile sidewalls, it is easier to curb your wheels, if you're not careful. Potholes are the arch-nemesis for 17" wheels. They bend and get damaged easier. There's no question to the performance benefits, but the downsides are something to consider.

 

I installed a set of Scion 17" wheels/tires and have never looked back once!! Better handling and road feel but your gas milage will drop due to the added rolling resistance.

Oh yeah, they look great too!! Welcome to the Prius "family"!!



<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(agron1979 @ Aug 13 2007, 06:37 PM) [snapback]495011[/snapback]</div>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(agron1979 @ Aug 13 2007, 06:58 PM) [snapback]495123[/snapback]</div>

Well, the ride quality will suffer as you go up in wheel diameter. I swapped out the original 16s on my Touring edition for 15x6.5 forged wheels (Motegi) with 205/60-15 Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S tires. Add in the TOM'S front (upper and lower) and rear suspension braces and the car rides as good as it gets and cornering is like the wind. If someone doesn't know how to drive their car, and I am on a downhill section, I am running away from them. I have done this twice in the past week - once with a MINI and the second time with an E46 328i. Before the TOM'S braces, the car's handling was best described as wallowing - even the Touring edition.

 

Get the 17s!!! It handles much better but the ride is a little harsher but it looks a lot nicer!