Prius V considering swapping wheels for 15" or different 17" tires - Advice Appreciated

The Prius is a noisy car, for lots of reasons, including lack of noise insulation.

I've driven lots of cars, from luxury sport sedans to pure sports cars, and the noise level in my Prius is on the sports car side of the spectrum. Actually, it's the noisiest car I've driven. I don't find the ride to be harsh, though.

Have you checked your tire pressure? Car tires are over inflated at the factory (so they don't go flat during transportation), and I've taken delivery of more than 1 car where the dealer didn't bother adjusting tire pressure during the PDI.

The 17" tires are pretty sensitive to changes in pressure. The sticker values are 33F/32R (I believe--check the B pillar sticker), and I tried increasing 5+ lbs (for improved MPG), but the increased harshness wasn't worth the trade off, so I'm back to the recommended pressures.

My advice would be to check tire pressure, and give it a few weeks. The 17" tires have improved handling vs. the 15" and it's not going to be cheap to replace your wheels/tires (and I agree the 17" wheels are very nice looking).

 

One more thing...if you get bigger tires, then you spare will not work when you have a flat. The spare tire's diameter is the same as the stock tires. The computer may not like mismatch tire sizes. And like stream, i run stock pressures.

 

Robby, give yourself some time to get used to the noise level. It's no Lexus but I don't think the noise level is high enough to be fatiguing on a long trip. There is a good chance you will get used to it.

There are several other options.

Search the forum and see what others have said about tire noise from different brands on 17 inch wheels. You might be a tire change away from quiet enough for you.

Tirerack.com has owner surveys that I believe rate tire noise for different brands and models of tire.

If you decide to go the 15 inch route, you should be able to find someone with 15 inch wheels that will pay you to swap. If you go that route, check reports on tire noise from Prius 15 inch wheels and swap for a set of wheels with quiet tires. The stock 15 inch wheels look good is you take the plastic wheel covers off. They are nice looking 10 spoke wheels hidden by plastic covers. If you swap, be sure the 15 inch wheels come with the TPMS sensors still in them, then take your car to the dealer and have him teach your car to talk to the new sensors.

 

since there are no structural differences between a Prius V versus any other prius model, i dont see why the stock 15" OEM wheels wouldn't work?

 

You only have to worry about this IF you change the diameter of the tires. If you stick with stock sizes, then don't worry about it.

BTW, my brother has 2010 Prius IV with 15 rims. I did NOT hear much difference in road noise, nor is the ride that much different. I did see a difference in MPGs though...he got about 2 mpg better than me as per the car's computer.

 

That's nonsense! There are hundreds of cars on the road with spares that have a totally different diameter than the normal wheels and tires. It may have a slight effect on the speedometer reading, but I doubt it and that would depend on which wheel it replaces. The spare is supposed to get you to a repair shop, not be used for cross country driving, although I see people on the turnpike that are obviously going long distances on the doughnut wheel.

The spare only has to reach the ground and I bet it will.

 

No your not feeling things, it is different. You should test drive a 15" wheeled car.

The choice of tires makes a big impact on the road noise. I put on 205/50R17 continental extreme contact dws and don't think the noise went up from stock yokahama's.

The prius has a stiff chasis which is good, but much of the suspension does not measure up to those in a Lexus. My previous car was a gs400. 17s do transmit much more road roughness The wider stickier tire does give me better traction that improves handling. The 15s will give you improved gas milage. I'm happy with the trade off, but you may be happier with the other tires.

I find you can overcome the lack of sound deadening and tire noise by turning the stereo up;-) I have gotten used to that. I would prefer a more powerful engine and a better suspension though. But its worth that trade off for the mileage.

 

15 inch tires will make the 2.5 turn steering feel a little bit less responsive because the sidewalls will flex more. You might not even notice it. It will be a good combination.

Given a choice, i would have gotten the 2.5 turn steering on my Prius that has 15 inch wheels.

 

MPG hit and rolling resistance are more noticeable than ride quality/noise when comparing 15" and 17" wheels, but it'll never ride like a Lexus no matter what wheels/tires you equip it with.

 

lol. You can just pump up the tires so they flex less The stering response of your car should be better than one with stock 15s. That is you will turn the wheel exactly as you do now. The spare will be fine for short distances until you get it fixed. The stock 15" tires are a little larger in diameter, so you speedometer and odometer may read a little low. I'm sure a dealer can change the tires size in the computer, but it really is only a small change.

 

I also have the Toyo tires, and they are not the cause of the interior noise--the construction of the car, and lack of insulation are.

 

I am sure you could find someone on this forum who would be more than happy to trade you their stock 15s for your 17s. All you would have to do is go to a dealer and have the TPMS sensor numbers switched or have the sensors themselves switched, the former seems much easier. Should be no issues as far as the car is concerned.

Should you do it? There is no way I would make that swap, unless I was the guy with the 15s. You might find it didn't make much or any difference in ride or noise and you would be stuck with a car that had the wrong wheels and tires on it. That's usually OK if you go up in size a little bit but going down in wheel and tire size would reduce the value of the car if you tried to sell it to a knowledgeable buyer.

There are some topics that explain how others have installed sound isolation materials in their Prius(es) and you could do that or have it done. As far as ride is concerned there is not much you can do. I like cars that have a firm ride so that''s never been a problem for me but I have noticed the noise.

I consider the Toyo tires to be very good, handling wet and dry, braking, and tracking are as good as any tires I have owned. They even work in the snow if you don't get to carried away.

 

You will not necessarily notice a difference in terms of ride quality/noise and slapping some 15" wheels on it will never make it ride like what you're used to.

 

Hmmm, show me one vehicle that comes from factory with a different diameter spare. Just name ONE modern vehicle from factory with a different diamter spare. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SPEEDOMETER reading!

Remember, modern cars have ABS, traction control, stability control, etc.. All of these systems base on rotational differences b/w the tires. If one wheel rotates faster than the other, then the system knows that that wheel is slipping. There is no magic dust that tells the system when you're slipping.

Now, you have a flat tire. You put on a smaller diameter tire as a spare. So, 3 tires have the same size (diameter), while the spare is smaller (diameter). What do you think the ABS, TRAC, or VSC think? You may be able to get away with it by driving really slow, but why risk it?!

So, i believe that YOU are the one that is nonsense!