Which tires came with your Prius C?

Finally remembered to check mine - Bridgestone Potenza RE80 185/60 R15 84H

 

Hi Automo--where did you get the Scion wheels, what do they weigh, & is the offset correct for the C?

Thanks!

 

Anthro, I'm sorry for the slow response, I missed the alert. The weight was a little disappointing they weighed at 17lbs:
. The steelies w/o out the plastic hubcaps weighed 15.4:
. Offset was 39mm, I think. Regardless they fit perfectly. If you buy an aftermarket wheel, beside being concerned about offset, insure the center hub opening is the correct size hole. The Scions were a perfect fit for the 'C'. Hope that helps, sorry again for the slow response.

 

I got my wheels at Import Tire, But I just read a post from "Red 2012" that their Scion wheel inventory is gone. The wheels are from a Scion xB, I think 2006ish. 4X100 bolt pattern. I chose those because of the 15X6 size so my tires would transfer, and the price was reasonable.

 

Thank you! that does sound a bit heavy. (as a sometime pilot, I'm always thinking weight. And more generally, unsprung weight in particular.)

 

I agree with you. When I made the decision for purchase, my decision was based on width and offset. I knew the alloys may weigh the same as the steelies, no way weigh more! Good news is the mileage and the handling were unaffected.

 

I'm similarly considering wider wheels (Enkei RPF1s in 15/7 with Michelin Energy Saver A/S 195/65/15s) and wonder about fitment with my C with the standard steering (as opposed to the 16"-wheel steering). Tire Rack says they think it'll fit, but I'd appreciate hearing from anyone with expert knowledge!

Thanks

 

Me too. I don't plan to buy tires for a while but when I do, the biggest fattest I can fit in there is what I will buy. My aftermarket wheels are 15x7. I am tempted to pull one of my 205x60x15 s off the front of my baja and see if I can fit them in there.
Dan

 

That may not be a bad combo assuming the speedo error is accounted for. In theory, rolling resistance is lower with a wider tire but the trade off is higher weight and worse aerodynamics. If weight can be kept the same then your only worry is aerodynamics. At speeds under approx. 45mph, aerodynamics are not very important so a Prius c driven mainly in the city may benefit from a wider tire. In theory anyway.

 

Thanks Dan & F8L.

Aerodynamics is distinctly a consideration but at the moment I'm busy fretting about the tires rubbing on something (since the C4 option w 16" 195s needs a bigger turn radius). Any info on fitment would be great. (I'd be fine with narrower tires, for aerodynamics, but 195s are the narrowest that fit the Enkeis I'm coveting, for their fabulous lightness, at 9.5, count 'em, lbs! So the weight, wheel plus tire, will be lower than stock, since the 195s weigh only a pound more. The RPF1s also look beautifully made.

BTW, why would there be speedo error? They're the same diameter, 15/65, as stock.

 

Nah, the 175/65/15 is a 24" tire and the 195/65/15 is a 25" tire. It would be quite large on the c. A 185/65/15 would work better as would a 195/60/15. The larger tires would help correct the speedo error from the factory BUT you would then be driving 1-2mph faster than you normally would and that would negatively affect your fuel economy unless you consciously drove slower.

 

I always thought that the rolling resistance was HIGHer with a wider tire, more road contact patch.? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Check out my post from a while ago. You have to try pretty hard to make tires rub on this chassis. That said, your tire size is wrong; if you want a 195 wide, you'll need a 60 aspect ratio on a 15" wheel to approximate the factory 24" tire diameter. Tire Rack should know better than to recommend a tire that's too tall. The aspect ratio is a percentage of the tire width, it's not an absolute overall diameter like off-road tires.

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It sounds reasonable but the math says otherwise. It can get confusing but check this out.
Barry's Tire Tech

Barry is an engineer and well respected in the car forum community.

 

One more question about wider tires (195/60/15) for the C: does the width impose a turning resistance that would be problematic for the steering system, as in parking?

(I know 195s are a Toyota option, but with a different steering system. My brother, a Prius enthusiast, thinks he's encountered steering-force limitations on his Gen II.)

 

My New Zealand Prius C s-Tech wears Japanese-made Bridgestone Ecopia 195/50R16 84V EP25's. They are listed at Bridgestone locally as being made for Prius, and have no max. weight / max. psi on the sidewall. So far, I'm very happy with these tyres..

 

I didn't conduct any thermal analysis or longevity testing, but I also didn't find any steering-assist problems when I test-fit the 215/45-16 Kumho XS's I borrowed from my friend. The steering effort was somewhat higher, but that's because the electric assist is only programmed for a certain level of assist based on steering angle and speed [and possibly g-forces]. The combination of the massive increase in width plus the sticky summer compound was noticeable but not objectionable, IMO.

FWIW, I didn't notice any effort difference between the stock 175's and the LRR 195's I'm currently running. Just for the record, I feel sorry for anyone that got shafted with the factory "16 wheel" steering rack. There's no good reason why Toyota limited the throw, because even with 215's on the normal rack, there's no chance for rubbing on stock suspension. *shrug*

 

Mine comes with 15X5 alloy wheels and 185/60R15 Bridgestone Potenza. Thanks to the in depth infos and opinions from this forum, I've switched the wheels to 15X6.5 Konig wheels and maintain the stock tyres. So far the minimum MPG is 20km/L (47mpg), max 27km/L (63mpg)