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Why would Toyota elect to use "w" rated tires?

Discussion in 'Prius v Technical Discussion' started by Hurricane Gio, Nov 8, 2011.

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  1. Hurricane Gio

    Hurricane Gio New Member

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    My wife's Prius V 5 came with 17" wheels, which look great. Now, I am fine with the low-profile 5o Series tires. By why the W rated tires? These are harder and rated higher than Z rated ones.

    H or even V rated tires are more than adequate on a Prius. ;)
     
    #1 Hurricane Gio, Nov 8, 2011
  2. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    I buy H- rated tires for all my cars. They are stronger than S or T ones and are still reasonably priced. Higher rated tires are wasteful on a Prius (max speed 104 MPH).

    JeffD
     
    #2 jdenenberg, Nov 8, 2011
  3. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    Are they 'run flat' tires?
     
    #3 firepa63, Nov 8, 2011
  4. Hurricane Gio

    Hurricane Gio New Member

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    Nope
     
    #4 Hurricane Gio, Nov 8, 2011
  5. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Is there a load rating difference between the V and W tires? Is there even a lower rated version? available?
     
    #5 F8L, Nov 8, 2011
  6. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    OEM tires are usually of poor quality - it's not just Toyota by any means. I can only assume they're chosen for mileage ratings and cost. An extra few hundred dollars of profit on each car would really add up.
     
    #6 hyo silver, Nov 8, 2011
  7. Hurricane Gio

    Hurricane Gio New Member

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    No idea. But i assume the 17" 50 series would be lower than the 16" 60 series tires.
     
    #7 Hurricane Gio, Nov 8, 2011
  8. Hurricane Gio

    Hurricane Gio New Member

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    My 93 Honda Civic Si came with nice OEM tires, as did my 2000 Jeep Cherokee ann my 2004 Ford Explorer. All came with TOL tires, IMO.

    Now my 2011 Subaru Outback, comes with ok OE Continental tires.

    The Toyos on the Prius v 5 look nice and so far feel great. Toyo makes some nice tires.

    My point is why put High Performance Street tires on a Hybrid wagon?

    Same with my neighbors, Mazda 5. Falken HP Z rates low profile tires.
     
    #8 Hurricane Gio, Nov 8, 2011
  9. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    There are not a lot of cheap LRR 17" tires out there so maybe these were as close as you could get to LRR while still being cheap. I would think that price negotiations between the two manufacturers also played a large role in the decision.
     
    #9 F8L, Nov 8, 2011
  10. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    With the Gen II Prius, Toyota specified higher rated tires because of the weight of the front end. Perhaps they did the same with the newer Prius.

    Tom
     
    #10 qbee42, Nov 8, 2011
  11. Hurricane Gio

    Hurricane Gio New Member

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    I guess thee are super cheap tires. But I found plenty of reasonably priced tires by Michelin, Goodyear, BF Goodrich, Kumo, Cont, Pirelli, Yokohama, Dunlop and Bridgestone in a V rated tire. Even a few H rated form Michelin!

    Hopefully we can get 20K out f these OEM tires.
     
    #11 Hurricane Gio, Nov 8, 2011
  12. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    The primary market for those sized tires isn't low performance cars.

    Higher speed rated tires usually give better handling and some people get the 17 inch option for the better handling.
     
    #12 xs650, Nov 8, 2011
  13. Hurricane Gio

    Hurricane Gio New Member

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    Speed rating are about maximum speed compared the the vehicles load.

    Speed rating
    The speed symbol is made up of a single letter or an A with one number. It indicates the maximum speed at which the tire can carry a load corresponding to its Load Index
     
    #13 Hurricane Gio, Nov 8, 2011
  14. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I think a lot of people will switch out the worn oem tires for the Primacy MXM4 once they read the reviews.

    There are a lot of tire options out there. Some are cheap, some perform well, some are very efficient and some have great longevity. You usually only get to choose 3 of those 4 characteristics. :)
     
    #14 F8L, Nov 8, 2011
  15. Hurricane Gio

    Hurricane Gio New Member

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    Not a normal driving speeds. No really. I have had HR rated tires handle better than Z-Rated tires when I had my Rice Burner Honda Civic Si back in the day. that's not true. its about top speed!

    So why would toyota design a car to use 15-16" wheels, then be forced at the FACTORY to put HP/LP tires to get 17" to work? Design the car with the max wheel sized desired form the factory, add use the appropriate tires. No if some looking for AFTERMARKET wheels, then they can cram 18' or 19" wheels if they want.

    Look at the Venza. Stock 20" wheels and they are NOT HP/LP tires on any model. IMO, Toyota messed up here with factory 17" wheels with a W speed rating. Toyo could make the same OE tire for Toyota cheaper and a more appropriate speed rating.
     
    #15 Hurricane Gio, Nov 8, 2011
  16. Hurricane Gio

    Hurricane Gio New Member

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    that's the tire I am thinking of. I love Michelin tires and prefer them over any other one. Can't wait to ditch the Conti tires on my 11 Outback.
     
    #16 Hurricane Gio, Nov 8, 2011
  17. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    They come in both V and W ratings. :) I got the V, obviously.
     
    #17 F8L, Nov 8, 2011
  18. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    Most 20 inch wheels are sold for the bling factor.
     
    #18 xs650, Nov 8, 2011
  19. Hurricane Gio

    Hurricane Gio New Member

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    Sure. But I am taking about OEM, not AM. Look at the Venza the the Infinity F series SUV.
    20" regular profile tires.
     
    #19 Hurricane Gio, Nov 8, 2011
  20. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    You didn't know Prius v can hit 149 mph? j/k
     
    #20 usbseawolf2000, Nov 8, 2011
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