Custom Wheels and Tires - GreenHybrid

mgirazian · #1 (**permalink**) 07-05-2005, 09:34 PM

Has anyone pimped out their Prius with 17 inch wheels and tires ? What effect on ride, road noise and mileage ?

Schwa · #2 (**permalink**) 07-06-2005, 03:01 AM

There are pretty stern warnings in the manual about using anything except the recommended wheels and tires. Hard to know if this is just an attempt to sell more Toyota parts or a genuine warning, but I think there would certainly (at a minimum) be a hit on FE.

krousdb · #3 (**permalink**) 07-06-2005, 05:20 AM

I would be concerned about overloading the power steering components first of all. My second concern would FE. I'm just guessing here, but wide tires could decrease FE by as much as 10%.

Personally, I love the OEM wheels and the OEM tires are acceptable for every day driving. If you have a lot of snow where you live, you might want to get a separate set of snow tires.

Dan

MGBGT · #4 (**permalink**) 07-06-2005, 08:33 AM

In terms of looks, I actually prefer the OEM wheels and tires that come with the Prius in Europe (and maybe othe rmarkets): I believe they are 16" rims, and I know that this is a matter of personal taste, but I like those and wish we had a choice here in the US between the US stock and the Euro stock.