I am trying to find out if the Five with the 17" wheels is higher off the ground (ground to bottom of door entry) than the other models with 15" wheels. If the car is higher off the ground it is easier to enter and exit if you are an older person, than if it is close to the ground. A toyota salesman told me the five is the same height from the ground to door as the other models. He said the 17" wheels make for a smoother ride but does not raise the height of the car. I have not been able to find a five at a dealer to compare. Does anyone know if the dealer is correct and they are all the same?
Makes sense because the overall diameter of the wheels remains roughly the same as the 17" wheels come with lower profile tires.
I calculated 625mm diameter for 17" tires and 634mm for 15's, so with this, the V should sit 4mm lower than the rest. IOW, no difference. based on [section width x ratio] x 2 + rim dia x 25.4mm ((215 x .45) x 2) + (17 x 25.4) mm The V will provide a firmer ride. You will bounce around a bit on those wavy freeway joints if you have them, like in my Coupe.
It should be very similar in height. The 17" wheels will make for a firmer ride because there's less tyre wall to absorb the bumps.
17" will improve handling given less sidewall, but in no way will it be smoother. There is, however, more padding in the wheel wells for a quieter ride (as recently pointed out in the "Obscure Facts" thread). Ben, what I'd want to ask is whether you need the height on the driver's side or one of the passenger's sides. The driver's seat is height adjustable, and assuming you're shorter in the torso, you might be able to raise the seat so that the door height is less of an issue. Now if it's a passenger door, you may be out of luck. Best thing to do is to find a lot with a 15" equipped version and a 17" equipped version and see if one fits better than the other with the driver's seat adjusted at an appropriate height (if gauging the driver's seat). For aerodynamic reasons, Toyota would likely keep the car as low as reasonable, so I'd doubt there's more than a fraction of an inch difference between the two.
It was pointed out to me that the 17 tire/wheel setup has a lower profile; thus less rubber between the rim and the road. Less rubber means less protection from potholes. And if you reside in the pothole capitol of the Western World like I do, MORE rubber is a desirable way to absorb "pothole shock". ...of course, if your vehicle falls into the pothole, the amount rubber surrounding the rim is a moot point. Welcome to Rockford, IL!!
