Are there any advantages or disadvantages to sticking with the standard 15" steel wheels, or do most upgrade to the 15" alloys? I personally don't mind the look of the steel wheels w/ covers.
C I - steel wheels w/ covers. C II - steel wheels w/ covers. C III - steel wheels w/ covers. option 15 inch alloy. cost about $390 with moonroof $850. C VI - 15 inch alloy, option 16 inch alloy. cost about $11XX with moonroof. advantages - looks better. may be little lighter. lol disadvantages - nothing bad. same as the steel wheel.
Well they're cheaper to replace (though you probably won't need replacing) and you can change design (different wheel covers).. Alloys look nicer without the large black steel rim behind the covers and they may or may not be lighter (Toyota didn't specify lightweight alloys for the c). Really it's just a preference and at $390, it's just whether you want to upgrade or not. In the winter, you probably want steel rims so that you won't mind getting them damaged by salt or potholes.
the nice thing about the steel wheels is that they are pretty easy to cover up. see me and habanerobomb. $39. looks better than factory. of course, that just me speaking
Without knowing the specs for weight between the two I cannot say. Obviously the lighter wheel will enable better gas mileage as long as there are no major aerodynamic differences. Assuming the weight is within a few lbs of each other then it comes down to cost and aesthetics. Usually steel wheels are heavier. Or at least they used to be.
I used to work in tire shop and I replace thousands of tire on alloy and steel wheel. 99% of the time, steel wheel is way heavier than alloy. lol about couple lb on each one. four of them could be over 15 lb heavier than alloy. the good news is they are very durable and cheap to replace. lol
I'd imagine that in Wisconsin, a dedicated set of snow tires on their own wheels would be a sound investment. If so, you may be looking at buying a second set of wheels anyhow. TireRack.com has pretty good prices and selection and great advice. You can start looking there to see what makes sense for you.
I just checked the site and they have only tire for Priuc C now, they should have some wheel later. I will take the OEM alloy and buy the steel wheel as spare. I think the OEM alloy is DOT and better quality? I saw many cheap low price alloy crack after 2 years of usage.
a while back I came across accident; on narrow country road someone crossed line and to avoid head-on collision oncoming car end up running onto the curb. The right front alloy wheel shredded into pieces from impact. In situation like this steel rim would have bent and kept rolling. Granted it was an old Prelude and impact likely bent frame enough to get car totaled. The advantages of alloy is lighter weight, marginally better MPG and bling factor
