I was wondering if a lot of people here with Prius base models use a tire change (from worn/damaged tires) as a good opportunity to switch to Touring 16" tires? Is this a common practice? I imagine the price difference is negligible. Do the Touring tires fit well on the base models despite the different suspension? I was thinking of doing this when it's time to replace my tires but was wondering if I might run into any problems.
No, but some people with touring models switch the other way around, generally for better mileage. Tom
I think almost everyone just puts on wider (195mm) and/or better (e.g., Goodyear TripleTred, Michelin HydroEdge) 15" tires, with the most common size being 195/60/15 because its RPMs are closest to the RPMs of the OEM 185/65/15 Integrities.
You are facing a bit of an expense to do this, unless you are quite willing to use plain steel wheels to hold the new 16" tires. You can buy wheel/tire combos at decent prices, or you can buy them separately. Just remember to purchase a wheel that fits the Prius. You can use a few different tire sizes, but only one wheel size (5 lugs x 100). You can buy the original equipment 16" wheels, but the Toyota retail price is greater than $400 per wheel (and the wheel covers retail at about $85 per) -- and you'll still need to come up with the lugnuts and center cap yourself. You may find a refurbished set available for $600 to $800 (just a guess), but then you also need to buy the tires (add another $300 to $400) plus mounting and balancing. My further guess is you'd do better to buy after-market wheels already available at a local store or online (on sale!). Also: Don't forget that the tire sizes are different. If you have a significant change in the circumference of your tire, your speedometer will measure a different speed than in its current configuration.
