Hello all, Is it pointless unrealistic and otherwise futile to entertain a wheel upgrade and stay with the original small 15 inch tires? I can't get past throwing the mpg to the wind to have large 17 inch wheels. It seems logical (to me anyway) to look at wheels keeping the original tires? Should this not have the least negative effect upon the beloved MPG? Suggestions? Has anyone done such a ghastly thing to their Prius? My is a 2005 Gen II. Thanks, John
if you go with the lightest wheels and LRR tires, i'd think you could go a little bigger than the pathetic looking stock size w/out ruining mpg. i was getting 50+ using 205/60r15 tires; but i think my battery's getting tired cause i'm only getting about 47 now. but even if you do like the oe size, nicer looking wheels couldn't hurt. just not some extra shiny chrome bama wheels with afrosheen slobbed all over the tires.
The Prius wheels are light and fairly aerodynamic. Its unlikely that you'll find a wheel that matches them in either category. It pretty much comes down to which is more important to you, the wheels or mileage. You might not take a huge mileage hit, but you should be prepared for the worst.
I switched to the Prius 5, 17" within one week. Never had an idea what I would have gotten with the factory 15" wheels. New to the Prius, the fuel mileage is exceptional. I won't miss what I never had. Nice wheels are important to me on every car I drive. It's a fair trade off. Back in 1972, I was in the Air Force, stationed in Spain. I purchased a new Seat 850D. I upgraded the minuscule 12" wheel to 13" for a better look? It really did look better.
