Dealer says steel rims not strong enough?

[CGYPrius]

I'm getting quotes for snow tires, and the dealership is telling me that I can't go with steel rims as the 2010 Prius' are too heavy, and I need to remount the snow tires on the factory aluminum rims as they are stronger. Because of the weight, they say the steel rims are not safe. I've searched for over an hour and can't find any mention of this anywhere else on the forums, and I've see plenty of discussion about people using steel rims on their Prius'. Is there any truth to this?

[Pohaku]

I don't know whether that's true or not, but you could ask the dealer specifically what authority they are using to support their claim. It should be more than just "because we said so."

[DavidA]

The BS meter is running to the right on this story.

I have a Chevy van that's at least 1,000 pounds heavier than a loaded Prius. The el-cheapo steels wheels on that haven't collapsed on me in the 16 years I've driven it.

Think about it another way. Each steel wheel only has to support 800 pounds, at most.

[ceric]

Alloy wheels are popular because they are strong "enough", they look good, and they are lighter. Not because they are "stronger".

[Frankblack0503]

Your dealers knowledge must be poor...
16 inch silver painted steel wheels are available as an accesory.

[ragman]

I autocross a big heavy v6 mark4 Jetta on steel rims...

[spinkao]

Originally Posted by CGYPrius

I'm getting quotes for snow tires, and the dealership is telling me that I can't go with steel rims as the 2010 Prius' are too heavy, and I need to remount the snow tires on the factory aluminum rims as they are stronger. Because of the weight, they say the steel rims are not safe. I've searched for over an hour and can't find any mention of this anywhere else on the forums, and I've see plenty of discussion about people using steel rims on their Prius'. Is there any truth to this?

You would *never* imagine what a salesperson told me at my dealership when I asked the same question. The guy told me that steel rims are not allowed on Prius because it is a hybrid and the alloy rims serve for electrical insulation!!!
And he offered me the original alloy rims for $800 *each* - so $3200 for *four* original alloy rims (not including the tires)!

I just stared in total disbelief and hanged the phone, saying nothing more. Called another dealer and got four original alloy rims with Nokian WR tires installed for $800 (although the rims were not brand new but slightly used - I didn't mind for that price ). He also added original (but slightly used) Prius all-weather mats for just $25 .

[Jim05]

Sounds like a snow job from your dealer just trying to bilk you out of a practical solution. Save some time and money and get a mounted set from TireRack or someone else who actually knows what they're talking about. Steel rims (various design and strength considerations) have been used on cars weighing 6000 lbs and more for many more years than alloy. Alloys are generally better in weight-to-strength, but steel is perfectly acceptable. BTW, have you looked at your compact spare -- it's steel. Maybe the dealer can tell you "it was never intended to be used because it's not strong enough".

I can never get over that Toyota allows their dealerships to lie, cheat and steal the way they do. Seems like corporate reputation isn't a priority to Toyota anymore, and we all already know the car dealer/service stereotype that your dealer seems to be trying to live up to. Hopefully, this is a relatively isolated case since I've seen a number of posts here on PC from dealers/service depts that are concerned about their reputation.

[hitechboy]

Steel wheels are a lot stronger the most alloy wheels. That's the reason why most people use steel wheels in winter. If you hit a curb, there is less likely that your steel wheel will get structurally damaged.

But steel wheels are a lot heavier then alloy wheels. I don't know if it's out of spec for the Prius design? But it will eat up your mpg for sure.

[Airbalancer]

The dealer in peterborough ontario sell Toyota steel rims for the Prius for $70 each
Tell you parts he is full of shit , and send an email to the owner and tell him why you will never go back there!!!!!