PRIUS steel rims for winter tires

Silverback · 11-25-2004, 12:08 PM

I jsut spoke with my Toyota dealer regarding steel rims for the Prius. He was surprised a the price, as was I: $121.00 cdn per rim. In contrast, 16" rims for my Tundra were only $85.00. The dealer was not able to tell me if the rims were built differently or not. Given the lightness of the stock alloys compared to aftermarket alloy rims, I'm wondering if Toyota has specified a lighter weight for the steels as well. At $121 I'm going to swap the tires onto the alloy rims, I think.

Bill

deh2k · 11-25-2004, 12:31 PM

I got a set of winter snow tires mounted on rims from tirerack.com. I think the price for the 4 rims was about $125 US. They even included a set of lug nuts since the steel use a different kind than the aluminum rims.

BTW, I have not had a chance to try the Blizzak WS-50s in the snow yet but I think they ride better than the OEM tires on dry pavemen. That's unusual for snows.

jayman · 11-25-2004, 01:56 PM

I asked my local Toyota dealer if the Prius needed "special" steel rims and they said No. Apparently, the ones from the Matrix fit just fine, and since my local Toyota dealer is selling them to fit my Prius, if anything IS wrong, guess who has to pay for it?

I would strongly recommend you do NOT mount/remount the all-season and winter tires on the alloy rim. That will quickly destroy the rim. The whole point of having separate rims for the winter tires is to protect the alloy wheels from road salt and other damage.

Most "studless" snow tires will in fact ride smoother/softer than all-season tires, especially those God Awful Integrity's that came with the Prius. The winter tread compound on a studless snow tire is very soft and squishy, so it really cushions those expansion joints.

The trade off is sloppy handling on dry roads, which you have to expect once you actually feel just how soft and squishy the treads are. In addition, the studless tires are heavily siped, so again sloppy handling on dry roads.

I wouldn't trade that for good winter performance though. I've sworn by dedicated winter tires for a long time, they will save your a**.

11-25-2004, 12:08 PM	#1
Silverback Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Kelowna, BC Posts: 29 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	PRIUS steel rims for winter tires I jsut spoke with my Toyota dealer regarding steel rims for the Prius. He was surprised a the price, as was I: $121.00 cdn per rim. In contrast, 16" rims for my Tundra were only $85.00. The dealer was not able to tell me if the rims were built differently or not. Given the lightness of the stock alloys compared to aftermarket alloy rims, I'm wondering if Toyota has specified a lighter weight for the steels as well. At $121 I'm going to swap the tires onto the alloy rims, I think. Bill

11-25-2004, 12:31 PM	#2
deh2k Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 239 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Re: PRIUS steel rims for winter tires I got a set of winter snow tires mounted on rims from tirerack.com. I think the price for the 4 rims was about $125 US. They even included a set of lug nuts since the steel use a different kind than the aluminum rims. BTW, I have not had a chance to try the Blizzak WS-50s in the snow yet but I think they ride better than the OEM tires on dry pavemen. That's unusual for snows.

11-25-2004, 01:56 PM	#3
jayman Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Winnipeg Manitoba Posts: 6,168 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: B Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 4	Re: PRIUS steel rims for winter tires I asked my local Toyota dealer if the Prius needed "special" steel rims and they said No. Apparently, the ones from the Matrix fit just fine, and since my local Toyota dealer is selling them to fit my Prius, if anything IS wrong, guess who has to pay for it? I would strongly recommend you do NOT mount/remount the all-season and winter tires on the alloy rim. That will quickly destroy the rim. The whole point of having separate rims for the winter tires is to protect the alloy wheels from road salt and other damage. Most "studless" snow tires will in fact ride smoother/softer than all-season tires, especially those God Awful Integrity's that came with the Prius. The winter tread compound on a studless snow tire is very soft and squishy, so it really cushions those expansion joints. The trade off is sloppy handling on dry roads, which you have to expect once you actually feel just how soft and squishy the treads are. In addition, the studless tires are heavily siped, so again sloppy handling on dry roads. I wouldn't trade that for good winter performance though. I've sworn by dedicated winter tires for a long time, they will save your a**.

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