Went back several pages and did not see this, so I thought I would start a new post ... What are the advantages of the different wheel sizes? We are planning to buy a Prius in the next couple of weeks and are interested in the different options. Thanks.
On a Prius, larger wheels are mainly for style/looks while smaller wheels give better mpg's. To keep the overall circumference the same size, a larger wheel (17 inch) has to have a much shorter sidewall than the standard 15 inch. A shorter sidewall is stiffer and can give better handling (less tire flex and roll) but at the expense of ride quality. Also larger tires are more expensive to replace.
