Rims non-toyota

I had the same question as you and i found my answers by searching.

The problem with replacing the wheels is that you will lose fuel economy usually around 3-4 mpg. The big factors are the width and the weight of the new wheel/tire combo. Ultra light wheels are expensive!

As for the size they are a fairly common size. 5x100 with a 45 mm ofset. Many compact cars use these. Mazda, Honda and other Toyota's.

 

You won't lose MPG as long as you stay within a couple lbs of the OE wheel (15lbs), keep the width the same and/or use a tire that fits the OE specs of 185/65/15 and is LRR.

For a good LRR winter tire I would suggest the Michelin X-Ice Xi2. Many people report minimal MPG loss yet still have good traction with these tires.

 

I just got new snow tires in Feb for my new to me 2004. I 2nd the recommendation of the Xi2. They are the only winter tire that will come with a miles guarantee (40k). I got a set of steel rims from the same tire shop (Discount Tires) for something like $50/ea. Couldn't bet that online anywhere since I didn't have to pay shipping. With remounting twice a year, I'll have saved the cost of the rims in two years.

Gas mileage is 48 mpg when it was cold (Front Range Colorado) but with the warmer weather I'm up to 52 mpg. I will be switch back soon as this warm weather is no good for the tread wear!

Tom

 

Really? I have heard many many people say they have lost 3-4 mpg on average by going with a different wheel. I cant speak to the weight of the wheel the replaced it with but I would think a few pounds would make a big difference.

OEM 04-09 wheel is 14.3lbs based on what I have read.

 

5x100 toyotas have a 54.1mm center bore, which is pretty small, so almost any wheel that came off a FWD car with 5x100 bolt pattern will fit, the problem is the center bore.

aftermarket whees have an extremely large center bore, then you buy plastic hubcentric centering rings to adapt from the large wheel bore to your car hub such as 76.1mm to 54.1mm. Most new aftermarket wheels come with hub rings (not always) and if you buy a used one on ebay or craigslist they probably either don't have them or it wasn't designed for prius (54.1mm). If you are buying used wheels just assume you will have to buy a set of hub rings unless it came from a toyota corolla, prius, matrix/vibe or scion tc.

the problem comes with oem factory wheels from other manufacturers, they will be different center bore than toyota (usually larger) but you can't buy centering rings because they don't make centering rings to adapt from an oem size to another oem size.

I've got some nice 17" wheels from a friend moving away and didn't want to take them, they came off a dodge neon sxt, hub size 57.1, i've called a few shops and some say to just use them as 3mm difference is okay, other shops warn that any gap b/t hub bore and wheel bore will result in vibrations which are not only annoying but they eventually damage the car as well due to the constant shaking. This is because lug nuts are only designed to hold the wheel to the hub, asking the lug nuts to also center the wheel is asking too much of them.

I did find a hubcentric rings distributor on ebay that agreed to custom make me the 57.1 to 54.1mm hubcentric rings for $25 shipped.

 

The loss you speak of is usually associated with wheel upsizing. Going from a 15" wheel to a 17" wheel specifically. Simply going to a different 15" wheel with similar specs is not likely to change mpg much at all.

 

almost every decision in life has a cost and a benefit, going from 15" wheels to 17" wheels will result in loss of fuel economy (unless super expensive ultra light wheels are bought) but wider tires means better handling (on dry pavement only) and the larger wheels means better looks.

We have given OP all the information necessary for him to make a cost/benefit analysis and make an informed decision.