Issues with changing wheels on a Prime XSE from 19" to 17"

I just went from 19” to 17” on my ‘24 XSE and there was only one size that matched the circumference of the OEM wheel and that was 125/55/17. The weight of the smaller rim/tire is virtually identical to the 19s I removed. The speedometer remained dead on as well as the miles meter due to matching the footprint of the OEM wheel / tire. The ride is now quiet at highway speed, the handling seems better, and I had a nice number of tires to choose from. I have not tested mileage.

If you go to an 18 inch wheel from 19 inches, there is also one identical match to keep your mileage and speedometer synced up accurately - 145/45/18. I am not sure, however, if this will fit - if it does, it may be tight.

 

Wow. What a difference in driving with the new wheels and tire size.
Handles much better and looks much better in how it fills the wheel well.

No issues what so ever.

 

Anybody do this change (go from 19" to 17" wheels), but just get the toyota stock prius 17" wheels for lower cost and simplicity? Assuming they are lower cost, that is ...

 

Okay, I’m not an engineer so I hesitate to get into this discussion… but I will. I just switched fro XSE 19” wheel to a 17” wheel. I chose a wheel and tire size that was the same circumference as my OEM 19s. So tire went from a 195/50r/19 to a 125/55/17. Both wheel / tire combinations had the same circumference and thus the move to the 17” setup did not bugger up my speedometer and odometer. And I weighed both sets and they were virtually the same weight… and that was hard for me to believe. So the continued assumption that 17s will always be lighter may not be true.

 

You mean 225/55/17.

The reason your 17" is the same weight as the stock 19" is because your new wheel and tire are wider. The stock wheels are 17x6.5 and 19x6.5. I'm guessing your new wheel is something like a 17x7.5 or 17x8. And then your new tires are 30mm wider at the sidewall.

If a person switches from 19" to 17" and keeps the width the same, it's almost certain the new setup will be lighter. (Assuming a person doesn't buy a wheel made of cast iron of something. )


edit: Looks like you went with Enkei FD-05, so it must be a 17x7.