Are the 17" tires really that much better for Gen 5?

I would trade my 19" wheels for 17s straight across. I hate the rough ride mine give.

 

I've never had the larger wheel on my Prius; part of the reason I bought an LE was the wheel size. I have owned other cars and prior Toyota products and replaced lower profile tires/larger wheels with smaller wheels and tires with more sidewall.

I wonder whether Toyota had anyone from the canadian or northern US markets choosing the stock wheels and tires for their higher trims. Toyota makes good cheap cars ("cheap car" as a genre, not that they are modestly priced), but with NVH worse than some cheaper cars and suspension tuning flintier (you feel and hear every small impact even the the overall suspension isn't actually very firm) than VWs had 25 years ago.

Combine that suspension tuning with a giant wheel and insufficient sidewall and that flinty quality is magnified. The Prius feels as if its suspension was tuned for the deeper sidewall of a smaller wheel.

If I thought the wheel would fit over the larger front brake discs of the AWD models, I'd put on a set of 16" Prius V wheels.

 

isn't mpg part of the equation?

 

In the Canadian market, other'n the Plug-In version, the ONLY option is the 19" rims. Ditto for AWD, that's all they're offering.

 

Way easier and cheaper buying tires in the future if you switch to 17".

 

Even the 17" size is quite elusive. 195/65R15 was so easy.

Have to chuckle when I see Ford and Mercedes transport vans, big suckers, with 16"/17" rims, sensible profile tires,, then here's these Primadonna Prius.

 

And almost 10% better fuel efficiency or increased EV range.

 

I believe that would also favor the smaller wheel and skinnier tire.

215/55/17 is a common enough size.

 

Perhaps, but it’s not what Toyota spec’d:

 

Wished Toyota had an “middle” size as an option.
I swapped out the OEM 19 tires for winters and run 225/18 R50 Michelins A/S4 (36psi) for the other seasons.
Quick check on Tire rack site this morning list 97 models available in that size.

Much improved ride, handling and steering feel. Added bonus is the car is more planted and stable and does not wander around in high cross winds on the highway.

Not much of a hit in terms of fuel economy. In the most Ideal weather conditions a few weeks back (no ac and no heat used) and based on where I drive, I got consistently 81km (50.6m) indicated range per charge on a daily basis.

 

True.

The Toyota spec is for a size barely present in our market, but 215/55/17 will fit the wheel and is a size for which Tire Rack has over 100 choices.

 

For those who value Ride, Handling, Steering Feel and Highway Stability; I would recommend 18 over 17 when the OEM rims are 19s.

YouTube Everyday Driver

 

I have switched to 17 inch wheel for summer and I love it:
Custom wheels:
TOYO EXTENSA II A/S 195/60R17
Alloy rim Fast EV01(+)

Yes, width of tire is important for friction on road and in air!
Smaller rim and bigger tire are rolling a lot better on roads (Even with higher pressure for low rolling resistance) and in air.

Prius 2023 speedometer is calibrated with 17 inch wheels. I have seen this with an habitual long distance that I was used to do with a Prius 2005. I have confirmed it with Apple Plan. 19 inch wheel circumference is theoretically 1.9% higher than 17 inch. Since MPG is function of distance, display of 1.9% less efficiency with 19 inch wheel can be directly explained by this false calculation. 1.9% could get higher because of 17 inch tire greater flexion that reduces diameter of the wheel and then its practical circumference (That's why I always put higher pressure then recommended in Prius tires, anyway it's getting lower as days are going by).

 

Always a trade off between Ride and Handling. Just what balance you like at end.
I’ve always known that Toyota Suspension Tuning is target specific.
So Economy car will have a target buyer that value ride compliance and fuel economy.
Sports car buyers would value handling, steering feel, higher lateral loads and higher brake effectiveness.

With a taller sidewall you get better fuel economy and better ride compliance at the expense of Steering Feel, Handling Precision, braking effectiveness and (to a smaller extent) Highway Stability.

Those are some of the reasons the Every Day Driver video chose the 18 over the 17. They prefer the handling of the Prius to be closer to a GTI vs an Economy car (stock 195/50 R19).

 

You're wright! I prefer economy, comfort and better reliability on bad roads!

 

I chose 18 for the same reason vs the OEM 19 that I now use in the winter.

I also did not like the OEM handling and lack of steering feel. With 195 width there was very little steering effort even in the sport setting. The car was also not very stable in high cross winds.

Ride I find pretty good on the OEM 19s, meaning the car is very softly sprung with a Soft Bump and probably a Mid level Rebound Damper setup.

 

The masses who buy Toyota cars couldn't care less about tyre sizes, road noise etc.
If it looks sexy then it ticks one of the boxes. Toyota cater for the masses like every other manufacturer.

 

I don't care what the masses want. These damned wheels hurt my back.