Classic Prius Tires

I have the SP10's on my 2k3 Prius and still have not a lot of miles on it but they are wearing a lot better than the Potenza's on the 2k1 we had. I ran them higher than recommended and they did ok and I also run the SP10's higher than recommeded on the door jam sticker. 42, 40's front and rear. Same as I did on the Potenza's. When I picked up the car they were 28,22 front and rear! man did it ride smooth, like a Caddy. First stop was a gas station to pump them up.

 

I believe John has information about replacement tires for the Classic on his (excellent) web site.

 

Has anyone upsized to 15" wheels and tires on a classic, 2003. I am considering doing that to get away from the shoulder wear. Discount tire showed me a setup that included 15" rims and Yokahama tires 185/55 R15s. It will cost me close to $1K but if I can go more than 30K miles on a set of tires it will be worth it. Comments?

 

Blackbird, the trick is going to be finding 15 inch wheels that work (4 bolt on 100 mm circle etc). Stay within an inch on the outside tire diameter and you won't have any problems there.

The age-old argument was whether you need the original 84 load rating, even though 82 tires at their rated psi can carry more than gross vehicle weight on the (heavier) front. This arises because except for the tires already mentioned here, you probably won't find 175R65/14 with load rating above 82.

However if one considers the 185 width (same profile or one notch down) the load rating issue disappears. I used Nokian i3 of that width; they were also XL tires so they are basically beasts in terms of load rating. Very secure on the road as well.

 

Shoulder wear is often a sign of misalignment. New wheels won't fix that.

 

Actually the shoulder wear is due to my fairly aggressive driving style and a 2700 pound vehicle sitting on a contact patch more appropriate for a motorcycle. I still average ~50 mpg. The size Discount recommends is within 2 revs of the oem tires and rims. I am just concerned with how this may affect the gas milage.

Edit:
Another choice is the 195/50 R15.

 

How much for a pair of replacement tires? How many pairs can you buy with that $1k? How many miles will that drive?
5 pairs, will drive you 150k

 

Yea. I spent $50 at a used tire store for a pair of like new Kumhos that make the car ride like a Lexus.