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Winter Tires - Gen III

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by dkempster1, Jul 21, 2009.

  1. dkempster1

    dkempster1 New Member

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    Yes...I know it's only July.. but old man Winter DOES creep up on you here in the "Great White North". I have the Gen III "Techno", which (for som odd reason) has the 15 wheels. I'm thinking the 17" "optional" wheels may give me a bit more ground clearence IF I can use a taller profile tire than the recommended P215/45R17's.

    Does anyone know if the 17X7J rims with a PDC = 100, and an offset = 50 will accomodate snowtires of 55 aspect ratio?

    I also understand that for cars with 15"'s , I can expect an approx. 2/3 mph speedo error moving to the 17"s...can anyone confirm?
     
    #1 dkempster1, Jul 21, 2009
  2. ALS

    ALS Active Member

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    If running in the winter you want narrower tires not wider.
    I'd pick up a set of used 15" wheels and mount 185/65/15 snow tires on them. Save your new wheels for the nicer weather.
     
    #2 ALS, Jul 21, 2009
  3. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    Use your current 15" as snow wheels and buy some nice 17" to use in the summer.
     
    #3 32kcolors, Jul 21, 2009
  4. dkempster1

    dkempster1 New Member

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    Makes sense...but I was looking for the "low cost" solution... I have 15 rims and "summer" tires already... but need a full set of tires and rims for winter....from what I can tell the "premium" on rims and tires for 17's over 15's is about $20 a wheel... so I'd put the snows on the 17's...

    Plus I'm thinking the 17's might give me some needed ground clearance for winter!
     
    #4 dkempster1, Jul 21, 2009
  5. ALS

    ALS Active Member

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    The wider the tire the larger the contact patch. Weight is spread across a larger area. That means less traction when driving on snow. A narrow tire puts more weight into a smaller contact patch. The thinner tire can DIG into the snow instead of riding on top of it.

    Quote taken from Important Snow Tire Features - What to Look For
     
    #5 ALS, Jul 21, 2009
  6. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Err... trust the guys here. You want a smaller, narrower tyre for winter for better grip. (all else being equal)
     
    #6 Tideland Prius, Jul 21, 2009
  7. Radon

    Radon New Member

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    I'm getting a set of MICHELIN® X-Ice® Xi2 195/65R15 with 15" steel rims.
     
    #7 Radon, Jul 22, 2009
  8. jsharpe

    jsharpe Member

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    Tirerack has the Blizzak LM-25's in the 17" size for my package V on closeout sale for $99 since they have been discontinued and replaced with the LM-60's. Does anyone here have an opinion on how much better the newer version might be? Other than being a pound lighter I can't find much information.
     
    #8 jsharpe, Aug 2, 2009
  9. MSantos

    MSantos EcoAccelerometry

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    +1 for me.

    I've been using Michelin X-Ice strictly for winter duty because quite frankly, using the OEM LRR in the winter is akin to taking a gamble with your live and that of others sharing the road with you. No joke.

    Here's a little serious entertainment for those of us not clear on the differences between all-season & winter tires.






    Now, let us not forget that the OEM LRR tires are even worse than regular all season rubber in adverse conditions. :eek::eek::eek:

    Cheers;

    MSantos
     
    #9 MSantos, Aug 2, 2009
  10. Yaumeister

    Yaumeister New Member

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    Is it easy to find a set of 15 steelies that fits the Prius in the US? I can't find anything suitable in Europe that has the right size and offset, and I was debating whether to try and get a set of cheap alloys instead.
     
    #10 Yaumeister, Aug 2, 2009
  11. sumguy

    sumguy Junior Member

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    bump.
    hate driving in snow and ice and plan to get snow tires. guess I'll go with the above tires. I'm also curious 1) why buy winter wheels as well as tires 2) what are the wheel specs 3) are these easy to find and how much? I can probably find pricing and availability info if I knew the specs.
     
    #11 sumguy, Aug 10, 2009
  12. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    I was able to track down some steel wheels. They actually fit many Toyota and other cars. One downside is they are about a 1/4" shallower than the OEMs which mean they will stick out 1/4" more from the wheelwell than the OEMs. It won't cause any rubbing but will likely throw more grime on the side of the car.

    Anyway, I wrote the part number in a previous thread:

    5x100 bolt pattern and 15x6. The part number is SWX41557 and they are made in Australia. I bought from a dealer who got them from this company: www.sixrobblees.com (just use the 41557 in their search thingy).


    Peter
     
    #12 spiderman, Aug 10, 2009
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