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16" Wheels

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by Bill60546, Mar 27, 2004.

  1. Bill60546

    Bill60546 Member

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    Have seen a couple of comments regarding "European" wheels which maybe 16", not 15" US. Is this true? Will 16" rims work on the US Prius without any mechanical difficulties? (scraping wheel wells, steering mechanisms, etc.) Do the appropriate tires for 16" rims have a high enough psi content so as not to degrade MPG? Thanks!
     
  2. seasalsa

    seasalsa Active Member

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    Take a look at:
    http://www.toyota-europe.com/showroom/prius/specs.asp

    They show the wheel size as 195/55R16 for the European Prius along with the rest of the specs.
     
  3. boa8

    boa8 New Member

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    European and Japanese Prius has 16'' (195/55R16 ) wheels as STANDARD:

    [Broken External Image]:http://homepage.mac.com/boagh125/.Public/PriusWheels.jpg

    [Broken External Image]:http://homepage.mac.com/boagh125/.Public/PriusWheels1.jpg

    I assume, it shouldn't be a problem. Just check if these wheels are compatible with drum brakes at the rear, as here in Europe we have disk brakes front and rear.
     
  4. jeffrey

    jeffrey New Member

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    I wonder how much this switch would throw off the mileage, since one 16" wheel revolution would then take you further than one 15".

    Now I wonder how much further :)

    Peace
     
  5. ggood

    ggood Senior Member

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  6. Bill60546

    Bill60546 Member

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    With regard to 16" Japan/Euro vs 15" US wheels, the specs from Toyota Europe converted to US MPG are as follows:

    exta urban conditions 4.2 l/100km equals 56.003MPG
    urban conditions 4.8 l/100km equals 49.003MPG
    Combined l/100km equals 54.701MPG

    Since the US Prius is 60 MPG city and 50 MPG highway with a combined of 55 MPG, on first pass, it looks like about a we are about equal with no loss (minor) or efficiency impact caused by the different wheel and tire size.
     
  7. thockin

    thockin New Member

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    Does anyone have a US source for these wheels? Can I use the standard Prius tires, or should I get lower profile tires? Cost?
     
  8. Tempus

    Tempus Senior Member

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    You'd have to replace the tires. These are 16" Rims and the US tires are 15". That's why people are asking about the change in diameter

    Europe = 16" Rims with 195/55R16 tires.

    US = 15" Rims with 185/65R15 tires.

    The actual circumference is pretty darned close, so you wouldn't have to adjust the computer unless you wanted to.

    While trolling around the setting screens the other day I did find a place that you can apparently adjust for tire size, but I didn't explore it.

    You can go to tirerack.com and they list both 15" and 16" replacement rims for the '04

    They're usually pretty good so I'd assume they've researched the offset and are only recommending ones that would have sufficient clearance, while not sticking 6" out of the wheel wells, hehe.

    http://www.tirerack.com/upgrade_garage/Whe...04&autoModClar=

    What I'm curious about is weight. If I were going to do it I'd want to make sure the rig didn't weigh significantly more than the current setup. But, no one's weighed a wheel yet it seems.
     
  9. boa8

    boa8 New Member

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    Nothing to do with the wheels.
    The way consumption is calculated (standard cycles etc.) differs a lot between US and Europe or Japan. You cannot convert it and compare apples to apples.
     
  10. Bill60546

    Bill60546 Member

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    Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
    We apologize; we do not recommend modifying our vehicles from their original factory specifications.

    Modifications could affect the vehicle’s performance, safety or durability, and may violate government regulations. In addition, damage or performance problems resulting from the modification may not be covered under warranty.

    Your email has been documented at our National Headquarters under file #200404120901. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.

    Toyota Customer Experience

    Customer () 04/10/2004 04:23 PM
    Good day. It is my understanding that the Japanese and European edition of the 04 Prius has 16" wheels with rear disk brakes as compared to the North American edition which has 15" wheels and rear drum brakes. Are the 16" wheels interchangeable with the NA edition? Do they use the same lug nuts? If so, what are the part numbers. Secondly, can the NA edition rear drum brakes be converted to disk by removing them? If so, will the ABS and VSC still be effective without any computer or system changes? If so, please advise part numbers for the rear disk brake parts necessary to make such a change.
    Many thanks!

    The above is Toyota's response to the 16" wheel and rear disk brake issue. I dont believe that anyone with a "techincal background" at Toyota has reviewed this question. Just posting the response for everyone's info.
     
  11. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    Ohhhhh...so that's why they started TRD, because they don't want anyone to add anything extra to their cars. Makes lots of sense now

    :roll:
     
  12. hedwig

    hedwig New Member

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    And now that you've been documented, we'll be keeping tabs - if we find out you've changed tires, there will be a Toyota Certified Wrist Slapper at your door within the hour!

    :p
     
  13. Bob Allen

    Bob Allen Captainbaba

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    For those of us who are not engineering students: What's the advantage of 16 in wheels over the standard 15in? If the added diameter only adds up to 0.1% increase as mentioned in one of these posts, is there enough increase in tread contact to make any appreciable difference?
    I have no plans to change wheel sizes; am just curious. Seems like there is an inordinate number of tweeker geekers out there who are convinced that Toyota only got it about 96% right when they built the car. No offense meant; I'm merely amused and not passing judgement.
    HUMU
     
  14. 04prius

    04prius New Member

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    More metal less rubber = Better lateral acceleration (turns) less energy lost to heat in tire smearing, less rubber to dispose of/consume. Sometimes the new combo will also be lighter. Some people like the look of more metal and less rubber.
    If done correctly the speedometer will still be accurate. The key is keeping the overall outside diameter of the rubber the same as stock.
    8)
     
  15. assagor

    assagor New Member

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    Wouldn't smaller rims mean less unsprung weight (weight not on springs) Which would equate to lower rolling resistance/inertia, meaning better mileage. Larger rims in general will help increase top speed, or make small potholes feel even smaller, but they are mostly there for looks. Smaller rims and wheels should provide better acceleration and overall MPG. Hope that helps.
     
  16. Jonnycat26

    Jonnycat26 New Member

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    Not entirely true... larger rims don't really dictate how your car will behave over potholes. If you have large 17" rims, and low profile tires, you'll feel every pothole, and possibly lose tires when you smack them at a good speed.

    Most SUVs with larger rims use more rubber than cars with large rims.
     
  17. Jonnycat26

    Jonnycat26 New Member

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    Not at all true. Any advantage you have at higher speed will translate down to lower speeds. It won't be as dramatic, but you'll still have an improvement.
     
  18. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    > Not at all true.

    If you have proof that overwhelming, please provide it.

    I certainly don't believe that claim. It contradicts the observations I've made with both bike & rollerblade wheel sizes... both of which are very sensitive to radius changes.
     
  19. Jonnycat26

    Jonnycat26 New Member

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    I think it's up to you to prove it here. I know, for certain, that if you go and compare track times and grip numbers on the same car with different tires, they go up for the bigger wheels. Easiest way to see it is to look at the various Jetta variants with 15, 16, and 17 wheels. The 17 will out perform the other variants in the slalom, and provides more lateral grip.
     
  20. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    > out perform

    What does that mean? Numbers please.

    Also, how does that apply to Prius? Perhaps the switch from 14" to 15" was the big improvement. 16" could suffer from deminishing returns, where there is almost no handling benefit with that extra inch.

    And of course, starting from a dead-stop is easier with a smaller radius. So MPG suffers in stop & slow traffic with bigger tires.