Those who have replaced 15's w stock 17's...

I replaced my 15" OEM rims to 17" 2 days ago. Before buying a set of rims make sure to match the weight of your new set of 17’ to the opt 17’ OEM of the Prius.

15’ Oem rims weight is around 16lbs
17” Oem rims weight is around 24 lbs

and since there is a 7lbs or 8lbs difference of weight the steering wheel of the Prius base 15” are calibrated differently.

My 17” are weight 20 lbs, and notice the steering wheel a bit harder to turn, however I feel its more stable now compared when I had the oem15’ and the steering felt really loose for my taste. Good luck

 

Any chance of a picture of you new rims, what make, model of rims & tires and where purchased and for how much?

 

I had a set of 17" aftermarket wheels and 215/45/17 Yokohama tyres fitted from delivery (see photo).

The car certainly handles better, rides perhaps a little firmer, and loses approximately .8 litre/100 km in fuel consumption over an equivalent standard car on 15" wheels and 195/60/15 tyres....all of which I expected and am happy with.
There is no difference in the turning circle, and the car has been in for service twice (including the recall software update) with no detrimental comment about warranty issues from the service advisors.

Appearance-wise, in my opinion, the 17"wheels are so much better visually than the 15"standards they are worth the small economy hit alone.

 

What model number wheels? Nice!

 

img132.imageshack.us/img132/3619/priusneo2.jpg check this link

MB 17' viper wheels 20 lbs 40mm offset
Yokohama Yk520 215-50-17 810 revs per mile
1G discount wheel, and tire installation

tires are a bit off with the ideal 830 revs per mile so get the size 215-45-17

 

Just check my profile, its a bit empty because I have only open my profile 2 days ago, but a member ever since, however I have an album. MB wheels, yoko tires 1g discount tire.

 

I think the best cheap option would be the BBS option wheels off a Saab 9-2x!

 

If you do, you have to make sure it's the correct bolt pattern. The 9-2X is essentially a Subaru Impreza/WRX. I believe after the 2006 model year, Subaru changed their bolt pattern from 5 x 100 to 5 by 114.3. I did the research because I was hoping that the WRX STi BBS rims would fit (they don't).
If you do find the right bolt pattern, you have to keep in my the offset of the rims also. I bought some used 16" WRX rims with the correct bolt pattern but the offset would have probably caused some rubbing issue without the use of spacers. Never ended up using the rims so I sold them.

 

No, Saab 9-2x BBS (which is a WRX) had 5x100. STI only came in 5x100 in 04, 05+ had 5x114.3. Offset on the 9-2x is different than the stock Toyota offset by like 3 or 4mm if memory serves me correct. 5mm is not enough to make a difference.

I ended up going with the Scion TC wheels, much cheaper

 

I ended up going wit the TC wheels as well. They look good on the Prius but boy are those suckers heavy. I've suffered about a 4.5 MPG loss after the switch, but I'm starting to accept that fact. You could definitely feel the drag at highway speeds. Maybe changing to some LRR tires after this set wears would help slightly (fingers crossed).

 

How heavy are they, I think it was listed as about 20lbs? Tires are heavier too.

I doubt the difference is that great if you are talking about just adding rims/tires. You probably drive faster around the turns and get on the gas quicker as a result of the better handling.

I am mostly using these for racing anyway, so it's mostly going to be an experiment when I put half slicks on it

 

IMHO, I don't think the 17's and 45 series tires look quite right on the Prius. Most of the time, 45 tires are used on cars like - Mazda 3's, GTI's, Matrix S, Civic Si, and others that are definitely in the sporty car category ....

... the Prius is most definitely Not in the sport car category, even the V due to 134 net HP.

I think Toyota ought to have stuck with the 16" wheel as found on the Gen2 Touring car, but fit it with a 205 width tire.

I did the math yesterday and found a 205/55-16 tire diamter is even closer to the 195/65-15 diam than the 215/45-17.

This is what a 205/55-16 looks like -



And btw, a Civic is as long as a Gen3 Prius.

Not saying the Prius wheel would need to look like that, but the wheel and tire size look very balanced. Not to mention the combo would be lighter than the 17's. I've driven a III on twisty tarmac and it's nicely composed, so the 16 would be even better.

I called a tire store yesterday, found out there are no 16" hybrid type tires on the market in 205/55-16, just the 195/55-16 Touring tire which would be a bit small on the Gen 3. Not cool.

 

Not sure which shop you called, but they might not be up to date on their tire information.
Bridgestone Ecopia EP100

As for the 17s on a Prius, I guess it's a matter of personal taste. Besides, with how Toyota structured the Prius lineup, I think they wanted some "meat" to differentiate the V from the other versions. Yes, they could have gone with 16s, but then you'll get the critics complaining that Toyota doesn't offer 17s when every other manufacturer offer 17s on their "sporty" models. Just my 2 pennies.

 

I don't think there is anything sporty about the tyre neither is it not that low profile...I know Ferrari's with a higher sidewall ratio ;-) But also it is not uncomfortable either...But all of this is subjective and there is no right answer...

 

I just replaced my stock 15's with Konig Swurve 17x7, 40mm offset (19 lbs) and General Altimax HP 215/45-17 H-rated (17.6 lbs). Nice riding and quiet tires with improved handling. Combined weight a litte more than stock 15's but less than stock 17's on pkg V. Running 40/38 psi front/rear. Getting about 2 mpg less, but, had A/C on during first couple of tanks with new set-up.

 

Tire compound is way more important, people are buying crap tires for the sake of less drag

 

need pics!!!

 

OUCH

The stock difference between 15" and 17" on the Toyota website spec is nowhere near that.