Question about 17" tC wheels

Until you get replacements, you could at least remove those ugly plastic trim rings!

 

They used to sell for $400-$600 or so. Just keep in mind you're mpg will drop approx. 4-6 mpg and good LRR 17" tires cost alot more than 15" versions. A good LRR 17 may lessen the mpg hit but since I have not tried one I cannot say for sure.

 

Too bad you don't live out in SoCal... I consistently see them on craigs for $250-300 for full set. But yes, like F8L mentioned, expect around $400-600

 

I personally don't think the tC wheels look that great on the Prius. Not worth the 4-5 mpg drop. But that's me.

 

I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of the MPG drop is due to the tires that come on the tC wheels and not so much the wheels themselves. They weigh nearly the same as the stock 17" Prius wheels right?

Of even more concern to me is how much extra throttle it takes to get rolling with such a combo. My 17" combo weighs less than the tC combo and when I swapped back to the 17"s the other day it felt like someone tied and anchor to my bumper. Fortunately the amazing difference in handling and looks makes up for the loss.

 

True... the tires that come with the tC 17s are non-LRR. I actually had tried both sets on my Gen III, with the same tires (stock that came with the tCs). My mpg figures were very similar, if not the same... The stock Prius 17s may have a slight aero edge in their design but unless your rims are sticking out past your fender line, I don't see this being that big of an advantage. And yes, both sets require a lot of effort to move off the line. I had to engage the ICE sooner and more frequently with both 17s (maybe due to the non-LRR tires).
If you prefer style and handling advantage over a few mpg drop, I say go for it!

 

I totally agree! Thanks for posting you observations.

 

How do you determine if a tire is LRR ? Is this something that's spell out in the specifications?

 

Yeah. LRR tires are starting to become more common and Tire Rack picked up on this and now includes the option to search for only tires listed as LRR.

Some good choices in the 17" size include:
Michelin Primacy MXM4 (my choice)
Continental ContiProContact
Bridgestone Ecopia EP100 (expensive though)

T here are a lot more options for 15" wheels.

 

I think your problem (if it is something you would be concerned about) is obtaining lightweight 17" wheels, however this would still be offset by rather heavier tyres.

Enkei offer a 17" model 'RPF1' with 100mm x 5 holes suitable for Prius studs in 17 x 7.5 with 45mm offset weighing in at 15.2 lbs ea. These would allow 215 x 45 x R17 tyres of very close to the stock 185 x 65 x R15 rolling diameter (less than 1% difference) hence speedometer/odometer accuracy.

Same wheels fit Subaru Impreza/WRX, where most WRX pilots are shuffling out to something bigger so you might find some s/h where Ive seen them go for circa $400 a set if you get lucky.

same pattern wheels but on appearance I believe these to be 18"