Are the 17" tires really that much better for Gen 5?

They might get sticker-shock when tire replacement is needed.

 

Hello, just not clarify
Are you stating that you are using Michelin 225/18 A/S4 tires will fit on a 2025 Prius OEM rims that came with 19" tires ?
Also I am a bit confused as there are multiple "225/18" tires listed on the Michelin site.

What actual width 225/ ??? R18 Michelin tire are you using on the OEM rims ?

 

I have 16's for my winter tires, 17's for summer

 

Thanks Blackcat, but also did not fully specify your complete tire size. Tired are sized of the format of XXX/YY R(##).
Not to be rude, but your post is just the R(##) portion of a tire size.
I am just a Prius newbie here trying to understand all of the various tires sizes in play.

 

Aren't your 16" wheels quite close to your front brakes? And aren't they an aftermarket wheel?

My thought with the Prius V wheels was that I wouldn't have to buy and keep track of another set of lug nuts, but 17" seems a safer bet for wheels that will clear the brakes.

 

I have a 2026 Limited AWD on order. The OEM tires will be 1195/50R19. I would like to know what (Michelin) 18" tires sized will fit and have been used by others on this forum with a 2023/24 Limited AWD car.

 

Just to be very clear, 18 inch tires by ANY manufacturer, will NOT fit onto the OEM 19 inch rims/wheels.

It seems that you are misunderstanding the discussion.

The 18 and 17 inch tires being discussed are all mounted on another set of wheels/rims either aftermarket or OEM rims from another model/make car that is compatible with the bolt pattern and wheel offset of the Prius.


SM-S936U ?

 

Good tool for keeping OD similar, with alternate tire sizes:

Tire Size Comparison

Depending on the rim, you need to also be careful with the tire width.

 

I knew that OEM 19" rims will not fit a R17 or R18. I am trying to get the details on what specific size 18" tires are commonly being used on a 2024 Limited AWD

 

Ones that are roughly the same OD, and compatible widthwise with your rims? The calculator I linked can make the OD check easy, get on TireRack, see what they've got, and/or check locally.

 

OEM 195/50 R19
(((195x0.50)x2)/25.4)+19=26.677” OD

225/55 R17
(((225x0.55)x2)/25.4)+17=26.744” OD

225/50 R18
(((225x0.50)x2)/25.4)+18=26.858” OD

where 1”=25.4mm

 

Yes, they are aftermarket, from TireRack. I needed to move the balance weights to the inside of the wheel. They cleared the caliper but were pretty close originally.
My 17's are also after market from TireRack but they both use the same lug nuts

 

225/50 R18

 

No, mainly better fuel economy and longer BEV range due to reduced vehicle height and aero wheel covers.

If you want to switch to 17", go with the OEM wheels with aero wheel covers and OEM tires so that you get the best fuel economy.

I am sure you can find people here to swap your 19" OEMs with their 17" OEMs and aero wheel covers.

 

Tried googling:

does toyota claim their wheel covers are aero?

the A.I. summary says no such claims are made by Toyota, it’s mostly aesthetics. They certainly don’t look aerodynamic.

 

Maybe people assume an aero advantage because they are aesthetically disappointing. I think the wheels look just fine without the covers.

One problem with the 17 inch wheels is the price. I've seen several people willing to trade their 19s for the 17s, but not the reverse.

FWIW, recent Camries have the same bolt pattern and offset with the 17 inch wheels typically being an inch wider than the Prius items.

 

During the gen2 days, an engineer said the rings were for reducing wind noise. That generally also results in cleaning the airflow for drag.

Couldn't say if that is still the case, or the covers are just there cause past Prii had such.

 

As far as I know, Prius wheel covers in all generations were made aerodynamic to improve the fuel economy, including on my Gen 4 PHEV. Why would they otherwise use expensive aluminum wheels but cover them up with cheap plastic?

This explains how they work:

The cheaper 2023 Toyota Prius hubcaps are awesomely angular—MotorTrend

 

Prius plastic wheel covers are for aerodynamics. You might think why not just make the wheel that same shape? It's because the wheels are designed to be strong and light weight, and the shape is not necessarily aero, so they fix it with the plastic cover.

The best Prius wheel ever made was the 16" 7 spoke 2nd gen touring wheel because it's magnesium, which is 30% lighter than aluminum.

If you are looking for 17" Toyota wheels, there's a bunch factory CT200H wheels on Facebook Marketplace. They are the correct size and offset for 3rd gen Prius, not sure about later gens.

 

Magnesium is lighter, but it is also weaker than aluminum. Only heard of wheels made of it being used on race cars.