Do custom rims affect MPG efficiency?

B) Hi nick

You might find an answer in some previous posts. Try "Search" on wheels or rims. It's more likely that different TIRES would affect the MPG more than the wheels would. "Nice rims" is a relative term, depending on the attitudes and desires of individual drivers. Many, probably most, Prius owners are happy with the wheels provided, some remove the wheel covers or use a different cover, the current Touring Edition has different wheels and covers and use a different tire. A different wheel would likely require different tires which could have higher rolling resistance, different Revs/Mile, as well as different tire pressures all of which would have lowered MPG.

I suppose wanting fancier wheels is related to what you want friends and passersby to think about your car. I'd say, if you have the $$$ and want fancier wheels, go for it! The difference in MPG will be minimal compared to the cost of the wheels and tires.

 

I think conventional wisdom on the boards says that the weight of the wheels can make a big difference, although I haven't found a lot of hard discussion of the effects. This thread was informative about weights and choices: http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=9035&hl=