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195/60-14 Tires on '02?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by kocho, Feb 28, 2008.

  1. kocho

    kocho Member

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2007
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    Location:
    Maryland
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Here are the numbers off the Miata calculator for my '02 Prius (top row is stock tires):

    Specification Sidewall Radius Diameter Circumference Revs/Mile Difference
    175/65-14 4.5in 11.5in 23.0in 72.1in 879 0.0%
    185/60-14 4.4in 11.4in 22.7in 71.4in 887 -0.9%
    195/60-14 4.6in 11.6in 23.2in 72.9in 869 1.1%

    My question is (two of them actually):
    - What is the stock rim width on the '01-'03 prius? Is it 6"? EDIT - someone told me they are 5".
    - Anyone have issues with 195/60-14 tires mounted (e.g. rubbing at full turn or at struts/wheel wells)? EDIT: see my next post

    Other comments are also welcome, except the kind of "better stick to stock" without a good explanation. Keep in mind that restating the impact on speed/mpg readings due to diameter/circumference is *not* a good enough explanation to me as it is self-evident and discussed to death, so let's not repeat it here unless you feel you absolutely must :)

    I've pretty much decided on getting the Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S - it is arguably the best performing tire in its class (and I have had it on my Camry for a while and it is indeed great).

    Tire Specs for Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S

    So my primary concern is if the 195/60-14 size would fit the stock rim width comfortably or not. I can also go for the 185 size that will fit but I'd rather have the 195 size with the resulting slightly larger diameter over stock (my car is too low as it is already). And I will *not* go for 175 width as it is too narrow - I'd like to get a bit more stability/braking out of my tires.
     
  2. kocho

    kocho Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
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    N/A
    Since the local NTB had them in stock and matched the price I had in mind, I had the tires installed today. They are indeed visually fatter than the OEM size but I think do not bulge-out too much in reality. That is if inflated to over 36 PSI (as seen the front is at 41.0 the back is at 37 PSI).

    Ride is more quiet and subtle than the Potenzas they replaced, but the Potenzas were at the end of their life, so the comparision is not entirely fare :)

    The only (slight) fittment problem is that the right/passenger tire would rub just a bit when the steering wheel is truned fully clockwise. No rubbing in the other direction or elsewhere.

    Remains to be seen how the fuel efficency would be affected. These are max 44 psi rated (vs. 50 for the OEM) but have about 100lb higher load rating than the OEMs. They are also 3lb heavier each.

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  3. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Rims are 5.5 inches, as I suppose you have found out. This size tire was used by Patrick Wong (a yahoo groups member) on a 2002 Prius and he did not mention any rubbing at steering extremes.

    Based on my experience with 185 width tires and some other reports, you can expect to lose a little mpg. For (almost?) all tires, you can minimize this by staying near the max sidewall psi.

    I found the greater fuel efficiency loss in city driving. This makes sense from the perspective that rolling resistance is a smaller slice ot the 'energy pie' at highway speeds, where it is greatly exceeded by wind resistance.