2008 Prius wheel on 2011 Prius?

The wider rim will be "better" for wider tyres, which usually are "stronger" (will support more weight). It's close enough that if you already have the tyres on the wheels go ahead and use them. No 100 MPH runs though!
If you don't have tyres for the GII rims yet, do some research and you'll find -some- tyres are much stronger than others (it's the "load rating" you're looking for in the specs). Some manufacturers even have two tyres of the same size with different load ratings (Nokian for one). The stronger tyres are heavier, so not desirable for a light car, but stronger, so more desirable for a heavier car.
I don't know what size the plug-in's wheels are. Go to a dealer and look or perhaps you can look it up on the net.

You probably want to watch the overall diameter of the tyre. Try to keep it close to the stock tyre.

We are talking about putting on -narrower- wheels here, so I doubt there would be any brake interference, as long as the offset is the same (and it is).

Keep in mind it's only one step in rim width. It isn't likely to make a big difference. I'm just warning you to keep an eye on the tyres as you are going to be slightly closer to the limit. I'll bet you will get better mileage though. The narrower tyres from the GII have less rolling resistance. BTW, you can compensate a bit for the slightly weaker tyres by running them at higher pressure. Never above the "maximum inflation pressure" on the sidewall though.

 

Thanks, David. I'll keep all that in mind as I continue the process of deciding what wheels to use. I've found the process much more involved than I ever thought it would be, having to take into account not only how wheels will look (and there are so many looks to choose from out there), but how they will affect fuel consumption and (now) how the tyres that will fit them will bear the weight of the car. I trudge onwards!

 

Perhaps I'm just an old fashioned boy, but I like the first (top) wheels the most. Regardless of my taste, you have the opportunity to do what YOU like. Enjoy

 

Well, Mad Dog One, with a Land Rover and a name like that you must be an ex-Spitfire pilot from WWII, so no wonder you prefer the British approach to the Plug-in's wheels (see below), officially described in the UK brochure as "15-inch alloy wheels with wheel caps." In the photo you can just make out the alloy wheel under the wheel "cap", and the wheel itself looks to be similar to the standard Prius alloy wheel here in N. America. I'm actually 3/4 English by blood, but those Limey wheel caps just aren't my cup of tea, old chap, although certainly better than a steel wheel with a wheel cover (as we colonials call them).

 

My work is taking me up to the UP next week so I couldn't procrastinate any longer. I put the gen 2 wheels on the Prius last night. I thought it would look terrible because of the color the previous owner painted the rims, but I actually like how it looks. I like my 17's more of course but this will do for the winter months.

They're getting 3" up there today/tomorrow, hopefully I'll test these out next week. I paid $380 for the set with brand new Firestone snow tires with the stickers still on, mounted and balanced.

 

That looks pretty good... what color are they? Gray?

I hope they powder coated the rims and didn't just paint them.

 

He did, he works for a racing shop and knows what he's doing, they look good.

He didn't mean for the color to turn out the way it did though, but it doesn't look bad.

 

Vas, those are 15-inchers, are they not? I was hoping you had the 16"s. But the car looks good!

 

Yes, they are 15". Did the gen II come with a 16" option?

 

Yes, our '08 came with the 16". The model was called the Special Edition Premium Package. Don't know if it was called that in the US, though. Anyway, the 16" wheel is a seven-spoker with a wheel cover (see my first post on page 1 of this thread) and I think it's a good-looking wheel, which is why I'd like to use it. But now with worries about whether the 16s will actually be wide enough (I think they're 6" wide but not sure) to take the extra weight of the Plug-in (which has 15" standard but I don't know how wide they are although they take 195 tires, the same as on the Gen II 16" wheels), I'm all confused about what to do. I find it's really hard to get the exact info I need to make an informed choice.

 

Here's the kind of information you need to understand what tyres and wheels you can use re strength.
This is for the Nokian WRGII (the all season, winter specialty tyre -I- like).

http://www.nokiantires.com/files/nokiantires/PDF/WRG2_Technicals.pdf

You can see the load rating number for the stock size tyre in this list. If you get a different sized tyre but ensure you have a greater or equal load rating you will fine. Note in this list that for your size (195) the wheel size range is 5.5 to 7 in. As I have been posting, this indicates you are close to the limit for this size tyre with a 6" wheel. But it -will- work.

Keep in mind the Nokian tyres are stronger than the "average" tyre. They are not cheap tyres, but rather good quality ones.

You can find the same "technical information" sheet for the Nokian Hakka winter only (ice) tyre as well.

 

Thanks again, David. My frustration lay with not being able to find out the width of the 16" wheel, but I just got that info (6" wide) and then I used your advice to get the following info.

I'm interested in the Michelin Primacy MXM4 because, although it's really made for Audis, BMWs etc. and likely pretty pricey, I reckon it'll be worth because, besides being really good in the handling/braking (i.e. safety — very important) and wear departments, it seems to get reasonable fuel mileage as well (see below):



So I looked up the specs for a 205/55R16...



... and noticed that the tire could be mounted on a 6"-wide wheel no problem, and then I found out what a 91 load index means in this chart from Tire Rack:



... and if I'm reading it correctly, the four tires added together should be able to support a car 4 x 1356 = 5424 pounds. Since the gross weight of the Plug-in (from the UK brochure) is 1840 kg. = 234.4254 zolotniks = 18.4 doppelzentners = 4,056 pounds, it looks like the MXM4 will do just fine holding up the Plug-in on the 16" wheels of my '08 Prius.

Are my calculations okay, David? But now I wonder if there might be any rubbing on the inside of the wheel wells with the 205 tire (standard being 195). Geez!

 

Those are run-flat tyres. I never recommend them. Very expensive, and not repairable. Also heavy. You should be able to find the diameter and/or circumference for them in the chart. Find one that matches the original tyre and you'll be ok. If you have to go to a 50 series so be it. Or even a 45 series.

Yup, fitting them in the wheel wells is "fun" when you change from the stock size. Which is why unless you have an understanding tyre dealer who is willing to "test fit" different sizes, going with the stock size is the best.

 

Hmm... I don't see anything about run-flat mentioned in the specs info here for this particular MXM4 (Michelin part number 34471) . There are a few MXM4s in the list that have the run-flat technology e.g. P225/45R17 90 V (Michelin part number 32346) but there's no "ZP" (zero pressure) next to the one I'm looking at. Should be okay, right? Of course, I'll still have to check out whether the tire being wider than the standard 15" will cause any problems in the wheel wells.

 

Sorry, saw "run flat technical features" in one of the things you posted and thought they were run flats.

Why do I object to run flat tyres you wonder.
I was in a Kal Tyre store a few years ago getting the Nokian WR tyres on Pearl rotated. A 745 BMW (or some such number - big and expensive anyway) came in with a light on the dash indicating a tyre was down and leaking. They found a nail in it (usually a free repair there) and the tech came into the showroom and advised the service adviser he couldn't repair it, as it says on the sidewall "Do NOT repair this tyre". A replacement tyre was $1600 or so. The owner, who apparently could afford the car but not the tyre, objected. The service adviser told him "you're lucky you didn't destroy the wheel, as they are $3500 each".

The joys of owning a BMW!

 

I've never really considered run-flat tires. I guess they could come in handy in certain very rare circumstances if you find yourself a very long way from help, but if they can't be repaired when you finally do find a garage, they don't strike me as being a good investment. I guess they're intended for the super-rich who have never learned how to change a tire.