1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

A big bunch of bull about tires and rims?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by sprett, Dec 22, 2006.

  1. sprett

    sprett New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2005
    27
    0
    0
    Location:
    Sweden
    Hello again! Some questions here from Sweden. Since it here in Sweden is winter and we have laws about wintertires I´m in some need of advise about tires and rims. As you probably know the Prius in Sweden goes with 195/55 16" tires. Since 16" tires are more expensive I started to look for 15" rims and 195/65 15" tires to keep as close circumference as possible. Went to my local tyreshop to order some aluminum rims but got the answer that there is no 15" rims available for the Prius.

    So, next step was to call my local Toyota workshop and ask if it´s possible to mount 15" rims to the Prius. The answer was that "No, it´s not allowed and it will void your warranty" Of course I asked why and got the answer that "it´s just the way the general agent says"

    So, I called the technical support for Prius at the generalagent and was told that the Toyota factory says that only 195/55 16" tires is allowed, everything else will void the warranty. At this point I was starting to get quite pissed about the fact that everbody says "nor can do" without anybody wondering why.
    I told technical support that the circumference will be within 3% of compared to the original tires and pointed at the fact that there seems to be plenty of space between the brakes and the inside of the rim. I also told them that it sounds really strange to me that the factory states that only 195/55 16" tires is allowed when most Priuses around the world ships with 185/65 15". That´s the case in North america, right? So, at this point he tries to pull a lie to me and says "Well, I don´t know anything about the american Prius and besides it is built in america for the american market only" Now I`m really angry and decides to call of his bluff and tells him that all Priuses is built in Japan, at least for now. Then he starts to mumble about "Well, I can be wrong but it´s still only our own Toyota rims thats allowed if you don´t want to void your warranty (And these cost approx. 350$ a piece). Then he mumbles on about loadindex of the rim (strange since the Prius weighs less than the Avensis wich has 15" rims), cooling of the brakes (strange since the brakes is seldom used because of the regeneration) and special rims because of the higher tirepressure of the Prius.

    Just a load of bull obviously. So, here´s the questions finally : Is all Priuses built in Japan? Can I use just about any 15" rims with the right boltcircle, centerhole and offset? Is it any chance at all that there can occur any problems with any part of the car if I use 15" rims with tires that gets the same circumference as the OEM´s?

    The way I see it a rim is a rim and a car is a car (even if it´s a Prius) and if the rims and tire fits it will work just fine....

    Thankfull for some quick and accurate answers and I apoligize for any misspelled words or strange sentences (but hey, how many of you can write in swedish..)

    Kind regards
    Niclas
     
    #1 sprett, Dec 22, 2006
  2. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2005
    4,067
    687
    0
    Location:
    Eastern Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    As far as I know all Prius are made in Japan. The North American version sold in the USA and Canada come with 15 inch rims and 185/65-15 tires except for the Touring version which uses 16 inch rims and comes with 195/55-16 tires.
     
    #2 tumbleweed, Dec 22, 2006
  3. mcbrunnhilde

    mcbrunnhilde Opera singin' Prius nut!

    Joined:
    Jan 1, 2004
    612
    23
    0
    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Yes, all Prius are made in Japan. I believe I have read that rims for the Toyota Corolla also fit the bolt pattern of the Prius--and I'd think those specs would be somewhere in the owner's manual. If you get 15" rims, do go with 185/65 tires, as they will be closer to the correct number of revolutions than 195/65. (If 185/65 isn't available, 195/60 would be about the same).

    Good luck dealing with an obviously ill-informed jerk.
     
    #3 mcbrunnhilde, Dec 23, 2006
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,934
    16,159
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Well, everything that YOU know seems correct when I read your post. Everything the technician told you seems to be lies.

    Yes, they're made in Japan (check the VIN and check the door jamb label).

    Yes, there are two sizes = 185/65R15 and 195/55R16. Some folks in Japan that have the Touring edition wit the 16" wheels actually traded them in for the 15" that we have standard to get better mileage.

    As long as the rims has the correct bolt pattern (and of course the right size) and offset, it should be okay.
     
    #4 Tideland Prius, Dec 23, 2006
  5. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2004
    14,487
    1,518
    0
    Location:
    Spokane, WA
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    I don't know anything about tires and rims. But I can recommend you check the web site http://john1701a.com for lots of information about the Prius. If you don't find an answer there, you can probably contact him via his web site. John is very knowledgeable about the Prius, and is dedicated to helping promote the car. He also has lots of very nice pictures of his car on his web site.
     
    #5 daniel, Dec 23, 2006
  6. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2006
    5,963
    1,981
    0
    Location:
    Edmonton Alberta
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    If you want to purchase 15" wheels for the Prius you will need several measurements.
    1. You need the diameter or tire size (15" in this case).
    2. You need the wheel width.
    3. You need the bolt circle diameter and number of bolts.
    4. You need the diameter of the centre hole in the wheel (it centers the wheel on the hub - making the wheel "hub centric").
    5. You need the offset (distance from the center of the wheel to the mounting surface).
    6. You also need the "backspacing" number - the distance from the mounting surface to the inside lip of the wheel. This is needed to ensure clearance between wheel and springs/suspention components. It is almost the same as the wheel width/2 plus offset, but includes the thickness of the wheel inside rim.
    7. Not needed, but probably desired, you want to not stray too far from the original wheels weight.

    This can all be seen here: "www.customtacos.com/tech/index.php?article=40"

    Many sites that sell wheels and tires use these numbers to find wheels that match specific cars.

    I don't know about shipping costs or importation fees, but you may be able to find stock North American Toyota 15" wheels (used) for sale on the internet. Some owners "rice up" their cars with large wheels.
     
    #6 David Beale, Dec 24, 2006
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)