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Aftermarket Wheels

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Fuel Economy' started by calirider, Dec 29, 2012.

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  1. TNGator

    TNGator Junior Member

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    Sorry to reply so late, I have not been on the site for a while. I can get 50 mpg if I try, but I really don't try anymore. I avg 46 mpg driving with the air conditioning on. I did the math and the savings on fuel didn't persuade me to try and drive differently. I'm very happy with the changes I made to my car. It doesn't look or drive like a stock Prius anymore.
     
    #21 TNGator, Jun 5, 2013
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  2. goliath1812

    goliath1812 Member

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    Im also looking for lighter wheels (15") but "cheap". I have been looking at the Motegi sp10 and Drag DR 33. I have a set of Konig Heliums on my wifes Yaris, I wish they came in 5x100. They are around 11 lbs. Does anyone know od any other lightweight wheels that arent much more expensive than the sp10 or drag wheels? I cant seem to find anything even similar to the Heliums :(
     
    #22 goliath1812, Jun 7, 2013
  3. mrstop

    mrstop PWR Mode

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    I think the Drag wheels are actually heavy compared to the Motegi or Konig. I have been looking at wheels and am leaning towards some of the Konigs for the their lighter weight, cost and some reputation (versus an odd brand import). Check out the Konig Feathers.

    Prius / Konig Feather 17x7.5 ~17 lbs

    There is also the Ball Cut and other Konig wheels that look to be lighter weight.
     
    #23 mrstop, Jun 7, 2013
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  4. goliath1812

    goliath1812 Member

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    thanks for the advice, but I am looking to stay with 15", and it doesnt look like the feathers are available in 15" 5x100. I was also told that the Drag wheels are around 14 lbs, which would put them very close to the SP10 weight.
     
    #24 goliath1812, Jun 7, 2013
  5. goliath1812

    goliath1812 Member

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    #25 goliath1812, Jun 12, 2013
  6. calirider

    calirider ECOmobile

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    I think if the wheel and tire is the same weight and size of the factory one then it should not effect MPG too much if at all. Since no one has really been able to report this as fact I'm not messing with mine. I bought this car 100% for MPG so I am not going to do anything that might effect it negatively.
     
    #26 calirider, Jun 15, 2013
  7. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    What exactly do you mean?
     
    #27 F8L, Jun 16, 2013
  8. edwardob

    edwardob Member

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    well documented on this site about facts....i changed my wheels and tyres...and noticed a massive mpg increase...just a tyre change can do that
     
    #28 edwardob, Jun 16, 2013
  9. calirider

    calirider ECOmobile

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    I made this thread a while ago to find out exactly what wheel and tire I could put on my car that would not have a negative effect on MPG. As you can see no one has been able to really tell me anything that would make me feel 100% curtain that I would not lose any MPG if I went with a particular wheel and tire.
     
    #29 calirider, Jun 16, 2013
  10. calirider

    calirider ECOmobile

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    What wheel and tire and I was not able to find any threads on this topic. The search feature on this forum is no good for me. I don't ever seem to get good results.
     
    #30 calirider, Jun 16, 2013
  11. edwardob

    edwardob Member

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    well i would say people here have saved us a small fortune on many things......
    because they did the experimentation that we did'nt do
    toyota could'nt give you that information because they don't know your driving stile......where you live.....ambient temp.....etc too many variables.....

    with tire technology changing all the time...people here are trying them out ....we benefit....
    tire technology that did'nt exist when the car was made.

    are you going to use a 5 year old tire simply because that the tire the car came with? it may not be available
    as some point we will have to move on.
     
    #31 edwardob, Jun 17, 2013
  12. calirider

    calirider ECOmobile

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    I am more than willing to get new wheels and tires if they are proven to improve MPG. I currently live in LA so it never gets below 50ish and my family lives in the Central Valley and the only time it gets into the 30's is night time in the coldest part of winter.

    What wheel and tire combination would improve my MPG?
     
    #32 calirider, Jun 17, 2013
  13. edwardob

    edwardob Member

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    what do YOU mean by proven?
    do you need lab test....?what exactly do you want to satisfy your needs in area of proof
     
    #33 edwardob, Jun 18, 2013
  14. goliath1812

    goliath1812 Member

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    There's a great thread on tires made by F8L, basically top for MPG is Michelin Energy Saver A/S. I think the stock 15" wheels are about 15-16 lbs, so anything less than that, combined with a LRR tire (A/S especially) will improve MPG. My wifes Yaris has a set of Konig Heliums (11 lbs) and there was a pretty noticeably MPG increase, even with non-LRR tires (Hankook Optimo H727).
     
    #34 goliath1812, Jun 18, 2013
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  15. edwardob

    edwardob Member

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    GREAT INFO..and there is plenty of it on the forum just like it...
    but!!!....i am afraid our friend @callrider would like PROOF.....

    i am just waiting to see what proof he wants .......
     
    #35 edwardob, Jun 18, 2013
  16. goliath1812

    goliath1812 Member

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    Aside from telling you guys the Yaris is now getting 47 MPG, I'm not sure what else I can say. lol. The Helium wheels are around 11 lbs, and the stock wheels are around 16 lbs. Of course, the Yaris also has a CAI, and lightweight crank, w/p and alt pulleys. I'm pretty sure the most beneficial is the wheels. 5 lbs lighter per wheel is pretty big.
     
    #36 goliath1812, Jun 18, 2013
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  17. edwardob

    edwardob Member

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    you right ...plenty of evidence that these changes to wheels/tire improve mpg
    i changed to secondhand wolfrace wheels with old nakang tires on them and mpg improve by 5mpg average....will need new tires soon
    plenty of anecdotal evidence and example for us to learn from.....
    but proof?....even toyota cant provide that.
     
    #37 edwardob, Jun 18, 2013
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  18. calirider

    calirider ECOmobile

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    Ya goliath1812 I need lab test and wind tunnel experiments. No, I just want multiple people reporting the same increase in MPG.
     
    #38 calirider, Jun 18, 2013
  19. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Tires can increased or decrease fuel efficiency.

    Tire Test Results : When Round and Black Becomes Lean and Green

    Lighter wheels with a similar offset and aerodynamic face can also increase fuel efficiency by requiring less power to rotate them. Unfortunately I have not seen a case where someone put a very light 15" wheel with the most energy efficient tire on their car.
     
    #39 F8L, Jun 18, 2013
  20. Feri

    Feri Active Member

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    Sniff'em chew'em or shoot'em up?:confused:
     
    #40 Feri, Jun 19, 2013
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