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Dealer could not mount 17 OEM wheels?? ABS troubles?? Help..

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by mroadster2k, Aug 24, 2013.

  1. mroadster2k

    mroadster2k A little bit of awesomeness

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    Hey everybody,

    I have a 2010 Prius IV, and recently purchased a nice set of Prius V 17 wheels. Also, based on reviews on this forum, I decided on a set of Yokohama AVID Ascend in 205/50-17. I even had a spare, unused TPMS rebuild kit, so my day started great. Figured, will swap the 15" wheels for my new 17s, transfer the TPMS and call it a day.

    5 hours later I got a call from the dealer, stating that they could not mount the new wheels for liability reasons. The issue was that the 2010 model Prius did not offer 17" wheels as an option, and because of this there was no way for them to program the sensors. Furthermore, mounting the wheels and TPMS would interfere with the car's speed sensor, since their computer (dealer's) only gives them the option to program 15" and 16" wheels to the 2010 Prius. they said that model year 2011 and on offered 17" wheels as an option.

    My issue is that I have the Toyota Extended Warranty, and I wouldn't want to void it by going against the dealer's recommendation, and also, they put the fear of God in me, saying that mounting the 17" wheels will interfere with both the speed and ABS sensor, where the ABS system may activate under normal braking, not necessarily hard braking, increasing wear and decreasing safety.

    I have NOT seen any issues with anyone's 2010 Prius and aftermarket wheels, BUT, at the same time, I am not the wheel/tire expert. I know I want these wheels ON, but cannot risk my safety, nor the warranty coverage.

    So....

    I am considering either returning both wheels and tires, OR, trying an independent shop.

    What do you all think? I'd appreciate the insight, I am beyond frustrated.

    Thanks
     
  2. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    I would go with the dealer on this one. Since you can have a 16" wheel, go with that and exchange the tires for the 16" size. You go against the dealer, and IF you have a drivetrain problem, the warranty may not cover the problem!
    Liability sucks, but it's there for a reason!
     
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  3. xcuter

    xcuter Active Member

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    Go get it installed at independent tire shop. There are tons of 2010 Prius with 17" without issues.

    SPH-L900 ? 2
     
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  4. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    The 2010 Prius V came with 17" P215/45/R17 wheels/tires. I don't believe there was any difference in the suspension on any of the models, so the 17's should fit. Whether the dealer wants the liability is their choice, but there are plenty of other places around to mount your tires.
     
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  5. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

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    walmart will do it, just bring them in and mount the rims on yourself
     
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  6. -1-

    -1- Don

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    :)Maybe not tons, since the majority of Prii come with 15" wheels. The Prius 5, and the Prius V 5, come with factory 17" wheels. Plus many other Prius owners have gone with the Prius 5 17" wheel, as well as plenty others with 16-19" aftermarket wheels.
    :)Plenty of tire stores and automotive repair centers will mount and install factory and aftermarket wheels and tires. I only take my wheels to a quality tire installer that guarantee "no damage" mounting with excellent results.

    :confused:I thought I read the Prius V 17" wheels don't fit the Prius hatchback? Not sure on this. But, the Prius 5 17" wheels work well. I purchased a used set of Prius 5 wheels and mounted them on my new 2012 Prius within a week of delivery. I had new set of TMPS installed, but never took the car back to have them coded to the car, but I will. If the speedometer is off, it only by a small percentage and not a issue. Vehicle factory or extended warranty won't be affected unless you went with a extreme size (22-24"). Very little truth in what your dealer told you. Again, I'm not sure if the Prius V 17" wheels fit the Prius hatchback.
     
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  7. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    Read the OP more carefully. He's using the Roman numeral IV for Four so it follows that V is the Roman numeral for Five. It's just sementics.

    The dealer is full of BS. The 2010 came stock with 17" wheels on the highest trim and they'll fit with no problems. No warranty will be voided.
     
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  8. -1-

    -1- Don

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    :)Makes sense, I overlooked the Prius IV part. He's old school and I'm new school regarding Prius 5 and Prius V (wagon). Do the Prius V (wagon) 17" wheels fit the Prius hatchback?

    :)I'm reviewing the wiring for the JDM LED mirrors tonight. Mirror are in, and I'll be wiring up tomorrow. Thanks for you input on that post.
     
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  9. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    Toyota used Roman numerals for the trims in 2010 and switched to written out numbers in 2011 and on. Their official designation for the wagon is actually lower case italized v but many people don't know any better and use V/v interchangeably to pronounce "vee" for the wagon. The Roman numeral V is still pronounced "five" in English hence the massive confusion.

    No, the Prius v wagon 17" wheels won't fit the hatchback.
     
  10. mroadster2k

    mroadster2k A little bit of awesomeness

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    Correct, it is the hatchback 17" wheels, not the wagon. Wagon wheels would not fit.

    Is there any validity though to the dealer's claim that the speed sensor and ABS will somehow be thrown off or miscalibrated by installing these wheels (with 205/50-17)? By what I found, the difference in size between the stock 195/65-15 and 205/50-17 is less than 1%, so I wouldn't see any issues at all, but again, I'm not the expert :-(

    Also, any potential warranty issues by swapping the wheels against the dealer's recommendations? (with a non-OEM size to boot)
     
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  11. mroadster2k

    mroadster2k A little bit of awesomeness

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    Yes, the dealer also said that for the model year 2010, the V (5 hatchback) 17" wheels were not an option, but from years 2011-on, they were, which made no sense to me. 2010 had 17: wheels as an option. In your case, with a 2012, you'd be fine.

    It's frustrating because I don't want to impact the warranty, and at the same time, these wheels were hard to find. Fortunately I can return the wheels and tires, minus shipping of course.

    IF all else fails, I'll just get 16" Celica GTS wheels....ahhh
     
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  12. -1-

    -1- Don

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    :)Get someone (competent) that can mount your wheels, tires, TMPS sensors, without damage, and can code the sensors to your car as a package. The Prius 5, 17" wheel makes a dramatic impact when upgrading from the 15" factory wheel. You have everything you need, just follow through. Only negative is a small loss of MPG, but Prius owners have it to spare.
     
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  13. Skunkworks

    Skunkworks Member

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    Total BS, they can't void your warranty. Just have another shop do it.
     
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  14. ursle

    ursle Gas miser

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    The oem wheels are always 2mph off at 50mph according to the cars speedo, if the outer size of the new wheels is the same size as oem, the speedometer will be 2mph off, but the advantage of going larger in overall size is that you can correct the speedometer in the car, well, put the proper size tire on to get the correct reading.

    The car doesn't know what size rim it has, it only knows the overall diameter of each wheel, and if they differ it will turn off the stability control, and that will shut off the ice when going over 32mph

    The dealer is wrong, find another person to mount, then have the dealer do the tpms code;)
    And get your money back for the extended coverage, great scheme, for the dealer
     
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  15. mroadster2k

    mroadster2k A little bit of awesomeness

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    Thank you very much. I think that's what the dealer may have thought, the fact that I was going larger with non-OEM tires (205/50), but I did the research with the online tire calculator, the diameter is 1/10th of an inch larger, from 25.0 to 25.1, and the overall difference is 0.4%, not a major difference.

    Now, I'm hoping that the small difference in size does not negatively impact the ABS or stability control. I haven't seen any members with issues using standard 17" Prius wheels, but then again, it only takes one case right?

    I figured the dealer was full of crap when they said, and I quote, " the 2010 Prius did not offer 17" as a package option...that started with model year 2011 on..." They also said that since the 2010 did not offer 17" wheels, they couldn't program the TPMS to 17" wheels, since their systems only allowed 15" and 16" wheel sizes. Strange. I thought that was odd, since the 2010 Prius came in 4 trims, 2 through 5, with the latter including the 17's (no mention of 16" after 2009 model year). Oh well, they're the "experts," but I won't be going back.

    Taking it to an independent shop tomorrow, fingers crossed. And hope it doesn't come back and bite me in the a$$ later on if I need warranty work
     
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  16. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    Some tire shops like Costco have a blanket policy not to install any non-OE sizes merely for "cover your nice person" liability reasons (although I've managed to beat Costco's policy once in the past by fooling them into special ordering tires in a specific size without revealing what car I had). It has nothing to do with incompatibility and your dealer just successfully fed you FUD and BS.

    You'll be fine. Educate yourself on the Magneson-Moss Warranty Act. It's illegal for them to deny or void the warranty without proving that the wheels directly caused the said defect and the burden of proof is on them.
     
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  17. mroadster2k

    mroadster2k A little bit of awesomeness

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    Got them installed today, loving them so far. Keeping the 15s w/TPMS as spares. Looks and handles great. Thanks for the advice photo.jpg
     
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  18. osidecruzr

    osidecruzr Member / BB #256

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    Congrats! Looks great!
     
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  19. FranklinS

    FranklinS Ach crivens ye scunners!

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    Look very good! On a dark car the wheel gap doesn't show as much. With the door garnish looks very stylish! Glad people were able to help you through the BS. Don't forget to rep (like).
     
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