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GEN 1 Wheels/Tires UPSIZE to 195/65/15 anyone?

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by lovemy02prius, Apr 8, 2019.

  1. lovemy02prius

    lovemy02prius Member

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    Hello everyone! I'm in Michigan and currently driving a Gen 1 (2002) Prius base model w/options like navigation and a cool upgraded sound system! However one tire has bad belts and all four are mismatched and no name brands with decent similar tread. So I'm researching current tire options! I see threads on GEN 1 tires online and here that may to be out of date or incomplete, so I hope you all will participate! That way we can get an idea whats currently working and avoid bad tires in 2019!

    Also whats the scoop on 85 Load index (which is 1,124 lbs Max Load)
    alot of people use tires with 81-82 load index (lower then adequate according to Toyota's specs)
    anyone want to chime in ???

    Let's Go:
    1.) What: New set of Tires for Gen 1 Prius

    2.) Conditions: Michigan in town, wet and dry, pot holes, bad roads, highway and long distance road trips. Possibly light snow (then switch to winter tires if necessary!)

    3.) Preferences in order of priority:
    Traction, Good handling in wet and dry cond., quiet, smooth, mpg
    I prefer a QUIET ride with good handling & cornering in dry and wet conditions. If I had to choose between performance and response and smooth and luxury I'd chose performance and response! I can put on a separate set of snow tires for winter but I need good wet handling as well!

    4.) UPSIZE
    a.) Upsizing Wheel and / Tires
    My neighbor has a set of defenders on nice 15" wheels for me but not sure if it's possible to use??
    Has anyone ever upsized the GEN 1 Wheels and Tires to 15" ? I'd be going from 175/65/14 to 195/65/15
    My forum buddy Jim said that's 2"


    b.) OEM vs Upsized TIRES
    Can you please suggest good tires that are decent for quiet, good handling and mpg !!!
    There's nothing wrong with my 14" set of wheels so I'm open to buy a set for my OEM's
    What sizes Tires seem to work best for GEN 1 ? I heard a little taller wider vastly improves the ride - ??


    OEM 175/65/r14 vs 185/65/r14 185/70/r14 195/70/r14


    c.) 14" Tires
    Here's what I'm looking at currently in 14"

    My top picks:
    (Average priced during sales and before rebates)

    Other choices:

    Helpful Links:
    Tire Size Defined
    How To Read Tire Sizes | Goodyear Auto Service

    Max Load index Chart:
    Tire Load Index Chart | Tires Plus

    Priuschat members on Defenders vs Altimax
    RT43 vs Defender: LRR Tire Recommendations | PriusChat

    HYPE:
    consumer reports:
    https://www.rubbernews.com/article/20181018/NEWS/181019936/consumer-reports-ranks-all-season-michelin-general-cooper-and-goodyear-tires-among-the-best

    Parking Day dot org ratings (rmostly for newer Prius):
    [TOP 10] Best Toyota Prius Tires in 2019 Reviews & Buyer's Guide

    General Altimax RT43 Review General Altimax RT43 Tires: Pros and Cons

    Video of Defenders vs Continental True Contacts vs Good Year Assurance Max Life https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Defender+T%2BH&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=865HR4DTH&tab=Sizes

    Cooper Evolution Best New Tire SEMA 2018 Article (cached so you don't have to sign up or log in):
    Cooper Evolution H/T judged 'best' new tire at SEMA - Tire Business - The Tire Dealer's No. 1 News Source

    Test results including a couple of tires that could be used for the GEN 1 (Mostly for Gen 2)
    https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=121&AID=10398365&PID=1924582&cjevent=927ac88b58d911e9836003210a24060e


    ----
    $$$ REBATES!!!! GET MONEY BACK (Click the link below and then REFRESH the page for updated results! Make sure to read the fine print to see if the rebate covers the tire model you plan to buy! Good year usually has $100 OFF and up to another $100 if you use the Good Year Credit Cards, they claim you can get immediate approval and can use it right away! BUT DO THEY OFFER THE REBATES FOR THE TIRE THATS BEST FOR THE GEN 1? Probably not : (

    Current rebates | TireBuyer.com | TireBuyer.com

    https://www.tirerack.com/specialoffers/specialoffers.jsp?tab=Wheels

    ---
    Warning tires on this list may be out of stock or discontinued!
    Good Tire option list for Gen 1 - back in the day!
    John's Stuff - Toyota Prius Tires
     
    #1 lovemy02prius, Apr 8, 2019
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2019
  2. lovemy02prius

    lovemy02prius Member

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    Upsizing the tire from 175/65/r14 to 195/70/r14 seems doable according to this calculator. See the results below:
    175/76-R14 vs 195/70-R14 Tire Comparison - Tire Size Calculator | Tacoma World


    175/76-14 195/70-14 Difference
    Diameter inches (mm)
    24.47 (621.6) 24.75 (628.6) 0.28 (7) 1.1%
    Width inches (mm)
    6.89 (175) 7.68 (195) 0.79 (20) 11.4%
    Circum. inches (mm)
    76.88 (1952.81) 77.75 (1974.81) 0.87 (21.99) 1.1%
    Sidewall Height inches (mm)
    5.24 (133) 5.37 (136.5) 0.14 (3.5) 2.6%
    Revolutions per mile (km)
    824.12 (512.08) 814.94 (506.38) -9.18 (-5.7) -1.1%
    Forum embed code[​IMG]:
    Speedometer Difference
    Speedo Reading Actual Speed
    20 mph (32.19 km/h) 20.23 mph (32.55 km/h)
    25 mph (40.23 km/h) 25.28 mph (40.69 km/h)
    30 mph (48.28 km/h) 30.34 mph (48.82 km/h)
    35 mph (56.33 km/h) 35.39 mph (56.96 km/h)
    40 mph (64.37 km/h) 40.45 mph (65.1 km/h)
    45 mph (72.42 km/h) 45.51 mph (73.24 km/h)
    50 mph (80.47 km/h) 50.56 mph (81.37 km/h)
    55 mph (88.51 km/h) 55.62 mph (89.51 km/h)
    60 mph (96.56 km/h) 60.68 mph (97.65 km/h)
    65 mph (104.61 km/h) 65.73 mph (105.79 km/h)


    Fun Fact:
    Here's a thread on tire upsizing from 2008 with priuschat.com gurus like Bob Wilson and Patrick Wong and other! If you have a problem I suggest searching their names along with key words to get real solid advice!
     
    #2 lovemy02prius, Apr 8, 2019
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2019
  3. lovemy02prius

    lovemy02prius Member

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    Upsizing the Wheel AND Tire seems to create a possible problem according to the calculator. See the results below:
    Also, would the larger wheels and tires look odd?
    175/76-R14 vs 195/65-R15 Tire Comparison - Tire Size Calculator | Tacoma World

    175/76-14
    195/65-15 Difference
    Diameter inches (mm)
    24.47 (621.6) 24.98 (634.5) 0.51 (12.9) 2.1%
    Width inches (mm)
    6.89 (175) 7.68 (195) 0.79 (20) 11.4%
    Circum. inches (mm)
    76.88 (1952.81) 78.48 (1993.34) 1.6 (40.53) 2.1%
    Sidewall Height inches (mm)
    5.24 (133) 4.99 (126.75) -0.25 (-6.25) -4.7%
    Revolutions per mile (km)
    824.12 (512.08) 807.36 (501.67) -16.76 (-10.41) -2%
    Forum embed code[​IMG]:
    Speedometer Difference
    Speedo Reading Actual Speed
    20 mph (32.19 km/h) 20.42 mph (32.85 km/h)
    25 mph (40.23 km/h) 25.52 mph (41.07 km/h)
    30 mph (48.28 km/h) 30.62 mph (49.28 km/h)
    35 mph (56.33 km/h) 35.73 mph (57.5 km/h)
    40 mph (64.37 km/h) 40.83 mph (65.71 km/h)
    45 mph (72.42 km/h) 45.93 mph (73.92 km/h)
    50 mph (80.47 km/h) 51.04 mph (82.14 km/h)
    55 mph (88.51 km/h) 56.14 mph (90.35 km/h)
    60 mph (96.56 km/h) 61.25 mph (98.56 km/h)
    65 mph (104.61 km/h) 66.35 mph (106.78 km/h)
     
  4. lovemy02prius

    lovemy02prius Member

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  5. Brian in Tucson

    Brian in Tucson Active Member

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    Stock is 175-65r14. I'm running stock size on aftermarket fancy wheels. Hancook brand. I'd keep it simple and inexpensive. Nothing to be gained by oversizing or spending a whole lot. Our little cars are so light duty!
     
  6. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    It looks like there may be a mis-type in the calculator. It looks like 175/76/14 is being used as the stock size for the calculations and would be a 24.5" tall tire as opposed to the true stock size 175/65/14 being 22.95". That's going to really throw off the comparisons. (and there is no '76' aspect ratio as far as i know, so it would have been nice if the calculator had flagged that)
     
  7. lovemy02prius

    lovemy02prius Member

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    Thank you!!! Agreed!
    Which Hancook did you get and how many miles have you put on them? Anything to report? on
    traction
    handling (dry / wet)
    noise

    I was going to add a couple sets by Hancook but so many reviews said that after 30,000 miles the tire quality changed greatly.
     
  8. 2002_Pri_Rod

    2002_Pri_Rod Member

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    I am running 15s on my 2002 - Falcon 185 50R 15s - I posted a couple screen shots 35000 miles and going strong - tread is still 7s all around but I rotate tires every 3 to 5000 miles and have it aligned - lifetime alignment has served me well

    No problems - work great on windy roads even in the rain but have no snow around here - got them from America's tire and will buy again - local Costco won't put Michilin's on it due to weight loading 20190409_174251.jpg 20180519_135852.jpg
     
  9. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Strange, that looks a lot like a Falken 185/60/15................is it the 950 model?

    ((185x0.60) x2)/25.4 + 15 = 23.75 inches diameter (approximately) so only about 3/4 inch more than stock. Not a bad difference and looks pretty decent. Any issues with the tire rubbing inside the wheel well or on suspension components, especially at full lock due to being wider and taller?
     
  10. 2002_Pri_Rod

    2002_Pri_Rod Member

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    Sorry your right - needed to proof read before I posted - they are Falken tires and 60s - next time I look I will see if it is the 950 model or not

    A little wider and taller than stock - off set on the rims also widens the stance

    No problem with rubbing etc - I changed shocks and springs all around at the same time I put wheels and tires on - no problems so far

    Also speedometer is pretty close - guy at America's Tire had a chart that I used to determine how much error I was willing to accept - never used America's Tire before but I have been happy with the service and the tire quality for a cheaper price option

    And I like the look but I am an old guy....
     
  11. Itsmeonprius

    Itsmeonprius Member

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    I'm running 195/50/15 on a set of mazda alloys. No issues and speedometer is pretty close if that's any help to you.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.