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Ground Clearance: 15" tires better?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by davide, Aug 8, 2010.

  1. davide

    davide Junior Member

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    2012 Prius c
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    Two
    I'm leaning toward saving some $ by looking for a Gen2 model w/o too many miles on it. My major concern: ground clearance, as my apt. building's driveway ends with a fairly steep final slope down to the street (though my old Mazda Protege doesn't scrape).
    I've read that a Gen3's clearance is 5.5 in. (I think the post said that, with
    the 15" tires, clearance would be slightly more). And AllaboutPrius.com says that the "Min Ground Clearance" on a 2009 Touring model is 5.6 in.
    (Does it say "Min"--minimum--because, if I get 15" tires on a 2009 or other Gen2 model the clearance should be about 5.7 in.?)
    So it looks like the LOWEST clearance would be on a Gen3 model with 17" tires, and the HIGHEST clearance would be on a Gen2 model with 15" tires. Have I got this right? (a whopping .2 inch difference!)
     
    #1 davide, Aug 8, 2010
  2. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    It sounds like you are concerned about scraping the overhang on the car. The front overhang is worse than the rear on the Prius and even it isn't all that bad.

    You can alleviate an overhang clearance problem by crossing the problem area at an angle. I also don't think the Prius overhang is a worse than a lot of other cars, so it shouldn't be a big problem.
     
    #2 xs650, Aug 8, 2010
    1 person likes this.
  3. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    There is almost no difference in ground clearance between the 15" and 16" wheel-tire combination. They are sized to match overall diameter. You -could- put oversize tires on the car and that would increase ground clearance a bit, but there just isn't a lot of room in the fender wells so you might gain 1/4 to 1/2 in but that's about all you could safely do.

    The larger 16" wheel is mostly for style and a bit for increased load capacity. They -might- increase brake cooling a bit as well, but that isn't a concern for a Prius.
     
    #3 David Beale, Aug 9, 2010
    1 person likes this.
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