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How much would wheels/tires like this....

Discussion in 'Prius c Accessories and Modifications' started by George_D, Apr 1, 2013.

  1. George_D

    George_D Junior Member

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    Hurt the fuel economy of the C?[​IMG]
     
  2. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    I would take the numbers between the Prius liftback I through IV compared with the Prius liftback V touring. The numbers are in the 2% to 3% range for 17in vs 15in LRR tires.

    I can't tell if those are 17's or 18's, but I would expect a similar 2% to 4% drop in FE off the bat even with LRR tires.
     
  3. George_D

    George_D Junior Member

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    I believe those are 17's. Forgive the my utter newbiness but what are LRR tires?
     
  4. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    LRR = Low Rolling Resistance.

    If you go tire shopping for any hybrid, with any wheels, make sure to get LRR tires or you will experience a 2%-3% hit. So with "normal" 17's you are looking at a 4% minimum hit maybe as much as 8%.
     
  5. George_D

    George_D Junior Member

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    Thanks for the response. I'm close to getting a Prius C (proabably next week if I do) and the only thing that kills it for me is it's less aesthetically pleasing than my current car. I love the fuel economy and when I stumbled upon the picture above i said "I would DEFINITELY get it if I can make it look like that!!!"
    I think it would still be worth it if I can make it look like that even with a 2-3% hit in MPG.
     
  6. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Keep in mind similar modifications to other vehicles will also take the hit. But 3% of 20mpg is 19.4% whereas 3% of 50mpg is 48.5mpg. So losing 0.6mpg versus 1.5mpg is more noticeable even though it is the same sort of hit.

    The Prius' shape grows on you. I thought mine was fugly when I bought it. But I love the shape now. Its simplicity and curves are quite nice when you actually take the time to look instead of looking through the eyes of it being ugly.

    Look at some of the JDM-style Prii and you can make them look very aggressive and very styled. All of a matter of what you want to do.
     
  7. George_D

    George_D Junior Member

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    Someone in another thread mentioned to not go over 16" if fuel economy is a factor. Would 16" wheels and low pro tires like those have the same effect as 17"? Is one inch that much of a factor?

    And honestly the picture is EXACTLY what I would do. The dealership has a black one waiting for me so all I would need is wheels/tires and maybe lower it a bit also since that's basically all that it looks like was done in the picture.
     
  8. B2FiNiTY

    B2FiNiTY Active Member

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    To me, 16s look just right on the C while 17s are a little big and more bling.

    myself, i'm planning to go with 15s and 16s
     
  9. George_D

    George_D Junior Member

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    What do you mean 15 AND 16s? Are you planning to put the 16's in back and 15's in front or something?
     
  10. flotowngtm

    flotowngtm Junior Member

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    Going with a larger diameter tire puts the weight of the mass further out. Think about swinging a 5lb sledge hammer around holding it half way down the grip (not to hard). Then try it holding the end of the grip furthest away from the iron. It get much harder! The added weight of going up just 1" in diameter is big. Example. One on the some of the lightest wheels you can buy for the C is the Enkei Racing RPF1 Look up a 2012 Prius C on tirerack.com
    Notice that in 15" the weight is a low 9.5lbs
    16" 13.7lbs
    17" 14.6lbs
    And it doesn't stop there. The weight of the tires for these bigger wheels even thou of a lower profile is also heavier. By going to 17" just in this wheel alone you have already added over 5lbs and that's not including the tire. Also I am not even sure if there is a LRR tire in those low profile designs. I would bet money that by going with those rims you would with out a doubt lose 10mpg. Below you will see a thread of someone on here that purchased some bigger diameter wheels and there experience. There is a lot of great info in that thread.
    I too am looking at changing the wheels of C. I love the look of 16-17" wheels but am not willing to take the drop in fuel economy.

    http://priuschat.com/threads/newbie-here-bought-rims-tires-omg-what-a-mistake.117422/
     
  11. B2FiNiTY

    B2FiNiTY Active Member

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    I might get two sets of wheels. First start out with 15s and upgrade to a set of 16s later.
     
  12. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    You could always paint the alloys that come with the 3/4. That's what I did and I'm very happy. But I don't know how well black on black would look.
     
  13. Corwyn

    Corwyn Energy Curmudgeon

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    While I am always an advocate for getting the best mileage you can, I don't want to say that you should let best be the enemy of good. If a C with the wheels you need in order to buy it, gets significantly better mileage than your current car, it is probably worth it.
     
    George_D likes this.
  14. DKTVAV

    DKTVAV Active Member

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    That's a good idea painting the alloys for my C4, what did you use: flat or glossy? And real spray paint or plastidip (I think I spell it wrong)?
     
  15. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    They do make LRR low profile tires, even in 18in sizes. But they are not cheap, and I don't think you will make the savings up in the cost of the tire. You are also paying for a poorer performing tire. If your wheels are just for bling, then it doesn't matter. But if you want a good grippy tire for the 18in wheels, a 10mpg drop is probably going to happen. It might be sad to look at the Prius display and see 40mpg instead of 50mpg but you will look good while doing it. :) Nothing else can even come close to that "poor" fuel economy in the real world with those sorts of tires.
     
  16. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    A good high quality "automotive" (or exterior sometimes it is called) spray paint in a semi-gloss with properly prepped and cleaned, and cleaned again, and cleaned once more will look OK. On the Prius it might last longer than most cars since the regen brakes don't heat up as much as pure friction braking. But the paint will discolour over time.

    The best option nowadays is to powder coat. Within the past 3-4 years they have been able to get powder coating techniques so that the bake cycle is short and the temperature profile is closely matched for heating and cooling. This prevents weakening the aluminum that many aftermarket rims are made of. Aluminum doesn't like heat stress, it becomes brittle but then you can do a slow heat and soak to get it strong again. Weird metal.

    For your wheels though, professionally powder coated is the way to go. If you want black, that is no problem. If you want colour matching to your paint colour paint would be cheaper.
     
  17. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    Plasti-dip in flat. But you can do it in any color you want now, as long as you have a sprayer. I used the spray cans. Cost me $30 after tax. 4 cans.
     
  18. George_D

    George_D Junior Member

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    Ok now I see how even 1" can make a difference. Well I can live with a hit in MPG if it's around 5-6 but I don't know about 10. I'm thinking maybe I can find a balance with some relatively light 16" wheels. I did a basic google search for "low profile LRR tires" and didn't really come up with anything so I guess they don't make them?
     
  19. George_D

    George_D Junior Member

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    That's pretty much where I'm going with it. If I can get some 16's on it and lose no more than 4-6 MPG then it's still getting at LEAST 15mpg more than my current car and it looks good doing it!
     
  20. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    It helps to know what the dimensions you want are. I think there is only 1 option for the 17" tire though. It can be found on the aforementioned thread.