Making Plans for Scion Wheels or Touring Hubs

Hi Jared,

I have a set of TC rims on my car. They are 17 inch rims- 215 45 17's. The Touring rims are alloy with plastic covers. Be prepared to take a 1-2 mpg hit on the touring rims and a 3-5 mpg hit on the TC rims. I am still getting between 43- 48 MPG's with the TC setup which still kicks butt over every car out there besides the 2010 Prius.

Pics attached

 

Your post is a bit confused

1. The Touring wheels are a 16" wheel not a hub or a hubcap. So you will have to buy new tires to fit the 16" wheel unless you find a package with tires already on the wheels.
2. The Scion tC wheels are a 17" wheel that weigh substantially more than the stock 15" wheels so as max2prius covered, you will take a pretty big hit on mileage but handling will be much better if a bit rougher. The wheels will also require new tires unless you get a pacjage deal.

 

The TC route is probably the cheapest and easiest way to upgrade. I picked up a brand new set from Craigslist which were takeoffs for $500 including the tires. The touring wheels are tougher to find since Prius owners are much less likely to upgrade than a Scion owner.

 

Agreed!

 

I'm not familiar with the Scion TC rims, but would have a couple of added questions if I were considering them.

First, given the Prius wheel's 45mm offset, what is the Scion's offset ... and if different, what are the consequences if any?

Second is weight, which I've read is 15.2 pounds for an oem Prius wheel -- is weight being added, and again, what are the consequences if any?

Third, if you go to 17" wheels from 15, and matching tires for the 17", can you still use the temporary (=donut) spare which came with the car, or must you buy a larger/different/whatever temp spare for it to work safely with the 17" wheels? A full size spare isn't an option, as the 16" oem wheel and tire for my Prius Touring will not fit / cannot be crammed into the spare tire wheel well.

 

I have a Touring with 16" wheels, and didn't realize that the larger wheels give a 1-2 mpg hit. I'm not disputing it, I just didn't realize it, and wonder if you can explain further how it's caused. Thanks.

 

I think the offset is similar. They stay well within the outside wheel well and there seem to be no complaints about rubbing on the inside of the wheel well so the offset is similar enough not to pose a problem.

The entire wheel combo for the stock 15" wheel + Integrity tires is about 31lbs or so (going off of memory after I weighed mine on a quality digital scale). The Scion tC wheel/tire combo weigh in the 42lb range with whatever stock tire comes on those. This has been report by many PC members who have the combo.

Here is the thread where I weighed my stock wheel/tire and my 17" Centerlines.
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...g-back-stock-rims-testing-mpg-difference.html

Added unsprung weight is worse than "sprung" weight. When you add weight to a rotating object it require more power to turn it and thus you lose fuel efficiency and overall straight-line performance. This is why hypermilers and race cars use the lightest wheel available. Weight no matter where you add it is the bane of performance and fuel efficiency. Adding weight to the wheels is about the worst place you could add it.

The benefits of going to the 17" wheel? Better handling, better stopping distance and improve appearance (opinion).

Yes, you can still use the factory spare because the overall diameter of the wheel/tire combo stays the same. Rolling diameter is the same for a 185/65/15 and a 215/45/17 tire. Rim size is irrelevant as long as you plus size correctly.

 

I saw a set of Touring rims chrome plated on a black Prius. I'm not fond of black, or chrome wheels, but it is certainly a different look than the basic dark gray without the touring wheel covers. Powder coating would be another option for the touring wheels.