Opinions Please on Original Wheels on Prius II through V

** pick multiple choices in poll if you wish **

** See post #7 also, thx **

Just want to see what people's opinions are on the wheels that ship with the 3rd gen Prius.

Hope there's a choice for everyone.

 

The 17's are nice on the Prius. A wee overkill for my taste with the 45 tires, but I probably wouldn't mind.

When I stood back and looked at the 2010 III , Silver with the Silver painted wheelcovers, it sure didn't pop. The wheelcovers blend right in with the body color - no contrast, especially if car is dirty. Nice car, but IMO, the shoes are hurtin'. I wasn't going to pop for a V after kissing off $12k+ getting out of the '09.

Many won't spring for a V for the wheels.

I think Toyota can do better on the Prius II - IV wheels. We want this to be even more mainstream, right?

 

No, I don't like plastic wheelcovers and I wasn't very fond of the bare 15's either. Some sweet 16's on a plain III, I'da probably hit it.

Makes me wonder what 16" alloys are doing on a Leaf. That car needs efficiency more than any other I know of.

I do not find the 17" OEM to be an exact color match to the Silver body - they do have some contrast and stand out.

 

** See pics. thanks SuperchargedMR2 **

Shown below are 16" wheels taken straight off a Matrix XR. I think the overall size of wheel and tire look very reasonable on Prius. I think it would be great if this size in a special design (no plastic wheelcovers!) for Prius were available optionally for, say, Prius III and / or IV trims (midrange trims).



Note - Pictured above is a 16" x 6.5" wide wheel (very common OEM size and Nissan Leaf has this size) which is sized right in between the standard 15" x 6" wheel and the V model 17" x 7" . Low rolling resistance tires are available in 16" and typically cost only about $20 more each than the 15" tires.

 

I've got it divi'd up among fabric and leather options.

Prius II and III's lookers are fine with fabric. Some will spend $1400 ish more for JBL and 16's / no covers - they want some options but keep price down a bit (that might be $25,410 sticker w/ mats). A few will spend $2.2k extra for the 16's, JBL, nav, USB. Solar roof might be a problem weight wise, might not.

Prius IV and V lookers know they want leather. IV's couldn't care less about fancy wheels, but they want the comfort / convenience items - 3 door SKS, nav, fancy mirror, etc...

The V lookers want leather of course, but they value and will pay for something a little more edgy - give 'em the 17's and tech items. Solar roof not important.

16's starting on IV's I think makes potential buyers reach too far for it - I think a basic IV like that would be high $28k's or 9 (not going to check).

 

More OEM styles like most other makes? You mean like Honda putting a decent looking alloy on the 2012 Civic Hybrid? (can't speak for the $24k entry price, WUWT?) Or Nissan putting a sharp 16" on the Leaf? (Notice how I don't mention Volt .. so expensive, who cares).

I think aftermarket rims on a used car ultimately lower the value upon resale. Then there's the hassle of selecting a rim that should work on car. And you'll likely want to wait until first set of tires wears out which may be 40k miles. What else? And the $600+ for new wheels. And from what I've noticed, I think all aftermarket rims are not 'hybrid style'. They tend to be much more open which I think contributes to reduced fuel economy. Look closely at the 2012 Civic Hybrid, HF and the Prius wheels - more enclosed.

Also, having 4 OEM rims and tires laying around the garage or apartment not convenient. Can't speak for those who use spare wheels in Winter.

Let III buyers have some nice wheels, make them more happy Sell more Prii.

 

My bad, that was hypothetical. But if they did want fancy wheels and had to have leather, that spells a V

 

I think it is far cheaper to add aftermarket fog lights than a quality set of OEM-like rims and tires.

howeva, ok then, foglights on the IV, but same wheels.

 

My issue is they saddle you with plastic wheelcovers on the II - IV. Now, IMO, those wheels don't look all too hot without the covers because they have a groove that runs around the edge of the rim that is not found on bare alloy wheels.

Even those 16's off a Matrix in post #7 look much better than the stock setup. Toyota could run those 16's through the entire line or III - V and differentiate the IV and V with foglamps. I doubt many would complain. Then people could put 17, 18 or whatever.

Just put a nice OEM wheel on all Prius', that's it. Don't make customer do extra work. It would make all Prii's look a little sharper.

Also, the Leaf, Volt and Civic Hybrid do not have plastic wheelcovers. Is Toyota doing this because people scratch their covers and want to throw on new ones before they sell? Maybe they requested that during research for the car.

I can tell you this Thai, if I had bought a Prius, there was no way I was going to pull the rims, have them sitting around the garage and spring for aftermarkets, nor would I have sold the OEM 15's, nor was I going to spring for a V. It likely wouldn't have been a huge deal had I bought the car, but it was a small factor in passing this time around.

20" rims on an Accord IMO would be overkill. 16 - 18 is about all that car can own up to.