Plus size Prius Touring, 205/50/16 or 205/55/16?

Grayson the 205/50/16 is closer to the OEM tyre size, but there is much more choice of tyres at the 205/55/16 size. I run a UK Prius and here they all come with 16 inch rims. I have gone to the 205/55/16 size for a number of reasons:-

(1) Greater choice.
(2) Tyres in this size are actually cheaper.
(3) The best choice of low rolling resistance (LRR) tyres are at this size". The 205/55/16 has lower LRR than 195/55/16
(4) The speedo is more accurate with this size.
(5) The way the car handles is much improved with the wider tyre.
(6) The MFD display of MPG is almost dead on compared to calculated with this size.

As I have said I run 205/55/16 and get better mpg than I did with 195/55/16, the important thing is to choose a tyre with as low a rolling resistance as you can find.

 

Not living in the US makes it difficult for me to give advice on particular tyres unless they are also sold in the UK.

Are you looking for summer, winter or all seasons tyres.

I am running Hankook Kinergy Eco tyres one of the lowest LRR tyres along with Michelin energy saver with green X. Kumho make a tyre "KH22" that is LRR and a 100,000 mile warranty.

Take a look at the gen2 Prius fuel economy section "low rolling resistance replacement tyres current lists" a lot of information there, but this is important as the wrong type of tyres can easily loose you 6 to 10 MPG.

 

What's a matter? Are you not spending enough on gas? Nothing is going to lower MPGs faster than using tires and wheels that are bigger than the ones the car was designed for. You're already pushing the limits by having 16" inch instead of 15" wheels... Why bigger tires? Do you want more traction? The easiest way to get more traction and get better MPG at the same time is to drive slower... Before you buy bigger tires you might want to calculate how a 2-4mpg hit will cost you over the life of the car. It's adds up to thousands of dollars in money out of pocket...

 

Did you not read the post? The OP is using wheels designed for the car the OEM Toyota wheels that were fitted to the car when new.

It is also a fact that certain 205 section tyres have a lower rolling resistance than 195 section. I have not taken a 2-4 MPG hit I have gained at leased 2 MPG. If you go to the UK/EU web site of the tyres I am using (Hankook Kinergy Eco) you will see that the 205/55/16 have a lower RR than 185/60/15 and 195/55/16's.

In the UK/EU tyres now have to be tested for rolling resistance, wet grip, and noise, these test are carried out on standard equipment and must be published at the point of sale by law for all standard new tyres. The results are an eye opener as far as RR and wet grip are concerned.

John (Britprius)

 

There is a tyre in 15 inch rim size that at the moment beats all others for LRR if you can find them in stock anywhere, but you will have to go up in size from 185/60/15 to 195/65/15 because that is the only size in production at the moment. This is the Bridgestone Ecopia EP001S recently announced, otherwise you have to jump to 205/55/16's to get the lowest RR by a small number of manufacturers.

John (Britprius)