Replacing 17" tire with 15"

It may total mess up your speedometer reading and odometer also. What is the circumference of 17 vs 15? I would think the 17s would ride better anyway. It may be your tire and not the rim. Research tires instead.

 

I found 15's ride better than a larger dia. I believe the sidewall height is different. The OD may be the same while the ID (rim) would be smaller, allowing the taller sidewall to aid in the ride comfort.

 

Sell the wheels with the tires, 17” give a better ride and better handeling, 15” give better mpg.
Most any Toyota 15” rim will work, why steel?
The 195/65-15 are the correct circumference for a Prius, and the speedo reflects that fact, the 17” you have are undersized and read 2mph slow at 50mph.

 

Yes, 15s may ride better - if all factors were equal. BUT - the 15s run at much higher pressures than 17s. Maybe try a test drive in one.

But, I suspect traction is inferior, but I haven't driven one with 17s - to be honest my 15s aren't the best grip I've had in quite a few cars. Eco tyres probably are part of the cause. I notice that TOYOTA's press cars all have 17s, probably because they drive and grip better.

I'd also check the legality - when I looked at our local regulations a few years ago, I found rules on putting LARGER wheels and tyres - but nothing about smaller - which could imply that you maybe can't. Most modifiers would be aiming to increase wheel size.

The 15s also have a lower (S) speed rating than the 17s (V).

Also check that your insurance company is happy, and have it recorded on the policy.

If you do want new ones - check a wrecking yard. Not sure if Gen 3 rims might fit?

Do you have TPMS? It might mess with that too.

 

My 2013 Prius Persona came with 17 inch wheels looks great ride a little stiff winter traction was horrible. I bought a set of Prius 15 inch wheels and put winter tires on them speedometer it's still accurate . The ride on 15 wheels is so much better you do give up some performance handling. The funny part gas mileage is just abour the same with both sizes I avg 50 mpg with 17 inch wheels and 50.5 with 15 wheels. Hope this help in your decisions of 15 and 17 inch wheels

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The 2012~2015 Prius Plug-In 15" rims are sweet.

Our third gen Touring came with 17", with Michelin Pilots. They're still on the car, low miles, but I have acquired a set of the PIP rims. I'm not sure how to make my "move" though, the missus likes the look of the 17's better.

They may see duty as the snow tire rims, when I replace those. I currently have snow tire mounted on Corolla steel rims, pretty funky.

I'd concur.

 

Same thing for me. Trade at 50K, switch rims and tires, or change to another brand of tire that may dork the MPG.

Nails and road hazards are all that I have ever had an issue with on OEMs. No visible tread wear at 38K on two cars.

 

Higher pressure? 42-40 is 42-40

Traction? In the summer, doesn’t matter, in the winter, better traction. (If you drift all your corners, you wil soon be losing your license)

Legality? Nonsense.

Tpms? Just switch them from the 17” to the 15”

The 15” will give better mpg figures, why else drive a Prius?

 

1. If you're just swapping tpms sensors from a 17" rim to a 15" rim you should not have any problems. If you were for some reason getting new sensors, it would require a single dealership intervention with Techstream, maybe $75.

2. The Prius comes with either 195/65R15 or 215/45R17. Both have (roughly) the same outside diameter, and I can't see any reason insurance would change.

3. Our 2010 alternates between the stock 215/45R17 (Michelin Pilot hxm4), and snow tires in 195/65R15 (Michelin X-Ice2). I can recall one year, I'd just put the 15's on, and asked my wife how they were. She said she hadn't noticed or realized I'd done the change. I found the ride with the 15's is a little cushier. This is running the 17's around 36 psi at the highest, and 15's around 40.

4. The 17" tires you'll find cost anywhere between 50 and 80 percent more.

5. At least on our third gen, the 17" rims are around 24 lbs apiece, and the 215/45R17 tires weigh maybe 2~3 pounds more than their 15" counterparts. Stock 15" rims are around 18 pounds IIRC. So basically each wheel tire combo is about 8 pounds lighter. So less inertia, easier to get rolling, maybe helps a bit with stopping distance too?

The flip side: it's somewhat economically wasteful finding extra rims, and a quandry what to do with the original rims. Yeah sleep on it.

 

There is one place where 17" vs 15" is a factor: I believe downtown London (England) imposes a congestion toll, on only the 17" model, due to it's lower mpg I think. Maybe the only place in the world?

 

The insurance - is just a question you have to ask - and get recorded on the policy (or you confirm it with them in writing keeping a copy). And - if they say no - you know it's "no".

With the traction - the ECO tyres I reckon don't grip as well as a premium tyre. If I were thinking of keeping mine long term, I'd be putting a set of sport tyres on to increase the grip. You've got the 17s which, I suspect have better traction. There has to be one good reason why all the press cars are equipped with 17" rims.

 

How would traction on 15s be better in winter - I don't understand how that could possibly happen?

With the legality - it's worth asking. He doesn't want to find they deny an expen$$ive claim because he didn't know.

My Dad had a minor accident a while back - the insurance assessor walked into his garage, didn't even look at the damage, walked around and checked all 4 tyres, and then said - "yes, OK, accepted".

 

My previous car, a Camry SE, came with 17" wheels.

My current Prius has 15".

I don't seem to notice any difference in performance, ride, cornering, traction, noise, etc. (But I'm an old guy ) I don't think the size of the wheel matters so much. More important, it's the kind of tires you have? I'm just guessing. But I like the 15" tires better because they are much less expensive.

 

TPMS were not even in my thoughts until this thread. So what if you just put regular valve stems in the wheels? How hard is it to turn off the warning light? I will really know when the tires are underinflated by the way it drives. Also wise folks check their tires at every stop.

 

You forgot the ultimate answer to everything in the universe is 42.

No one knows the question BTW. Great book, movie and series. Best part is everyone is having a pint.

 

I wimped out. I'm back down to only 1 or 2 psi over specs. My car (and the Michelin tires) do not like any pressure higher than that. They complained loud & clear. The mpg has stayed the same, and I have a smoother ride now.... And my teeth no longer rattle.

 

I tried replacing my 17" with 15" but they wouldn't fit on the rims

 

The width, a thinner tire displaces less snow, much less resistance.