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Steel wheels & Snow tires

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by mdmikemd, Dec 8, 2005.

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  1. mdmikemd

    mdmikemd Member

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    I really want to go with the snow tires with steel wheels. As I have researched, the Prius has wheels that are 15 x 6.5 with a 5-100 lug pattern. From tirerack.com and Discount Tire etc, they only have steel wheels 15 x 6 with 5-100 lug pattern. That is the size for the Corolla CE. This means the width of the wheel is .5in smaller.

    Has anyone tried using the narrower wheel? I can't imagine it would affect performance negatively. And when you mount a tire, the size you give are the tread width(185), aspect ratio(65) and rim diameter(15). That leads me to believe that whether you brought a 6in wide rim or a 6.5in rim, they would mount the same tire, it would just flex in a little at the bead.

    Any input would be appreciated.
     
    #1 mdmikemd, Dec 8, 2005
  2. c4

    c4 Active Member

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    Look at the detailed specs (the full table that shows diameters, section widths and revs per mile, etc) for the tire you're considering, you'll find that there's a range of permitted wheel widths: generally, on a 185/65-15, you'll find that you can use it on a rim anywhere from 5" wide up to 6.5" wide
     
    #2 c4, Dec 8, 2005
  3. mdmikemd

    mdmikemd Member

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    I will, thanks!
     
    #3 mdmikemd, Dec 8, 2005
  4. afternoonnap

    afternoonnap New Member

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    Where did you see that size for the Prius? My manual says the wheels are 15x6JJ, and on the inside of one of the wheel spokes it says 15x6JJ 45.

    So 15x6 is the correct size (for N America at least) not 15x6.5.
     
    #4 afternoonnap, Dec 8, 2005
  5. mdmikemd

    mdmikemd Member

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    Well of course I never looked at the manual...that would make too much sense. :D I entered the type of car from tirerack.com or discount tires web site and thats what I came up with. I guess it doesn't really matter as per c4's post. By the way, I'm still way unsure about whether we need the snow tires.
     
    #5 mdmikemd, Dec 8, 2005
  6. Tempus

    Tempus Senior Member

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    The (US) Standard is 6" width, which is the same as the Corolla (which is handy), but 6.5 is more common, and isn't a big deal. The same tires will generally fit either.

    Offest would seem much more important than rim width it would seem to me.

    Most of the 6.5 rims seem to have a 40mm offset which would put them centered about the same place as the 6 inch rims with a 45mm offset if I understand the math correctly.

    This would mean you have at most .25 inch less clearance on the rim on either side, which would be negligible because the sidewall is usually the widest point.
     
    #6 Tempus, Dec 9, 2005
  7. IsrAmeriPrius

    IsrAmeriPrius Progressive Member

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    Watch out!!!

    Charles Suitt will start lecturing you that: "There's a wealth of information in your Owner's Manual."

    :lol:
     
    #7 IsrAmeriPrius, Dec 9, 2005
  8. afternoonnap

    afternoonnap New Member

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    It doesn't have to be snowy for winter tires to be a safer choice, just cold. But if it is not consistently cold then they will wear quickly. The Nokian WR tires seem a great choice for a truly all-season tire.

    However I think you're in Minneapolis, so I would think you'd want dedicated winter tires. They are the best bang-for-buck safety improvement you can make for winter driving.
     
    #8 afternoonnap, Dec 10, 2005
  9. mdmikemd

    mdmikemd Member

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    And my wife being from Finland, she really thinks Nokian would be a great choice. She says it's law in Finland you have to have studded snow tires from November to the end of March, but they don't salt the roads. That's why I'm still unsure. Our roads here are pretty dry, they salt so much only a few back roads seem covered. Your point is that just being cold is reason enough?
     
    #9 mdmikemd, Dec 10, 2005
  10. afternoonnap

    afternoonnap New Member

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    Yes. Here are two supporting quotes from the APA website.

    From What You Need To Know About Winter Tires: "The winter tire is made of a softer, spongier rubber that grips better in colder weather. (That’s also why it has to be removed for summer use to avoid wearing it out.) The rubber used in a summer tire becomes hard at 10 C. An all-season tire will stay flexible to –10 Celsius, and the rubber on a winter tire should stay flexible to – 30 C."

    From Winter tire recommendations for 2005-06: "Even on dry pavement, as the temperature drops, the rubber compound of an all-season tire hardens considerably and provides less grip than a winter tire, which is designed for colder temperatures."
     
    #10 afternoonnap, Dec 11, 2005
  11. mdmikemd

    mdmikemd Member

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    Okay, got the snow tires from tirerack.com today. I thought they would come with lug nuts...but okay, they didn't. Does anyone use the lug nuts that are meant for the aluminum wheels or do they get another set for the snow tires? Are the screws a standard size if I decide to get lug nuts just for the snow tires?

    Thanks in advance.
     
    #11 mdmikemd, Dec 21, 2005
  12. tomdeimos

    tomdeimos New Member

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    You need the lug nuts for steel wheels. They should have come taped to a wheel somewhere. I got mine from tire rack last year and they came with the nuts.
     
    #12 tomdeimos, Dec 21, 2005
  13. mdmikemd

    mdmikemd Member

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    I'll take a closer look, I just pulled the cardboard cover off but didn't look if anything was taped to the rim.
     
    #13 mdmikemd, Dec 21, 2005
  14. mdmikemd

    mdmikemd Member

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    Okay, took a look, no lug nuts. Reading the fine print at their website, it does say they don't include lug nuts if they want you to use the ones that came with your car...anyhow, I'll look into it, or just go to the auto parts store and shell out $20...
     
    #14 mdmikemd, Dec 22, 2005
  15. mdmikemd

    mdmikemd Member

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    Question for anyone using snow tires with after market rims...did you use the lugnuts that came with the car, or did you use new lugs?
     
    #15 mdmikemd, Dec 22, 2005
  16. flynz4

    flynz4 Member

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    I bought alloy rims for my Prius and dedicated snow tires. The real shocker was the tire pressure sensors which are:
    a) $106 each from Toyota -and-
    B) On a nation wide backorder

    My tire dealer took the sensors off of the standard wheels and put them on the winter wheels. Hopefully, we will be able to get the parts from Toyota in the spring when we change the tires back. Otherwise... they will move the sensors back.

    With two prii: $106 * 8 sensors... this is a lot of money before we even talk about the cost of 8 wheels and 8 snow tires.

    /Jim
     
    #16 flynz4, Dec 22, 2005
  17. c4

    c4 Active Member

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    When I bought new tires/rims, they did *not* come with new lug nuts; the tire store said that I could use the existing ones, but that the captive washers may make a rattle.. As I had just spent over $700 with them, I ended up talking them into throwing in a new set of nuts..
     
    #17 c4, Dec 23, 2005
  18. GreenMachine

    GreenMachine New Member

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    Are you sure the sensors that they are pricing at $106 are the right ones for the '06? I thought they worked differently than the typical Toyota sensors? I remember seeing in some thread that they are going to cost a lot more too. I asked my dealer how much they were going to cost, and he told me that the '06 sensors were not "in the system yet" so he was going email and find out for me.
     
    #18 GreenMachine, Dec 23, 2005
  19. mdmikemd

    mdmikemd Member

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    That's the response I got from tirerack.com...use the stock lugs...asked the guy at Autozone and he told me not to wast $20 on lug nuts, just use the ones from the car.

    My wife of all people :lol: told me I should make sure I put the same lug nut on the same bolt as I change the tires. That's how she was taught to change snow tires in Finland.
     
    #19 mdmikemd, Dec 23, 2005
  20. flynz4

    flynz4 Member

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    No I am not sure... just passing on what my tire dealer told me (Les Schwabe). Tire sensors for my previous cars cost about $45 each. The tire shop says they all vary by model from about $18 - $90, and that the $106 price tag for the Prius was an all time high. Its really too bad, because the Prius TPM is one of the most basic designs possible. It doesn't even give you instantaneaos readouts of 4 tire... just an idiod light that a tire has gone low. Also, the Prius does not monitor the spare.

    For right now, we put my existing sensors into the winter wheels. Hppefully the supply issue is straightened out before spring.

    /Jim
     
    #20 flynz4, Dec 23, 2005
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