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Using 185s on Gen III?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by KCobby, Feb 17, 2017.

  1. KCobby

    KCobby Member

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    Hi everyone,

    I just had my 05 totaled and I'm trying to determine what, if anything, I can salvage. I may have already found another, but one question is about tires - I bought brand new tires just a couple of months ago so I was wondering if I could use these on a 2012? I know there is a difference of 195 for the 2012 vs 185 for the 2005 so I understand that it's not a perfect fit and there will be speedometer differences, but if it's possible I'd like to try it.

    Thoughts? Thanks in advance for help and advice.
     
    #1 KCobby, Feb 17, 2017
  2. Burna J

    Burna J Knot Right Performance....

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    #2 Burna J, Feb 17, 2017
  3. KCobby

    KCobby Member

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    That's a great calculator - thank you!

    Looks like what I am considering would work...any thoughts to the contrary? Or problems that I might incur that I'm not thinking about?

    Thanks!
     
    #3 KCobby, Feb 17, 2017
  4. KCobby

    KCobby Member

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    Anyone else have thoughts? I'm assuming it's probably not as easy as just swapping wheels. But if possible, I'd like to salvage these tires. Thanks.
     
    #4 KCobby, Feb 19, 2017
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    If I haven't miscalculated, going from 195/65R15 to 185/65R15 reduced tire outside diameter by almost the same factor as going to 215/45R17? The latter is our OEM, I switch over to 195/65R15 snow tires every winter, a minor difference. These are "theoretical" variations:

    upload_2017-2-21_9-55-12.png

    In your shoes, I would sell the tires you have, stick with stock size, but it should work.
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Feb 21, 2017
  6. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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    I would stick them on and rock, you won't notice much of any difference
     
    #6 Rmay635703, Feb 21, 2017
  7. KCobby

    KCobby Member

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    Thanks for the replies! Always love the info coming from this forum, and nice to get it from people much smarter than me!

    I think I really could swap the tires, although without doing it myself, I'd be looking at spending around $20 per tire for mounting and dis-mounting. Not worth it. I also came to the conclusion that I could swap wheels (and could do that myself) - here is what I found at wheel-size.com A great resource, I found.

    Tires for Toyota Prius 2005
    • Diameters: 15.0'' - 17.0''
    • Width (mm): 185 - 215
    • Tire aspect ratio (%): 45 - 65
    • Smallest tire size: 185/65R15
    • Largest tire size: 215/45ZR17
    Rims for Toyota Prius 2005
    • Bolt pattern 5x100
      • Diameter: 15.0'' - 17.0'';
      • Width (inches): 6 - 6.5;
      • Offset (mm): 45
    Tires for Toyota Prius 2012
    • Diameters: 15.0'' - 17.0''
    • Width (mm): 185 - 215
    • Tire aspect ratio (%): 45 - 65
    • Smallest tire size: 185/65R15
    • Largest tire size: 215/45ZR17
    Rims for Toyota Prius 2012
    • Bolt pattern 5x100
      • Diameter: 15.0'' - 17.0'';
      • Width (inches): 6 - 7;
      • Offset (mm): 45 - 50.
    That said, I have TPMS in the 2012 so I think I'm just going to give up and get new rubber. But it was fun doing research...albeit a time vampire...:cool:

    Cheers!
     
    #7 KCobby, Feb 21, 2017
  8. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    the smaller tires will hold less weight, if you solo commute in this car, it may not make a difference. I would not load it with more then 500 pounds, people and cargo.
     
    #8 JimboPalmer, Feb 21, 2017
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