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Toyota Prius Tire/Wheel Questions

153 messages,  Last post on Jan 27, 2013 at 5:01 PM

You are in the Toyota Prius Maintenance & Repair Forum.

What is this discussion about? Toyota Prius, Tires, Wheels, Hatchback, Sedan

Messages Page 14 of 16

#123 of 153 Re: Wheel Covers [63pro] by sgbgla

Apr 04, 2011 (11:17 am)

Replying to: 63pro (Aug 15, 2010 6:39 am)
I also purchased a 2010 Prius in August of 2010 and I absolutely hated the wheel covers. We had popped off the cover and discovered alloy wheels underneath but didn't like the look with the missing center cap. You mentioned that you purchased them at a dealer for $70. When I asked the Toyota dealer about the cap, he said there wasn't one for the 2010 Prius. Was the cap for a different model Toyota and it fit the 2010? This would have to be for a 15" wheel...not the 17" one. Any help you can offer would be great.

#124 of 153 Re: Wheel Covers [sgbgla] by 63pro

Apr 05, 2011 (7:17 am)

Replying to: sgbgla (Apr 04, 2011 11:17 am)
Hi, I really don't understand why your dealer didn't have access to the wheel caps for your Prius unless the 15" wheels are the difference maker. I just went to the parts counter at my dealership and ordered them up. I do have 17" wheels and that may be the difference. Before I finally bought, I went on the net under "wheel caps" and saw a ton of items. If you choose this route, check the inside diameter of your opening and how a cap fits into it. I think you might find something. I was even to the point of buying a cap with a different logo in hopes of saving a few bucks, but wound up going with the dealer. Hope you can find what you are after.

#125 of 153 Re: Wheel Covers [63pro] by bioman

Apr 06, 2011 (6:57 am)

Replying to: 63pro (Apr 05, 2011 7:17 am)
After I purchased my Prius IV in August of 2009 I had the same problem with the plastic wheel covers. I purchased four center caps for the 2009 Prius from centercaps.com. When they arrived I was not sure they would stay on the wheels, but it has been over a year and one very rough winter and they are doing just fine. I believe I paid about $12.00/cap since they were used (but looked new).

#126 of 153 Re: Wheel Covers [bioman] by hihostevo

Apr 06, 2011 (1:11 pm)

Replying to: bioman (Apr 06, 2011 6:57 am)
Thank you for the update... I called my dealer and he "supposedly" ordered center caps for my Prius IV... but I was never called to tell me they were in. When I checked back I was told there were no caps available for the Prius IV only the Prius V.
 
I will check with your source and order them today, thank you.

#127 of 153 2010 17 inch tires not rugged by louigi

Jun 27, 2011 (9:18 am)

I've had my 2010 V for five months and have had to replace three tires at about $300 each. The low profile Toyo tire hit a chuck hole in the street and the impact ruined the tire and dented the wheel. Another time a curb hit creamed another tire. The latest damage which resulted in a slow leak found a screw puncturing the sidewall. They said they couldn't fix it.
I'm considering going to a 15 inch wheel if there's a tire that could offer more balloon protection. These little tires hit something and they don't absorb enough of the impact.
I can't believe I'm the only one with this problem, but maybe they were just freak accidents and won't happen again. I do think that the holes in the streets here in Denver, if they don't get fixed will once again extract damage.
Louigi

#128 of 153 Re: 2010 17 inch tires not rugged [louigi] by railroadjames

Jun 27, 2011 (9:36 am)

Replying to: louigi (Jun 27, 2011 9:18 am)
It must be nice to have $$ to burn. Low profile tires are inherently accident prone while standard tires run 70-80 $$$ and serve all practical purposes. I acerage 40-43 K miles per set of tires and have a total of 141,000 miles on my '04 Prius. Ican't understand spending so much $$$ on tires that fail to deliver on miles and have excessive cost. Penny wise pound foolish.

#129 of 153 Re: 2010 17 inch tires not rugged [louigi] by hihostevo

Jun 27, 2011 (8:22 pm)

Replying to: louigi (Jun 27, 2011 9:18 am)
Sorry to hear of your difficulties... I have the Prius IV as I wanted the solar roof panel (very helpful in Las Vegas), but have always been envious of the 17" wheels. I would prefer to run my 15" without the plastic covers... but you cannot buy center caps for the 15" for some odd reason.
 
Did the pot hole damage the 17" wheel such that you had to replace it? I had that happen on a Nissan Maxima I owned previously... stupid expensive to replace an aluminum wheel for a small pothole... but that is what we had to do.
 
Just curious of the 17" on the Prius are any more hardy...

#130 of 153 Re: 2010 17 inch tires not rugged [hihostevo] by pf_flyer HOST

Jun 28, 2011 (4:06 am)

Replying to: hihostevo (Jun 27, 2011 8:22 pm)
The lower the profile on the tire, the more susceptible they are to damaging the tires and/or wheels on "road irregularities". Add in the harsher ride and I'm not sure I see the attraction. It's a pretty high price just for looks.
 
The weirdest low-pro incident I ever witness was a guy pulling into a local gas station. The curb at the driveway entrance wasn't very flush and stuck up a little over an inch. The guy really whipped his car into the driveway going faster than he should have been - which I'm sure contributed to what happened - and as his front wheels met the step in the surface, both front tires blew.

#131 of 153 Re: 2010 17 inch tires not rugged [louigi] by hihostevo

Jul 01, 2011 (8:13 pm)

Replying to: louigi (Jun 27, 2011 9:18 am)
I guess my next most logical question is... do you have a choice on which tire you run on your 17" rims? Can you run a tire that is not so "low" profile?
 
Is there physically room for a taller tire or is the tire size limited due to the physical space available??

#132 of 153 Re: 2010 17 inch tires not rugged [hihostevo] by pf_flyer HOST

Jul 02, 2011 (6:24 pm)

Replying to: hihostevo (Jul 01, 2011 8:13 pm)
Well you want to keep the same overall diameter of the tire/wheel combo unless you like having your speedometer and odometer thrown off. And even then, if you run larger wheels and put a not-so-low profile tire on, you could run into clearance issue in the wheel wells.

Messages Page 14 of 16

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