Quote:
Originally Posted by aerohead
If you weren't driving a hybrid, I'd say, 'go for it,' however, if you do it, you could inadvertently shoot yourself in the foot:
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1) As has already been discussed, the tire circumference remains the same regardless of wheel diameter. There's no difference in the tread's surface velocity-related hysteresis effects.
2) Since the dual-motor, 13.6-kWh plug-in is already 356-pounds heavier than the 'base' Prius, you're sweating some difference in polar-moment-of-inertia between the two different wheel/tire sizes, in comparison to an 11% increase in all-up mass.
3) Volvo proved that a 'heavier' hybrid can be 'better' than a lighter one, because of the regen phenomena, as, in the case of the PRIME, your getting 81.1% of the energy of 'braking' from an 11% 'heavier car.
4) You'd have to do a complete energy balance on the car to prove to yourself that you wouldn't just be p---ing away good money on an investment that might reward you with a 'zero' return on investment ( 'experience is a cruel teacher....gives the exam first, then the lesson' ).
5) The wheelhouses and wheels 'DO' add around 50% aero drag to a car.
6) And the 'exposed' portion below the belly constitutes about 80% of 'wheel drag.'
7) 'Windage/ Ventilation' drag has been reported at 'nothing' at 'low-speed', to 3% at 141-mph ( 227-km/h ) [ Tesla Model 3 in Germany, by Rob Palin ( aerodynamicist for Tesla Motors )].
8) If your car comes with the 'larger' wheels, something just beyond 'janky zipped-tied cardboard wheel covers' might be all you need to 'erase' the ventilation drag.
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I wouldn’t get the plug in. It has terrible mpg once the battery is drained. YouTube videos show it getting about 40-45 mpg on the interstate
The 19 inch wheel Prius non plug in gets about 45 mpg at 70 miles per hour interstate based on multiple videos. That’s terrible.
Wayne at cleanmpg has shown several examples of the older Priuses with smaller wheels getting better highway mpg. Currently he’s been driving the base model 2023 version with 17 inch wheels and is getting 90 mpg but won’t state his speeds or driving patterns for some reason. He’s been advocating for smaller wheels also as an option out of the dealership.
One thing that’s nice about smaller tires, is they are much cheaper! So even if the gas mileage is barely a difference, the money saved by getting smaller tires every time you need new tires is a benefit right there