[Rubberboot]

Last fall I ordered tires and rims from our 2020 Prius Prime from Costco.

I stored the factory rims and tires for the winter and yesterday I took the after-market rims and tires off and proceeded to install the factory set back on the car.
I rotated the tires and ensured they were torqued to 76 lbs.

When I took it for a test drive around the block, I could tell something was not right. The car had a wobble.

When looking at the after-market tires/rims I noticed that on the inside of the rim the diameter of the center was bigger on the front rims and smaller on the back. Looking at the factory rims the diameter of the center of all the rims are all exactly the same size.

Putting on the rear rims the center of the rims fit exactly over the wheel hub assembly and the wheel studs extended out with plenty of room to put on the wheel nuts.

When putting on the front rims the center of the rims doesn’t fit over the wheel hub assembly and the wheel studs do not extend out. I can get the wheel nuts on but something is not right.
Inspecting the Prius Prime the center of the wheel hub assembly (Where the dust cover would go on other car models) is a larger diameter on the front then the back.

What am I doing wrong?

 

[Easy Rider]

IF Costco installed the new tires and rims for you, they might have put on "adapters" to make the "wrong" rims fit.....and some of those adapters might still be stuck on the wheel.

There should not be ANY DIFFERENCE front to back with the stock rims or with the wheels themselves.

I suggest that you should take it to a Toyota dealer with ALL of the tires and wheels and PAY them to figure it out.
Yes, I know taking the 4 spare wheels with you will be difficult......but it needs to be done.

P.S. With modern tire design, it is almost NEVER worth the trouble to change to "snow tires" in the winter.
They might be better than stock one day and worse the next.

 

[Rubberboot]

The center hub ring that was used for my aftermarket wheels stayed on my hub. Once I removed it problem solved.

It was the adapters.

Thank you

 

[Easy Rider]

Glad I could help.

Please do consider the wisdom of switching tires in the winter.

Modern "all season" tires are usually quite good.

And if I really thought I needed something different in winter, I would just run "winter" tires all year.
That does NOT mean "snow" tires which really are useful only in the 24 hours or so after a fresh snowfall.

 

[Joeyo]

Glad I could help.

Please do consider the wisdom of switching tires in the winter.

Modern "all season" tires are usually quite good.

And if I really thought I needed something different in winter, I would just run "winter" tires all year.
That does NOT mean "snow" tires which really are useful only in the 24 hours or so after a fresh snowfall.

Depending on where you live sometimes all season tires are not quite good enough in the winter. Switching out the winter tires to summer tires makes a lot of sense. Winter tires do not last very long and they get worse gas mileage.

 

[Easy Rider]

Depending on where you live sometimes all season tires are not quite good enough in the winter. Switching out the winter tires to summer tires makes a lot of sense. Winter tires do not last very long and they get worse gas mileage.

Sure......sometimes.
But if you do the math, I bet that it would take you a LONG time for the extra costs to add up to as much as buying a complete second set of tires and rims and paying to switch them twice a year.

 

[Rubberboot]

I like using two sets

 

[Rubberboot]

Sure......sometimes.
But if you do the math, I bet that it would take you a LONG time for the extra costs to add up to as much as buying a complete second set of tires and rims and paying to switch them twice a year.

• Up until last year, I always used "all season" tires on all my vehicles. For me, I am now happy to make the switch to winter tires in the cold months.
• I live in Canada and winter tires do make a significant difference from getting stuck and from a safety perspective.
• I store and change the tires myself (although this year I ran into an issue. Which was resolved because of this post)
• While one set of tires is being used, the other set is being saved for the future. So from my perspective buying an extra set is no more expensive.
• The cost of the extra rims is a drop in the bucket compared to the 2020 Prius Prime. (Which is hands down my favorite car)
• I've heard leaving winter tires on all year around would save money, although I'm not sure I agree with this as there is an extra hum/noise when it is warmer and there is no snow or ice on the roads. I also suspect stopping on dry roads is much better with the summer tires. And of course stopping on snowy roads or highways with winter tires his significantly better.

Grant

 

[FimpuluPete]

I notice that Easy Rider is domociled in North Florida. With all respect, I will continue to run winter tires in winter and all season radials for the other three seasons. The weather in Maine does not respect the thoughts of folks who do not have to deal with the challenges of regular and deep snowfall.

 

[Easy Rider]

• there is an extra hum/noise when it is warmer and there is no snow or ice on the roads. I also suspect stopping on dry roads is much better with the summer tires. And of course stopping on snowy roads or highways with winter tires his significantly better

As I suspected, you seem to be confusing "winter tires" and "snow tires".

Snow tires with big wide tread grooves to "bite" into soft or loosely packed snow (or mud) are indeed noisy on clean pavement.
But that is NOT true of a "winter" tire which is a softer compound and a tread design that puts more rubber on the road.

Winter tires are a better choice in my mind, unless maybe you live in a rural area that never sees a snow plow and little traffic. Why ? Because how often do you actually drive in fresh snow or show that is loosely packed before the road crews get to it ? For most people that answer is: "Seldom or never" so that your "snow tires" are never really the best choice.

What most people encounter is tightly packed show or ICE frozen on the road surface where the snow tire actually has less traction because of the reduced contact patch.

 

[Easy Rider]

I notice that Easy Rider is domociled in North Florida. With all respect, I will continue to run winter tires in winter and all season radials for the other three seasons. The weather in Maine does not respect the thoughts of folks who do not have to deal with the challenges of regular and deep snowfall.

Your ASSumption is faulty.
For most of my 70+ years, I lived WELL north of the Mason-Dixon line and probably have accumulated more experience driving on snow and ice than you have even though of.

 

[FimpuluPete]

Nice! I concede the argument on the basis of your crushing logic.

 

[Easy Rider]

Nice! I concede the argument on the basis of your crushing logic.

Not intended to be an "argument", just an exchange if ideas and information.

And it was not MY logic that figured this out.
It was information that I gained from someone else YEARS ago.......because I was able to listen to what he had to say objectively.

After that, I tested his "theory" and found it to be valid.
I never bothered with actual "show tires" ever again and was none the worse for it.