My dealer went to order the 17" Acura Wheels Upgrade for my soon to be new Ilx and was told that they cannot be ordered for the hybrid. He then called Acura to question this and they said they would not even warrant the car if the wheels were swapped out for the 17" Acura Wheels. He was told the car will not function properly with larger wheels. I called Acura myself and was told the same thing. Does anyone have any feedback on this? To me it does not make sense.

 

Sounds like they looked at some screen and it didnt have a pre-dispositioned option for the 17" wheels so they said it wouldn't work... just like a hybrid spoiler wont work with the regular models........ So silly

 

I tried to get the 17" too when I bought my ILX hybrid, but dealer said no. I even asked acura client services and they checked with their engineers and said I could do it on my own as aftermarket, but it wouldn't be authorized as a dealer installed option and wouldn't be warranted, and they wouldn't give me any credit on the stock wheels and tires. They gave a lot of arguments like it wasn't designed for hybrid, would mess us the speedometer, and would decrease fuel efficiency.

Anyway, I did the math (P215/45R17 and P205/55R16 are very similar in size when looking at outer diameter) but yes, there would be an ever so slight discrepancy with the speedometer and MPG due to the difference. And since it's not sold as an option on the hybrid, it sounds like the on board computer can't be officially adjusted to match the 17" option wheels. And I would probably buy regular tires rather than the low resistance tires which would decrease my fuel efficiency a but. So in that sense what they are saying is correct.

My hybrid is white, and actually the stock wheels with the body kit match pretty well. It doesn't look out of place small compared to the wheel well. Plus, it's actually the wife's car, and it's a hybrid! So we're going to stick with the stock wheels. At least for now.

 

Maximizing the mileage for hybrids involves many factors beyond just the drive train. So if Acura endorsed a larger wheel that reduced mileage, then customers are going to complain that they are not getting the mileage Acura promised. A few years ago a lady sued Honda because she wasn't getting the mileage they stated on the label on her Civic Hybrid. So any options that reduce mileage are not going to be supported by Acura. And if you really want 17" wheels knock yourself out and get what you want. But then don't complain to Acura when the mileage drops. This is what Acura is trying to protect itself against. Understandable.

 

This is probably the same reason why you can't get the Acura remote starter option for the hybrid. I really wanted it but the dealer couldn't put it in the hybrid.

 

Actually, 225/45x17 is the correct plus 1 size to replace the 205/55x16's (they're virtually the same diameter). None of the onboard systems (speedomter, ABS, VSA, TPMS, trip computer, etc) will be affected by the change. A set of 225/45x17 tires mounted on wheels that are comparable in weight (actually, preferably less so), and aside from a possible very slight decrease in mileage (the tires will be a little heavier and have increased rolling resistance), the car won't know the difference. I'm not sure you will either though; I doubt the hybrid is set up to respond to any advantage that larger tires and wheels might afford. You could probably just install a more performance oriented tire of the same size and extract any extra performance that your hybrid can give you.

 

I still think it's silly.. they were just looking at a screen that didn't say it was a matching part.. that's what they do. It's understandable that they say anything that's not on that screen may create functionality issues.. but trust me, your car doesn't know what wheels are on it.. get whichever wheels you want, and I highly doubt you're going to be carving a big cut into your miles per gallon number..

 

That might well be the case but they may not have tested any larger wheels so they won't claim any are compatible. Give it a shot and tell us how it works. There is actually a place near me that rents wheels and tires. Yes rents them. Maybe you give that a shot for a month or two before you make a purchase.