14 Corolla wheel/tire size change?

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John Hilmer

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Folks,

I have a '14 Corolla "S" that has the 17" alloy wheels with the 215/45-17 tires that I expect are still factory supplied. I'm not happy with this combination. The rough ride, wear rate and noise are what I don't like. Yes, I suppose that I bought the wrong car, but perhaps this change might help. I bought this as a used car, it now has only 24 K miles and I've put on the last 6 K miles.

I am considering changing the wheels to the factory standard 16" wheels with 205/55-16 tires to change the things I don't care for. I'm considering the Michelin Premier A/S tires because of the wet traction rating along with all of the other attributes seen on the Tire Rack.

Another consideration is that I "THINK" that larger versions have more rolling resistance than the smaller version and this may be affecting my fuel economy, which is important to me. Please comment on this in particular.

I don't drive hard at all but more for economy and safety especially in wet weather. Color me cautious.

Am I on the right track with my thinking and suppositions above, or am I all hosed up?

I know that I covered far to many subjects here, but if you can get a sense of what I'm driving at, your input would be great.

John
 
It may be cheaper to just buy different model of tires.
You may try 205/50R17 too.

What tires does it have now?

Krzyś

PS. Does 16" wheel clear the front brakes? I suspect it does but it does hurt to check sooner rather than later.
 
I think your on the right track. I bought a Scion Xb last fall and this spring had a tire get severely compromised by something on the road so found a good deal on a different set. It came with 16 inch steel. The ride was way better and increased the mileage too. Even had a wear warranty that the factory Good Years did not. Wish I could tell you the brand etc but its locked up for the winter as prepping to head south.
 
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What about Continental TrueContacts? They are rated higher in wet conditions by TireRack. After my set of Michelins, I have a bad taste in my mouth due to poor wet grip.
 
The harsh ride is due to the 45 aspect ratio;the higher the aspect ratio the better the ride. A softer riding tire would be the Goodyear Assurance Comfort Tred Touring. The Oem Goodyear fuel max tires rode rough on my Accord. Hope this helps.
 
Does the Corolla S actually have a more aggressive spring setup than say an LE?

Might be something inherent.
 
Whats the stock tire size on a Corolla 2014? You cant go wrong with stock. Im running 215 45 17 and have no issues with ride comfort and my original wheel size was 195 65 15. I have my winters as 195/65/15.
 
part of it could be the [censored] tire that came with the car.

you can get the Michelin Premier A/S in 215/45r17 also.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Premier+A%2FS&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=145HR7PREAS&tab=Sizes

the way the tire is also constructed impacts rolling resistance also.
 
On 2x 2013 Matrix (same car): 215/55/17 Blizzak, fit ok, wore them out & replaced with 225/50 17 Hankook, they rubbed at full crank and over big bumps, 10% left.
Both sets on 17x7.5" 5x100mm bolt pattern wheels.
#2. 215/60/16 Blizzak on 16X7" wheels, also need replacing asap. All 3 tire sets put the speedo out 3%.
Stock tire size on the 4x4 model is 215/45/18 on 18x 7.5 wheel 5x114.3MM bolt pattern.
 
Folks,

Thanks for all of the input, it helps.

The 14 Corolla S came stock with either 205/55-16 or 215/45-17, mine being the second version with the factory alloy wheels.

The two alternate tire suggestions apparently aren't available in these sizes.

I looked at the tire rack tests and the comparable offering and still favor the Michelin.

Now comes a second question. The Michelin is offered as 205/55-16 in either a 91H or 91V. The V adds $60.80 for the set of four which is insignificant to me. I understand the load & speed rating difference, but is there a difference in the construction of the two versions, or are the V rated tires just selected as superior individuals from a common production run?

I know,this is probably not known, but I'm quite curious if someone might have some knowledge about this.

I've had good luck with several sets of Michelin tires and they have proven to perform as the tire rack tests had shown. With this confidence I'll probably stay with them this time in the new size.

John
 
As a former owner of a Subaru Impreza RS, I can vouch that 205/55-16 is plenty of tire for a car that size and capability and that there are LOTS of tires available in that size, from W-rated autocross tires to the most basic highway 'black and round' rollers. You should have no problem finding tires you'll like in that size pretty much anywhere.

That said, you may get lucky buying some nice 16" takeoffs from someone on Craigslist. I did so recently for my Accord and I'm very happy with my downsized wheels/tires. https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4227460
 
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
On such a low performance car, the smaller the wheels... the better for ride, tire life, less noise, etc.
Errrrr you don't want to compromise the diameter. You'll lose ride quality and your gearing and speedo may be off. BTW an "S" is from a "low performance" vehicle other than in the mind of someone who knows nothing about them. I've got a 265 HP V6 Camry with the same factory size tires you have and they work well on the pothole covered excuses for roads around here.
 
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Originally Posted By: John Hilmer
Folks,

Thanks for all of the input, it helps.

The 14 Corolla S came stock with either 205/55-16 or 215/45-17, mine being the second version with the factory alloy wheels.

The two alternate tire suggestions apparently aren't available in these sizes.

I looked at the tire rack tests and the comparable offering and still favor the Michelin.

Now comes a second question. The Michelin is offered as 205/55-16 in either a 91H or 91V. The V adds $60.80 for the set of four which is insignificant to me. I understand the load & speed rating difference, but is there a difference in the construction of the two versions, or are the V rated tires just selected as superior individuals from a common production run?

I know,this is probably not known, but I'm quite curious if someone might have some knowledge about this.

I've had good luck with several sets of Michelin tires and they have proven to perform as the tire rack tests had shown. With this confidence I'll probably stay with them this time in the new size.

John
Not many cars are fast enough to actually justify a V.
 
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
On such a low performance car, the smaller the wheels... the better for ride, tire life, less noise, etc.

Errrrr you don't want to compromise the diameter. You'll lose ride quality and your gearing and speedo may be off.

That's not what he's saying. He obviously means a smaller wheel with an appropriately sized tire to make up the difference in overall diamemter.
 
Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
On such a low performance car, the smaller the wheels... the better for ride, tire life, less noise, etc.

Errrrr you don't want to compromise the diameter. You'll lose ride quality and your gearing and speedo may be off.

That's not what he's saying. He obviously means a smaller wheel with an appropriately sized tire to make up the difference in overall diamemter.


Exactly, smaller wheel, higher profile tire to make for a smoother ride....
 
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
On such a low performance car, the smaller the wheels... the better for ride, tire life, less noise, etc.
Errrrr you don't want to compromise the diameter. You'll lose ride quality and your gearing and speedo may be off. BTW an "S" is from a "low performance" vehicle other than in the mind of someone who knows nothing about them. I've got a 265 HP V6 Camry with the same factory size tires you have and they work well on the pothole covered excuses for roads around here.


Nothing wrong with a minus-1 size.

You're calling a camry a high performance vehicle? The only thing high performance about your camry is that it fast in a straight line. And the Camry doesn't take 215/45r17 tires. It's more than likely 215/55r17 tires.
 
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