Topic: Winter tires for 2016 Corolla S

[cslater]

Hello,

I am picking up my new 2016 Corolla S next week and am thinking ahead to the winter.   The car comes with 16" steel rims with hub caps.

I put about 40,000km a year on my vehicle so the winters will see about half that per year.  Current plan is to keep the car a minimum of 4-5 years.

A couple options I have considered:

1) Drive the factory configuration until the fall then buy a set of winters (Costco, Kal-Tire etc) and have them swapped onto the Toyota. Swap every six months going forward.  Cheapest initial cost but mounting+balancing every six months will add up.

2) Drive the factory configuration until the fall then buy a set of winters + steel rims (Costco, Kal-Tire etc) and have them swapped onto the Toyota. Swap every six months going forward.

3) Drive the factory configuration until the fall and scour the internet for a set of Toyota Corolla steel or aluminum rims then buy a set of winters (Costco, Kal-Tire etc) and have them mounted onto the rims. Swap every six months going forward.

I am thinking #3 might be best *if* I can find a good set of Toyota Corolla rims as they will be hub centric.

Tire wise I was either thinking Blizzak WS80 from Costco or Nokian Hakkapelitta from Kal-Tire.

Thanks in advance for any tips!

Chris

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum and great question.  People on here (myself included) LOVE talking winter tires, for some reason.

First of all, Costco is a popular place to buy tires in these parts.  LOTS of us have had great experiences with Costco tires and wheels, their service, warranty and price.  Myself included.

Anyway, I personally would go Option #2 and buy a set of rims from Costco to go along with your tires.  I did go with plain steel wheels, and seeing as I swap them myself I don't mind them being lug-centric as I can take the time to carefully center them.  However, if hub-centric is a requirement for you, then Costco sells adaptors (wheel kits) the specifically fit your car to make generic lug-centric wheels fit hubcentrically. 
Aside from selling plain steel wheels, Costco also sells aluminum wheels in different styles that look a helluva lot nicer.  This is also an option for you if you so desire. 

Now, as to the tire.  Based on the fact that you drive 20k kms per winter, I'm going to go ahead and say that maybe the Blizzak WS80 is not the right tire for you.  Don't get me wrong, it's a great tire and probably has some of the best snow, ice and cold weather traction available.  I have a set myself.  BUT, they are also quite fast-wearing for a winter tyre.   You would likely only get two winters MAXIMUM out of them before you have to replace them.  If you drive hard, you may find yourself replacing them half-way through your second winter. 

I'm going to go ahead and recommend the Michelin X-Ice Xi3.  They seem to be one of the longest wearing winter tires on the market.  Many of the forum members here extoll the fact that they are on their 5th or 6th winter on their X-Ice's, and that they're still going strong.  Actual tread performance won't be much worse than the Blizzak (possibly not quite as good in deep snow) especially in the majority of slushy or icy wintry road conditions you'll find yourself in.  They ARE about $30 per tire more expensive than the Blizzak, but considering you would go through 2 sets of Blizzaks throughout the life of one set of X-Ice tires, they'll be cheaper in the long run. 

One Caveat here:  If you only plan on keeping your Corolla for a couple of years, then by all means go for the Blizzak.

[Fobroader]

I would go with option #2. I would never recommend swapping tires off and on the same rims. Gets hugely expensive very quickly with the mounting and balancing every few months. Blizzaks, Hakkapelitas...lots of great options out there for great winters.

[sailor723]

I'd also think twice about the Blizzak's if you're going to put 20k per season on them. Great tires but quite soft. I had the DM-V1 Blizzaks on my SUV and got about 35K out of them. Winter tires are a trade off. often, the better they perform the faster they wear.

[tortoise]

I agree with the Michelin idea in principle.

But in reality I think the X-Ices will only get you an extra season and by the end of the third they will be on their last legs.

Myself, I'd probably go with the Blizzaks and be aware I'll be replacing them in two years.  They are a bit cheaper then the Michelin's and you can probably sell them on Kijiji for a couple of hundred dollars.  The Michelin's will be toast after three years.

[johngenx]

I'm one of the forums biggest Blkizzak slappies.  For good reason.  I drive all over western Canada in the winter chasing snow on the worst roads in the worst conditions and they are always impressive.  And they're reasonably priced!!  Bonus!!!

I've had warranty issues with Michelin and they were horrid to deal with.  I had one tire issue with a Bridgestone and they were the polar opposite.

And another vote for Costco.  Best tires shop in my parts by far.

[cslater]

Thanks for all the great replies!!  Lots to think about.

My the way my commute is between Calgary and Canmore on the TransCanada Hwy.  It is pretty well maintained but a couple of times a year the conditions are pretty bad.

Any thoughts on studded tires?  I put the studded Nokian Hakka's on my wife's AWD minivan and it is pretty much unstoppable on the mountain roads.

Cheers
Chris

[mrthompson]

I'll throw another hat into the ring...the BF Goodrich Winter Slalom KSI.  Ice performance isn't the same as the Blizzak or X-Ice but snow performance is excellent.  In my experience the BFGs are quiet, smooth, and seem to have longevity.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Thanks for all the great replies!!  Lots to think about.

My the way my commute is between Calgary and Canmore on the TransCanada Hwy.  It is pretty well maintained but a couple of times a year the conditions are pretty bad.

Any thoughts on studded tires?  I put the studded Nokian Hakka's on my wife's AWD minivan and it is pretty much unstoppable on the mountain roads.

Cheers
Chris

I've got studded Firestone Winterforces. Studs make a huge difference in icy conditions. They're a big help for the road conditions I see in Regina, where they don't plow secondary streets, so they end up packed into ice. Some people are put off by the noise.

Previously, I've had Blizzaks and Michelin Alpins. That was a while ago. The older Blizzaks sacrificed longevity for better traction than the Michelins. I'm not sure if that's still the case.

Costco have great service, though the local KalTire seems pretty good too. 

[johngenx]

Oh, and don't bother looking for used steel wheels for your new car.  Costco sells new steels for ridiculously low prices - I've got a couple sets and so far they're high quality.  The finish is perfect after four tough winters.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Oh, and don't bother looking for used steel wheels for your new car.  Costco sells new steels for ridiculously low prices - I've got a couple sets and so far they're high quality.  The finish is perfect after four tough winters.

Mine are starting to show rust spots (speckles?) after two winters.

[johngenx]

Mine are starting to show rust spots (speckles?) after two winters.

Really?  Wow.  I put a set on the Highlander and they look like new despite all the winter kms I log on that thing.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Yeah.  When I buy new tires in a couple of years I'll have to make a decision whether I buy new wheels or just reuse my old ones, which at that point will be rustier.

[pi314]

Interesting. I should inspect my dad's Corolla steelies to see if there is any rust. The Rondo's wheels need a lot of TLC, after 7 years they've got lots of surface rust. Will wire brush  then paint them

[du30]

How about just buying All-Weather tires?

[rrocket]

How about just buying All-Weather tires?

Not nearly as good as dedicated winters.

[Arctic_White]

Hello,

I am picking up my new 2016 Corolla S next week and am thinking ahead to the winter.   The car comes with 16" steel rims with hub caps.

I put about 40,000km a year on my vehicle so the winters will see about half that per year.  Current plan is to keep the car a minimum of 4-5 years.

A couple options I have considered:

1) Drive the factory configuration until the fall then buy a set of winters (Costco, Kal-Tire etc) and have them swapped onto the Toyota. Swap every six months going forward.  Cheapest initial cost but mounting+balancing every six months will add up.

2) Drive the factory configuration until the fall then buy a set of winters + steel rims (Costco, Kal-Tire etc) and have them swapped onto the Toyota. Swap every six months going forward.

3) Drive the factory configuration until the fall and scour the internet for a set of Toyota Corolla steel or aluminum rims then buy a set of winters (Costco, Kal-Tire etc) and have them mounted onto the rims. Swap every six months going forward.

I am thinking #3 might be best *if* I can find a good set of Toyota Corolla rims as they will be hub centric.

Tire wise I was either thinking Blizzak WS80 from Costco or Nokian Hakkapelitta from Kal-Tire.

Thanks in advance for any tips!

Chris

I'm using Nokian Hakka R2s in my Focus, and after 3 winters my treadwear is still over 75%.  A family member have original Hakka R since 2011... after 5 winters treadwear is at 50%. 

These tires wear really well, which is important if you are putting 20K kms every winter (40K annual).

[erich]

I found great deals on TireRack. The price included delivery and customs fees, no surprises. I ordered a set on rims, they came installed, balanced, complete with hub rings and nuts.
Next time, for installing new tires on the rims I have, I will go to Costco.

Another option: install the winter tires on the steelies you already have and get new, nicer rims in the spring for the OEM (3-season) tires.