5th & 6th Generation (2002-2006 & 2007-2011)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 2002-2006 & 2007-2011
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
A couple of questions for the forum. I have an 07 Camry LE. I am buying winter tires for her. I am considering a set of General Altimax Arctics. These fit my budget and are highly rated across multiple sources, including Consumer Reports and several others.
For tires, the OEM/Camry owners manual specs are 215 60 R16 94 V - i.e., 16 inch with load rating of 94 and speed rating of V.
Question 1 - I am having a difficult time finding WINTER tires that have a speed rating of V. In fact, many of the winters (including the aforementioned Altimax) seem to be rated a Q, with an odd one here or there rated an S or T. I know that a Q is rated for 160 km/hr and that I will not even come close to driving that fast, let alone for any length of time! But does a higher rating (in this case an S or T) mean the tire is "higher quality" and will last longer?
Also will the lower Q rating mean performance problems or drawbacks of any kind for my "V-rated" Camry?
Question 2 - I have heard that the concept of putting on a smaller tire for winter (in my case 15 inchers instead of 16s) is somewhat an outdated concept and debatable benefits. Any experience to share?
Question 3 - I assume it is ok to put on a tire with a higher load rating (in my case a 95 vs. the OEM rated 94)
Apologies if these are newbie questions but my first winter!
I can answer Q2 15's will not fit the Camry. The calipers are too big for anything smaller than 16"
The General from what i hear are really good. I wouldn't worry about the speed rating. I just sold my Michelin XIce to my sister, and another set to some other guy. I'm upsizing to 17's Falken Eurowinters.
First off, those General’s are decent, I think Sears has a good price on them. I am about to buy 4 Blizacks WS70.
Question 1: The speed ratings are exactly that. If you plan on driving CRAZZY FAST then you may want a high speed rated tire. But for the majority of people (like 99.99%) a slow speed rating like Q will be more then fine. Bottom line is, I would not be worried about the speed rating of tires unless you are into speed. Higher rating has nothing to do with higher quality.
Question 2: The concept of downsizing to a smaller wheel is all about SAVING MONEY. The price of a 15” tire is cheaper then a 16” tire. The smallest wheel that can fit on your car is a 16”. Realize that the SE and XLE came with 17” wheels and those people may want to get 16” wheels for winters. But you are stuck with 16’s.
Question 3: I don’t think you have to worry about load.
Just realize that winter tires are WAY WAY WAY WAY beter on snow and ice but are not as good as 4 seasons on regular dry/wet pavement. So, if you take off ramps at high speeds you may need to slow down a little with winter tires, but most people do not drive their cars to the limit and you probably don’t have to worry about it.
The best 4 season tire in the world is not as good as the worst winter tire when it comes to driving in snow/ice. Bottom line is you should not concern yourself to much about which ones you purchase. My favorite is Toyo Observe GO-2, then Blizacks WS70, then General, then Hancock, etc… I would stay away from a high performance winter tire, cause that is an oxymoron to me, I think Dunlop makes one, plus they are expensive.
Expect your gas milage to decrease with winter tires, as much as 15% due to the aggressive tread, and increased friction, but this is worth the safety factor.
When you down size your wheel you increase your tire side walls and that means that when you turn you will have more sway. People usually don't care if that happens because they KNOW that they are not diving performance tires.
Higher speed rating is directly related to higher quality.
Lots of details to get into, like reinforcements, sidewall strength etc.
But they are unimportant/irrelevant for a winter tire.
I'm not a fan of winter tires for a few reasons:
1) Snow sucks but it gets cleared away
2) All Seasons are good enough to plow through snow anyway
3) Driving with winter tires probably means you are driving on dry pavement 70%+ of the time, even in the winter
Unless you live in an area where it is constantly snowing and snow on the ground (like a rural area that doesn't get cleared by trucks constantly), that is when winter tires are 100% recommended.
^ It's the law in Quebec and will be in Ontario for everyone no matter where you live, to have winter tires.
That is because it is 100% safer than all season tires. It's a proven fact. Wet pavement in -20 and lower degrees could be ice at any given time. Winter tires aren't just for snow traction, it is also for ice.
And being in Toronto as the OP is...i recommend them I'm in the area myself. Wouldn't go with out them at all
^ It's the law in Quebec and will be in Ontario for everyone no matter where you live, to have winter tires.
That is because it is 100% safer than all season tires. It's a proven fact. Wet pavement in -20 degrees could be ice at any given time. Winter tires aren't just for snow traction, it is also for ice.
Yea if you live in Canada, it must be de facto to go winter tires.
No ice around here after all the salt they poor out (onto our cars).
Higher speed rating is directly related to higher quality.
Lots of details to get into, like reinforcements, sidewall strength etc.
But they are unimportant/irrelevant for a winter tire.
I'm not a fan of winter tires for a few reasons:
1) Snow sucks but it gets cleared away
2) All Seasons are good enough to plow through snow anyway
3) Driving with winter tires probably means you are driving on dry pavement 70%+ of the time, even in the winter
Unless you live in an area where it is constantly snowing and snow on the ground (like a rural area that doesn't get cleared by trucks constantly), that is when winter tires are 100% recommended.
Wanted to add some stuff.
The safest thing you can do to your car in the winter is get winter tires. All season are NOT good enough in the winter and don't let someone fool you into believing it is.
I would also say that you will be driving on pavement 85%+ of the time, but that does not mean you don't need winter tires.
Many people get stuck with all season tires, could be in your drive way even though everything is plowed. Snow tires is not about not being stuck it's all about STOPPING in time. So when your buddy says he don't them them cause he has a four wheel truck... realize that his 4wheeler will not stop as good a a car with snow tires.
If you have a job, and need to be there rain, sleet or SNOW, then I recommend winter tires. If you have the luxury of not using your car on a snow days then maybe you don't need them.
I have had many friends who have been in fender benders due to sliding into someone during a snow storm, including myself and I had snow tires at the time. The point is, snow tires are just tires and you still need to drive very carefully in a storm.
^ It's the law in Quebec and will be in Ontario for everyone no matter where you live, to have winter tires.
That is because it is 100% safer than all season tires. It's a proven fact. Wet pavement in -20 and lower degrees could be ice at any given time. Winter tires aren't just for snow traction, it is also for ice.
And being in Toronto as the OP is...i recommend them I'm in the area myself. Wouldn't go with out them at all
It's also because you get FREE health care (yes you pay it with taxes) and having snow tires greatly reduces accidents. With less accidents, less ambiliances less doctor bills less spending by the gov't and it increases spending on tires which promotes the economy. But I agree with the law.
Yea if you live in Canada, it must be de facto to go winter tires.
No ice around here after all the salt they poor out (onto our cars).
I would say that ME, NH, VT, NY and MA have worse winters then Toronto. Salt is only good until a certain temp.
In Montreal they use Blue salt (chemicals are put in it to work past the salt temps), that REALLY does damange to your car. There are many business that just do rustproofing in Montreal.
Wanted to add some stuff.
The safest thing you can do to your car in the winter is get winter tires. All season are NOT good enough in the winter and don't let someone fool you into believing it is.
I would also say that you will be driving on pavement 85%+ of the time, but that does not mean you don't need winter tires.
Many people get stuck with all season tires, could be in your drive way even though everything is plowed. Snow tires is not about not being stuck it's all about STOPPING in time. So when your buddy says he don't them them cause he has a four wheel truck... realize that his 4wheeler will not stop as good a a car with snow tires.
If you have a job, and need to be there rain, sleet or SNOW, then I recommend winter tires. If you have the luxury of not using your car on a snow days then maybe you don't need them.
I have had many friends who have been in fender benders due to sliding into someone during a snow storm, including myself and I had snow tires at the time. The point is, snow tires are just tires and you still need to drive very carefully in a storm.
2 years unneeded here... I was a snowplow over everything and snow traction was insane on my Pilot Sport A/S pluses.
FWD w/out TC or Stability control. I'm just an awesome driver I guess.
It's also because you get FREE health care (yes you pay it with taxes) and having snow tires greatly reduces accidents. With less accidents, less ambiliances less doctor bills less spending by the gov't and it increases spending on tires which promotes the economy. But I agree with the law.
Well that is false info there. We still have a ton of accidents, because snow tires give you that added confidence and sometimes cockyness to push your car harder and faster in the snow...which is dangerous. And in the end stupid mistakes and accidents are caused.
JMZ I agree with you 100 percent. Higher spped rated tires are better quality construction and rubber wise. had a 98 Accord and went from a h down to a T. My arm was tiired from the extra effort after a week, and lucky I got them taken back. Never go below OEM maybe for snows I do not need em.
Snow tires hassle to mount and remount, noisey, vibrate more, handle worse on the 90 percent of dry roads you will be on and are not necessarily better on ice, though the nobbier noiseier ones probably are better on ice.
Charlie Babbit Rainman "I am a good river" I live and play in the snow and have never needed em even on my RWD LS430(but get good all seasons). If you are a timid driver, and do not just want to slow down and follow safe driving distances when that is the real trick go get em.
JMZ I agree with you 100 percent. Higher spped rated tires are better quality construction and rubber wise. had a 98 Accord and went from a h down to a T. My arm was tiired from the extra effort after a week, and lucky I got them taken back. Never go below OEM maybe for snows I do not need em.
Snow tires hassle to mount and remount, noisey, vibrate more, handle worse on the 90 percent of dry roads you will be on and are not necessarily better on ice, though the nobbier noiseier ones probably are better on ice.
Charlie Babbit Rainman "I am a good river" I live and play in the snow and have never needed em even on my RWD LS430(but get good all seasons). If you are a timid driver, and do not just want to slow down and follow safe driving distances when that is the real trick go get em.
You have a lot of falsities.
Higher speed rating does not mean better quality or better construction “all the time”. A higher speed rating will almost guarantee you a stiffer tire, some people find like it better to have a softer tire (not me . Bottom line is this can be considered a preference. I will admit… if you hit a curb with a higher speed tire which has a thicker side wall construction, you may not damage your tire but a lower speed rating tire may get damaged.., I still do not think that this is a good example of why a higher speed rating tire is better, no tire should hit a curb.
With snow tires, higher speed rating means nothing… or usually means that the tire is not the best traction wise in snow/ice conditions because the tread tends to be less aggressive and the rubber is not as soft… so the tire can keep a stronger structure.
Snow tires are a hassle to mount… hence I get separate wheels. But they do not have to be noisier, most snow tires are made with a MUCH softer rubber so even though you have a more aggressive tread which has more friction, it is possible to have a quitter tire.
Snow tires do not vibrate more. If your car vibrates because of the tires/wheels you need a balancing and maybe an alignment. Winter tires should not vibrate… any tire should not vibrate.
Winter tires handle worse on 100% of dry roads. There winter tires.
What does good all season mean? I love my Toyo proxy 4’s, they are an all season performance tire. They are not meant for winter driving, ever.
Winter tires will ALWAYS be better on ice!!! Are you kidding me? You make it sound like all season tires are better in the winter when it’s snowy and icy.
I will add this. My coworkers who do not get winter tires seem to change there 4 season tires even when there is still some good tread left. That is they may have 4-5/32 left but after the first snow storm they freak out that there car suck in the snow so they go and buy 4 new all season tires with fresh tread. When you have winter tires, you can go to the end of your tire tread life with your four seasons.
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
ToyotaNation.com is an independent Toyota/Lexus enthusiast website. ToyotaNation.com is not sponsored by or in any way affiliated with Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. The Toyota, Lexus and Scion names and logos are trademarks owned by Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.
. Bottom line is this can be considered a preference. I will admit… if you hit a curb with a higher speed tire which has a thicker side wall construction, you may not damage your tire but a lower speed rating tire may get damaged.., I still do not think that this is a good example of why a higher speed rating tire is better, no tire should hit a curb. 
Linear Mode
