Winter tires advice for a first time buyer...

[diegomaradona10]

Hey, I currently live in Toronto and bought my first car, a 1996 Corolla DX last October. After experiencing one winter with all-season tires, I knew I had to get winter tires for all upcoming Canadian winters.

I am starting to do research on winter tires, but I'm going to need some help since i know very little about cars and tires in general...

-What size are tires on 96 Corollas?
-Do I have to buy winter steal rims or any rims at all when buying winter tires?
-Which brand of winter tires are recommended for Corollas?
-How much should I expect to pay for 4 tires + service etc.?
-How many winters do these tires usually last?

Thanks

[kyle@tirerack]

The standard size would have been 185 65 14. You can purchase wheels for the winter tires or mount on your factory wheels. I would add it up both ways for having separate wheels will save you the cost of mount/dismounting twice a year. Send me a message if I can help and I will contact you via phone to discuss all the details and choices.

[thoughthard]

If you have alloy wheels, I would consider getting a separate set of wheels, steel or alloy. The mounting and dismounting of the tires will eventually take it's toll on the wheels, and the Canadian winters will also.

During the summer, I run 15" Enkei RPF1 with 195-50-15 Firestone Firehawk INDY 500. During the winter, I run 14" OEM steelies with Yokohama Guardex 600 snow tires on the front, and Kumho ECSTA HP4 716 on the rears.

Warning: It is ideal to run winter tires on all four wheels, not just two.