Winter Tires and Rims

[MisterX]

I'd like to know what is the smalles steel rim I can get on my '05 XRS Matrix....

I've been told by a Toyota Service Parts guy, he's never put a 15" rim on a Matrix...and that smallest rim that he has done for the Matrix is the 16"

one aftermarket place in town, says that the Corolla P195/65R15 Tire rim should fit on the Matrix.....but can anyone confirm this?

my only concern is that if I go to a 15" will the rim pass the caliper?...or should I shop around for the right rim and make sure that they fit properly....


Thx in advance

Mister X


Edit- Nevermind, I called my dealership again and re-worded the question and asked about the Corolla Steel rim.....it's compatible....

[Toyo Tech]

I think a corolla rim should fit but try it first before you buy it.

[chuckles]

they fit perfectly u can use a 185/65/15 also for better traction

[trdbryan]

i have even seen matrix's leaving the factory with corolla S wheels on it. I have 195/65/15 steels for my winter tires, fits perfect

[Locomotion]

15" rims will give you better traction over 16" ones? I ask because I have 16" alloys and winter's around the corner. I'm shopping for a winter set, but was going to stick with 16 inchers.

[Matrix1]

Originally Posted by Locomotion

15" rims will give you better traction over 16" ones? I ask because I have 16" alloys and winter's around the corner. I'm shopping for a winter set, but was going to stick with 16 inchers.

I think its the middle number that they were talking about.
My 06 Matrix has 205/55/R16s and going with the 185/65/R15s would be a thinner width tire as well as a smaller diameter.......Thats how I inderstand it to be anyway

Thinking about the same thing here....winter is coming.
Just may buy new Snow tires and mount them on the stock alloys and buy new aftermarket rims in the spring for my summer tires.Basically spend half now and half in the spring.....unless I find a good deal.


John R

[Frank@toronto]

Many of us are running with 15" (195/65R15), including myself.

[trdbryan]

if u are going to get a new set of rims for the summer i would then just use the 16" alloys for the winter tires. The difference in width from 195 to 205 isn't going to make a huge difference in grip especially since you are buying proper winter tires, but if not cheaper and better to go down to 195/65/15

[xrs911]

I have been rolling on 15" inchs rims for 3 years now with Blizzak WS-50, 205-65-R15 and it handles just fine. It gives you a .01% accuracy diffenrence on the speedometer speed which is below the manufacture recomended of 3%. In other words anything below the 3% mark is the norm according to tire manufacturers.

[metfan]

I was jsut going to ask the same question, since I'm going to buy 15'' rims and winter tires.

Does it matter if it's 185/65/15 instead of 195/65/15? And for those of you who got rims, did you buy some OEM or regular ones? I heard some people say they had some problems (sometimes) with regular ones.

[chuckles]

wheels from toyota fit best and cheap many universal rim the hub is is way off, and the weight of the car rest on studs, shoud rest on the hub...no so good.
the 185/65//15 and the 195/65/15 are about the same size over all.. but the 185 are cheaper, and will give better traction in the nasty stuff..but are slighty hard to come by..hope this helps.

[metfan]

Thanks chuckles. I'll go with the 185/65/15.

[mistamatrix]

195/65/15 matches the stock overall diameter closer than 185/65.

[nwt2002]

I have a 07, with 17 s so far the cheapest winter tires I found are around $1000.00

should a 15 rim fit on the 07, just wondering if there is a difference between the model years.

thanks

[Zunit]

15" will fit all model years, there is no difference.

Gunna pickup a set of 195/65/15 and rims from CT on the weekend. They have "OE" fit wheels specifically for Matrix/Corolla that are different from the usual multi-fit ones they sell. And this week/next week the Goodyear Nordics are on sale.

The set ends up being ~$650 tax in. Good deal when compared to Michelin X-Ice for $900