Tyre Choice - Corolla 2020 TS

[Sonic_D]

Hello all, I'd like to change out the OEM Falkens on my 2020 Corolla TS primarily to reduce road noise (particularly on the motorway) and secondarily to increase comfort over poor road conditions.  I am in London, I don't do many miles (less than 3k a year).  Having read other threads on here I have a shortlist below:

- Michelin CrossClimate 2

- Michelin Primacy 4 

- Goodyear Efficient Grip 2 

Given I'm in London I don't see much snow maybe the CrossClimate 2 are unnecessary but if their dry performance is good and they do well in the wet would it be an issue fitting them over summer tyres?  I don't plan to swap tyres for different seasons.  Any input or advice would be appreciated before I get a quote.  Cheers.

[Auris James]

I have a 2015 Auris Hybrid TS that came with conti eco contact 6's that were original when new. They were splitting on the sidewalls and nearing the end. I decided on Goodyear efficient grip performance 2 and they perform well and definitely more quiet over most surfaces. Concrete still not fantastic but expect that.  

No issues in the year they have been fitted. James👍

[bigblock]

The experience I had with the Goodyear Efficient Grip 2 on my previous Auris TS  was excellent. Much less road roar and smoothed out the bumps better too. They did not wear as well as the Continenals that were previously on the Auris. As for the new Corolla I find the Falkens ok on the 17" rims so far. But maybe a little harder ride than the Goodyears on my Auris which had 17" rims. There again the Auris and Corolla are completely different vehicles. I would favour the Goodyears if you don't like the Falkens. That would be my choice as they made for a very nice ride in my 16 plate Auris TS.

[TonyHSD]

I can highly recommend all season tyres to any driver in the UK in any area including London and south of England. All season tyres usually are softer than typical summer tyres and has a V shape pattern which cushion the road imperfections and bumps better plus they work in wide range of temperatures where specific summer tyres works only in limited temps 10C°-> and if not anything else they become noisier and harder when out of this limited temperature ranges. Typical summer tyres will outperform all season tyres in hot days when pushed to the limit any other times the all season are as good or even better. Summer tyres are full stop in snowing conditions,,and recent years in uk weather has been very unpredictable and unstable.

Here it’s an interesting  video about ev tyres but these applies to hybrids and all ice cars too. 👍 My recommendation for tyres will be Michelin cross climate 2 or Goodyear vector 4 season 3 👍

[Swanthecat]

I fitted the Crossclimate 2s recently. Difficult to judge if they are quieter than the OEM Falkens but my instinct is that they are quieter on most surfaces. The reason I fitted these was to be able to cope with any snow which may hit. I had too many experiences where snow, hills and summer tyres were a bad combination and it’s nice to know I can safely use the car if required in all weathers

[Sonic_D]

Thank you everyone, all your responses are helpful.  I was leaning towards an all season for peace of mind with regards to the weather.  Will make a decision tomorrow. 

One more query, for load should I be going for 91 or 94?  I assume 94 as I think the Corolla TS Hybrid is a relatively heavy car for the size? 

[shufman]

I’m having some Primacy 4s fitted all round at its service in just o a week. I’ll do some measurements for noise and let you know what my ear says 😊

[Marxon88]

When I get mine in January, I will put Crossclimate 2 on. There is some snow during winter, but in the last few years, only for a few days, and winter service always clears it, so there is no need for heavy snow capabilities. Also, I am tired of changing every half of the year and always having old tires because I don't put significant mileage on my car. It's better to have fresh tires every three years than six years old two sets of tires.

[TonyHSD]

11 hours ago, Sonic_D said:

Thank you everyone, all your responses are helpful.  I was leaning towards an all season for peace of mind with regards to the weather.  Will make a decision tomorrow. 

One more query, for load should I be going for 91 or 94?  I assume 94 as I think the Corolla TS Hybrid is a relatively heavy car for the size? 

Best to stick with exact tyre load index as per recommended tyres from manufacturer, you can do 94 too but you may find slightly bumpy drive and more noise, perhaps these can be adjusted with pressure.,  higher load index XL tyres has thicker side walls and more suitable for rough roads or fully loaded cars therefore it’s up to you to decide. Corolla it’s not that heavy and it’s lighter than Auris that replaced. 👍

[ApophisAstros]

My Corolla TS petrol , had Continentalwhen i bought it livethat really pleased me as i always chose them on previous cars , they last astonishingly long and are terrific in all conditions.

Roger 

[Trewithy]

In a recent tyre test in  Auto Express Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 had the lowest cabin noise of all the tyres tested.  The noise quoted on the tyre label is the drive by noise produced by the tyre and not the noise heard in the cabin.  Although you would think that a low external noise would equate to to low interior noise but apparently that is not necessarily the case.

[TonyHSD]

53 minutes ago, Trewithy said:

In a recent tyre test in  Auto Express Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 had the lowest cabin noise of all the tyres tested.  The noise quoted on the tyre label is the drive by noise produced by the tyre and not the noise heard in the cabin.  Although you would think that a low external noise would equate to to low interior noise but apparently that is not necessarily the case.

I agree with you however usually when outside noise levels are low inside the cabin noise is also minimal. I have these particular model tyres on my car and already done 40k miles on them and they are excellent indeed but interesting fact is that my winter tyres that look very much like all season tyres are even quieter than the Goodyear egp2 almost on all road surfaces except super smooth asphalt where they sound a bit like a worn out bearings but on the rough motorways that we have mostly in the UK the winter/ all season tyres are much quieter. Here I have a picture of both for direct comparison 👍

[Clockwork]

20 hours ago, Swanthecat said:

I fitted the Crossclimate 2s recently. Difficult to judge if they are quieter than the OEM Falkens but my instinct is that they are quieter on most surfaces.

I also recently fitted all season tyres but went for Goodyear Vector 3's.  I was going to do it a year ago but with the threat of winter lockdowns, decided to take another year on the Falkens (frugal Scot?) so did close to 16,000 miles on them!  My first impression of the Vectors was that they were much quieter than the Falkens; my second impression - after deflating them to the correct pressure - was that they were even quieter!

[twintopp]

the michelin cross climate are the best, i did`t rate goodyear but am living with the factory fitted falkens for now , but still unsure of them. 

[NGRhodes]

Not just snow you need to think about. All seasons work better in cool temperatures, Cross Climate (and other winter and all season tyres) have been independently tested (by tyrereviews.co.uk) to work better than other Michelin summer tyres from between 10 and 7C and below, dry and wet. Its worth thinking about how many cool mornings you get where you live. Where I live in a hilly part of Yorkshire that's 6 months of the year, which means all season are perfect year round tyres, in warmer areas the choice might not be so obvious.
Other thing to note is for general normal driving, Cross Cilmates and other all seasons (I've had Falkens and now on Avon all seasons) have barely noticeable difference in grip and handling, only a slight loss of feel compared to summer tyres, but still loads better than any budget tyre ! Only place they suffer is frequent spirited driving, where they can start to go off from repeatedly getting very hot.

[Sonic_D]

Thank you everyone.  I think I have settled on getting the Crossclimate 2's.  Quote from the dealer is a fair bit more than places like Kwikfit.  Unfortunately Kwikfit only seem to offer the 94 and not the 91 for All Season 225/45 R17 tyres. 

[TonyHSD]

4 minutes ago, Sonic_D said:

Thank you everyone.  I think I have settled on getting the Crossclimate 2's.  Quote from the dealer is a fair bit more than places like Kwikfit.  Unfortunately Kwikfit only seem to offer the 94 and not the 91 for All Season 225/45 R17 tyres. 

Hi, tyre load index and speed index general rule is that you can go up number but do not go down number from what is recommended per the car manual. 94 load in your case is fine and you can go for it if you would like to. 👍 There are currently many offers from tyre sites and it is a good time to buy new ones. 👌

[Stopeter44]

On 11/21/2021 at 12:22 AM, NGRhodes said:

Where I live in a hilly part of Yorkshire that's 6 months of the year, which means all season are perfect year round tyres, in warmer areas the choice might not be so obvious.

<snip> 

Only place they suffer is frequent spirited driving, where they can start to go off from repeatedly getting very hot.

I was worried about hot weather performance of All Season/3PMSF tyres, and I found a post on a French forum, with reference to Crossclimate+, a response from a Michelin spokesperson to a question about summer (35°+ weather). The response made a point of the development effort from Michelin to create a tyre that resisted south of France summer weather, and would be good when driving in cool or cold conditions and on snow. There are ski resorts within a few hours drive of Nice and people need a tyre that cope with, say 15°C at sea level and <0° at altitude.

[ciaranckp]

Fitted Crossclimate 2s to my 2.0 Excel Touring Sport a few months ago. No complaints so far..and yep, they work really well in snow!

[Woofwoof]

Are the oem falkens all season or summer tyres?

[FROSTYBALLS]

14 minutes ago, Woofwoof said:

Are the oem falkens all season or summer tyres?

Summer

https://www.falkentyres.co.uk/en/press/article/137765

[Woofwoof]

2 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Summer

https://www.falkentyres.co.uk/en/press/article/137765

Is it safe for them to deliver a car with summer tyres on in midwinter?

[FROSTYBALLS]

26 minutes ago, Woofwoof said:

Is it safe for them to deliver a car with summer tyres on in midwinter?

No manufacturer changes the OE tyres it uses according to the seasons in the UK, and realistically after delivery to the dealership, the manufacturer has no control over when a car is sold and registered for use on the road.

A car delivered in the Autumn (ie first week in November) may not be sold/registered until the first week in December (winter). Similarly a car delivered the second week in February (winter), may not be sold/registered until March (Spring, and when the new registration p!ate comes in).

All of the 20+ new cars we have owned have come with summer tyres as standard, and we've had no real issues with them in winter !!

If owners wish to change to winter tyres either before or when winter comes in, that is their choice.

[Stopeter44]

27 minutes ago, Woofwoof said:

Is it safe for them to deliver a car with summer tyres on in midwinter?

Nothing to stop the buyer asking for a different tyre, when the car is delivered. That’s what I did. In my case, I bought the tyres online and took them to the dealer In time for delivery.

Manufacturers would have to go to a great deal of trouble to know exactly what tyre is required/desired by the buyer at build time, it’s way to complicated to manage.

 I don’t think “safe” gets a look in. Where I live, in my county, the winter tyre requirement varies by village, stretch of road in reality. IMO, ensuring the “correct” tyre choice is totally the end user’s responsabiliy.

[Cyker]

There's no legal mandate to have winter tyres in the UK so usually summers get fitted (Presumably as they're cheaper).

Some fancier marques sometimes fit all-seasons.

I had noticed in the US most manufacturers seem to fit all-seasons as standard tho'!

No idea what the norm is in europe.