Winter Wheels & Tyres

[Scoosher]

I have recently bought a 2020 RAV4 AWD and thinking ahead I was looking to get a set of winter wheels and 225/60/18 tyres. Received a suggestion that I’d probably be better with a set of steel wheels rather than alloys. The tyres are easily enough sourced, but does anyone know where I can buy  steel wheel rims that fit? 

[ernieb]

I had two sets of wheels for a number of my cars and frankly gave up in the end as it became such a pain changing them over and storing the unused set and rotating them. I moved to CrossClimates and never looked back. 

I appreciate that if you live in an area that has very high snow levels and miles from a gritted road this may not be a good solution but recommend you think about the practicalities of having two sets of wheels.

[philip42h]

Why is it suggested that you'd be better off with steel? I suspect that it is just because they would be cheaper? Most of us manage perfectly fine with the OEM alloys through the winter ... 😉

I've never managed to find steel rims for the RAV - 4.4 or 4.5. That doesn't mean that they don't exists but they are certainly not easy to find.

If you do go for a second set of rims you will need another set of TPMS valves and swap the valve settings in the car summer and winter. I believe that the 4.5 will store 2 sets and allow the user to swap ...

With my 4.4 I ran two sets of tyres with one set of rims (and valves) swapping the tyres across twice a year - which is an alternative approach.

With the 4.5, like others, I simply run all season tyres, but full winters are better in the snow etc. if you 'enjoy' that for significant periods ...

[Flatcoat]

While visiting CZ over the weekend all the new style RAV’s have winter tyres on OE alloy wheels. Back in the UK I fit all season tyres on my cars (and have done for years) to avoid the twice yearly change hassle. The other option is simply run winter tyres all year round. If you only cover a modest annual mileage it is probably more cost effective. 

[SO8]

Having just test driven and bought a 2023 Rav4 today I noticed the tread pattern on the standard tyres looks like it would be a lot more useful in snow than my current BMW X3 (for which I have proper winter tyres on different alloys in the garage).   The standard tyres have some sipes that would hopefully pick up a bit of snow and get some grip ?  Unlike BMW silly rubber band performance tyres which would just spin up.

Obviously I haven't got it yet or any experience of a Rav4 in snow but the tyres looked encouraging at least !?  

Not winter tyre compound or covered in sipes, but the BMW tyres are devoid of anything remotely helpful for anything snow like!

[Roy124]

I think compound is the critical component.  

[TonyHSD]

Perhaps all season Michelin cross climates on the original alloy wheels will do it. 

[Aygolite]

18 hours ago, Scoosher said:

I have recently bought a 2020 RAV4 AWD and thinking ahead I was looking to get a set of winter wheels and 225/60/18 tyres. Received a suggestion that I’d probably be better with a set of steel wheels rather than alloys. The tyres are easily enough sourced, but does anyone know where I can buy  steel wheel rims that fit? 

wheel-size.com shows one of the standard tyre sizes for the RAV4 as 225/65R17 fitted to a 7Jx17 ET35 5/114.3 60.1 rim.

wheel-size.com

https://www.wheel-size.com/size/toyota/rav4/2023/

Alcar 9997 7Jx17 ET35 5/114.3 60.1 steel rim

https://www.oponeo.pl/felga-stalowa/alcar-kfz-9997#23079978

Alcar 9998 7Jx17 ET35 5/114.3 60.1 steel rim

https://www.mytyres.co.uk/rims/details?vehicleId=1130332587970008178&rimCode=ALCAR9998

 

[philip42h]

1 hour ago, Aygolite said:

wheel-size.com shows one of the standard tyre sizes for the RAV4 as 225/65R17 fitted to a 7Jx17 ET35 5/114.3 60.1 rim.

wheel-size.com

https://www.wheel-size.com/size/toyota/rav4/2023/

Alcar 9997 7Jx17 ET35 5/114.3 60.1 steel rim

https://www.oponeo.pl/felga-stalowa/alcar-kfz-9997#23079978

Alcar 9998 7Jx17 ET35 5/114.3 60.1 steel rim

https://www.mytyres.co.uk/rims/details?vehicleId=1130332587970008178&rimCode=ALCAR9998

 

... and if you go directly to the mytyres website and search for steel rims to fit a RAV4.5 it will tell you that it can find none ...

[Eddiefh]

I’d never get a set off winter tyres again , storage isn’t the problem it’s the expense twice a year getting them exchanged I’ve not got a spare set of rims though, I’d go back cross climates. I always fancied a set of winters after years of cross climates but I’d never do it again 

[Aygolite]

I found Alcar 9998 steel rims on mytyres by searching for:

TOYOTA

RAV4

2019- TYPE XA5*

2.0 VVT-i 4X4 129 kW/175 PS (Standard size 17 Inch)

 

[philip42h]

15 minutes ago, Aygolite said:

I found Alcar 9998 steel rims on mytyres by searching for:

TOYOTA

RAV4

2019- TYPE XA5*

2.0 VVT-i 4X4 129 kW/175 PS (Standard size 17 Inch)

OK, but that model isn't available in the UK - all UK spec 4.5s are hybrids on 18" or 19" wheels ...

[Aygolite]

19 minutes ago, philip42h said:

OK, but that model isn't available in the UK - all UK spec 4.5s are hybrids on 18" or 19" wheels ...

According to oponeo.pl the Alcar 9998 steel rim with a specification of 7Jx17 ET35 5/114.3 60.1 fits the following cars:

Toyota RAV4 2019–present (Gen V)

Toyota RAV4 SUV V 2.5 Hybrid (131kW)

Toyota RAV4 SUV V 2.5 Hybrid AWD (131kW)

Toyota RAV4 SUV V 2.0 Dual VVT-iE (129kW)

Toyota RAV4 SUV V 2.0 Dual VVT-iE AWD (129kW)

https://www.oponeo.pl/felga-stalowa/alcar-kfz-9998#23204618

Just because a car comes with 18" or 19" wheels, doesn't automatically mean that 17" wheels won't fit especially if it's available in other markets with 17" wheels.

If you check the car's Certificate of Conformity, you might even find that 17" wheels are a Toyota approved size.

On the European mainland, it's common for owners to fit their winter tyres on smaller diameter rims compared to what they use for their summer tyres.

[TonyFR]

I'm surprised  when people consider winter tyres as snow tyres. Sure they are better in snow but the real benefit of winter tyres is to do with lower temperatures. For years I had separate rims with winter tyres  but I bought winter tyres only for the RAV4 - moving complete wheels of this size now becoming too burdensome - anno domini!

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/advice/winter-tyres

[Mojo1010]

I'm one of those that consider winter tyres as snow tyres due to all season tyres will do a perfect job of an all rounder. 

Recently rotated my 15" Yaris wheels and it was not so easy lining up the screw slots, can imagine the difficulty of a much larger and heavier wheel, doing that every 6 months. For these reasons if I locate to a colder area than the south, all season tyres are the best.