MY 2023 18-inch Wheel Ride Quality

[mpm235]

Hello all,
At some point I will trade my much-loved Auris Hybrid in for a Corolla TS. I am tempted to treat myself to an Excell. Now those lovely looking, great big 18" wheels are the business, but I'm dubious about how they would affect ride quality. Can anyone with experience of the 18s (GR or Excel trim), advise me on the ride quality? What are they like with pot holes and speed bumps/ Ride quality is a bit subjective of course, but I will be very grateful for anyone's opinions. Thanks very much, Mark

[Aygolite]

3 hours ago, mpm235 said:

Hello all,
At some point I will trade my much-loved Auris Hybrid in for a Corolla TS. I am tempted to treat myself to an Excell. Now those lovely looking, great big 18" wheels are the business, but I'm dubious about how they would affect ride quality. Can anyone with experience of the 18s (GR or Excel trim), advise me on the ride quality? What are they like with pot holes and speed bumps/ Ride quality is a bit subjective of course, but I will be very grateful for anyone's opinions. Thanks very much, Mark

If they are 225/40R18 and you want a good ride, take them off and sell them as soon as you get delivery of the car.

The sidewall height of these tyres is only 90mm which is about 3.5".

By comparison, the sidewall height of Europe's most popular car tyre size is 205/55R16 and that has a sidewall height of almost 4.5".

On today's bumpy and potholed roads, 3.5" of sidewall height just isn't enough. Whereas 4.5" of sidewall height is pretty decent.

Tyres with a tiny 3.5" of sidewall height will be very prone to pothole damage, and also damaging the rims to which they are fitted.

To calculate the sidewall height of any tyre, simply multiple the tyre width by the aspect ratio, eg. 225mm x 0.4 = 90mm (or about 3.5")

[mpm235]

21 minutes ago, Aygolite said:

If they are 225/40R18 and you are want a good ride, take them off and sell them as soon as you get delivery of the car.

The sidewall height of these tyres is only 90mm which is about 3.5".

By comparison, the sidewall height of Europe's most popular car tyre size is 205/55R16 and that has a sidewall height of almost 4.5".

On today's bumpy and potholed roads, 3.5" of sidewall height just isn't enough. Whereas 4.5" of sidewall height is pretty decent.

Tyres with a tiny 3.5" of sidewall height will be very prone to pothole damage, and also damaging the rims to which they are fitted.

To calculate the sidewall height of any tyre, simply multiple the tyre width by the aspect ratio, eg. 225mm x 0.4 = 90mm (or about 3.5")

Thanks very much for the info Bob, appreciate it, cheers, Mark

[Aygolite]

44 minutes ago, mpm235 said:

Thanks very much for the info Bob, appreciate it, cheers, Mark

Here's the correct rim specification for the 205/55R16 tyre size on the 2019 onwards Corolla (gen. XII) with 2 litre petrol hybrid engine...at least according to wheel-size.com

However, wheel-size.com do often make mistakes so it's worth taking physical measurements of the rims that are currently on the car to avoid purchasing rims that don't fit or are the wrong specification.

Alcar 8683 7Jx16 ET40 5/114.3 60.1 steel rim

https://www.oponeo.pl/felga-stalowa/alcar-kfz-8683#23376259

[Corolla Mike.]

Have a 22 GR Sport on 18's, cannot say I've  noticed any ride issues. 

[Parts-King]

Pot holes will be uncomfortable in any car, I have a CHR on 18" wheels, feels great on the road 

[dcweather]

This is what I don't like. The idiots designing these cars have never driven on "modern ha ha" British roads. Deep pot holes and speed bumps are awful on 18" wheels. Same on my Renault Captur. Why oh why don't they give you it as an option on the top spec cars? Why do they think people who buy non boy racer type SUV's want flashy appearance against a comfortable  and refined and more economical ride? Are they completely stupid - what is the age demographic of people buying a small family size SUV? 18-21 - I don't think so!

[TonyHSD]

That’s right. The biggest issue with Corolla and 18” wheels + tyres is not the comfort or efficiency but the risk of damage to the wheels and the tyres, especially with the ✌️excellent ✌️roads we have in UK.
Perhaps it’s not about if but more like when?!  
There are dozens of used cars adverts online and picture says it all. Toyota sell original 16” alloys on eBay and sometimes with a  discount codes they come to a good price. I had done that and couldn’t be happier. Insurance needs to be told and set a price worth in case of an accident for new wheels replacement. The premium won’t go up by much. 

[Aygolite]

5 hours ago, Parts-King said:

Pot holes will be uncomfortable in any car, I have a CHR on 18" wheels, feels great on the road 

The C-HR has bigger outside diameter tyres than the Corolla, so an 18" tyre on the C-HR has a lot more sidewall height than an 18" tyre on the Corolla.

As you can see in the chart below, the sidewall height of 16" Corolla tyres and the sidewall height of 18" C-HR tyres are about the same.

Sidewall height

205/55R16 Corolla tyres (about 4.5")

225/50R18 C-HR tyres (about 4.5")

[mpm235]

6 hours ago, Corolla Mike. said:

Have a 22 GR Sport on 18's, cannot say I've  noticed any ride issues. 

Thanks very much for the info Mike, appreciate it, cheers, Mark

[mpm235]

5 hours ago, Parts-King said:

Pot holes will be uncomfortable in any car, I have a CHR on 18" wheels, feels great on the road 

Hello Kingo, thanks for your input, cheers, Mark

[Cyker]

TBH rims size has very little bearing on how well it'll ride potholes and stuff - For instance, a 25" bus wheel is going to ride rough road far better than a 17" aygo wheel, even tho' 25 is clearly a much bigger rim than 17! The difference is a bus wheel will have a gigantic sidewall, even on a 25" rim, but a 17" rims on an aygo leaves almost no space for a sidewall  

It's the 2nd number, the one between the / and R - the sidewall ratio to tyre width - that is the important one, as that determines sidewall height.

As a rough rule, you generally want at least 55, with 60 or 65 being preferable, for a nicely compliant tyre. When you start getting to the 40's then it'll be quite a hard ride. You do loose some steering directness at higher profiles tho'. However, the wider the tyre, the lower the ratio you can get away with as e.g. 55 on a 305 tyre would yield a much bigger sidewall than 65 on a 185 tyre!!

 

re. OEM rim sizes, I also don't understand why they don't let you option smaller rims - I'd absolutely pay extra for smaller rims (And have!), plus it would help lower their CO2 rating!

That's the bizarre thing about the Yaris - With Toyota, it's 16, 17 or 18 inch rims depending on trim level, and you can only spec higher rims, not lower.

With the Mazda Yaris, it starts at 15 and maxes at 16, but you can option 15, 16 or 17 inch rims on (I think) all trim levels!

 

[Steven83]

I’d prefer comfort over style. I bought the excel because it had the kit but I would prefer smaller wheels with a bigger tyre side wall. 
 

for me the excel should be comfort spec and the GR sport spec. 
 

having said that it’s a pretty comfy car and overall I would say it provides more comfort than my auris which was on 17s as that car didn’t hold the road as well at motorway speed or on bends. The Corolla on 18s feels more planted. 

[Cyker]

Yeah, I ended up going on a small adventure to get 15" rims for my Mk4 - Primarily for the cheaper tyres, but also for better fuel economy, resistance to pothole, kerb and pinch puncture damage.

[50p]

no problems with my Excel either, before this car the largest wheel diameter I had on any vehicle was 16 inch. Not noticed any issues, just have to be mindful of the kerb whilst parking.

[mpm235]

12 hours ago, Cyker said:

TBH rims size has very little bearing on how well it'll ride potholes and stuff - For instance, a 25" bus wheel is going to ride rough road far better than a 17" aygo wheel, even tho' 25 is clearly a much bigger rim than 17! The difference is a bus wheel will have a gigantic sidewall, even on a 25" rim, but a 17" rims on an aygo leaves almost no space for a sidewall  

It's the 2nd number, the one between the / and R - the sidewall ratio to tyre width - that is the important one, as that determines sidewall height.

As a rough rule, you generally want at least 55, with 60 or 65 being preferable, for a nicely compliant tyre. When you start getting to the 40's then it'll be quite a hard ride. You do loose some steering directness at higher profiles tho'. However, the wider the tyre, the lower the ratio you can get away with as e.g. 55 on a 305 tyre would yield a much bigger sidewall than 65 on a 185 tyre!!

 

re. OEM rim sizes, I also don't understand why they don't let you option smaller rims - I'd absolutely pay extra for smaller rims (And have!), plus it would help lower their CO2 rating!

That's the bizarre thing about the Yaris - With Toyota, it's 16, 17 or 18 inch rims depending on trim level, and you can only spec higher rims, not lower.

With the Mazda Yaris, it starts at 15 and maxes at 16, but you can option 15, 16 or 17 inch rims on (I think) all trim levels!

 

Thanks very much for the info Cryker ---good post

[Aygolite]

20 hours ago, Cyker said:

...17" rims on an aygo leaves almost no space for a sidewall...

If you mean the Aygo X, then 175/65R17 has a sidewall height of about 4.5", which makes it quite resistant to pothole damage. It's a world away from 3" to 3.5" sidewall heights, that always end up getting damaged...either the tyre or rim, or both.

For serious off-road use on the Aygo X, you might want to look at 175/80R15, as that tyre size has a sidewall height of about 5.5"...yet has about the same outside diameter as the 175/65R17 tyre size.

Yokohama G015 Geolander AT (All-Terrain) (3PMSF) 175/80R15 90S

https://www.camskill.co.uk/m53b0s3738p214942/Yokohama_Tyres_Car_Yokohama_G015_Geolander_AT_Yokohama_G_015_175_80_R15_90S_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_E_Wet_Grip%3A_C_NoiseClass%3A_B_Noise%3A_70dB

[dcweather]

On 7/7/2023 at 7:37 PM, Cyker said:

TBH rims size has very little bearing on how well it'll ride potholes and stuff - For instance, a 25" bus wheel is going to ride rough road far better than a 17" aygo wheel, even tho' 25 is clearly a much bigger rim than 17! The difference is a bus wheel will have a gigantic sidewall, even on a 25" rim, but a 17" rims on an aygo leaves almost no space for a sidewall  

It's the 2nd number, the one between the / and R - the sidewall ratio to tyre width - that is the important one, as that determines sidewall height.

As a rough rule, you generally want at least 55, with 60 or 65 being preferable, for a nicely compliant tyre. When you start getting to the 40's then it'll be quite a hard ride. You do loose some steering directness at higher profiles tho'. However, the wider the tyre, the lower the ratio you can get away with as e.g. 55 on a 305 tyre would yield a much bigger sidewall than 65 on a 185 tyre!!

 

re. OEM rim sizes, I also don't understand why they don't let you option smaller rims - I'd absolutely pay extra for smaller rims (And have!), plus it would help lower their CO2 rating!

That's the bizarre thing about the Yaris - With Toyota, it's 16, 17 or 18 inch rims depending on trim level, and you can only spec higher rims, not lower.

With the Mazda Yaris, it starts at 15 and maxes at 16, but you can option 15, 16 or 17 inch rims on (I think) all trim levels!

 

Shame that Mazd don't do the yaris Cross clone then!

[dcweather]

It's not just Toyota though. The Captur hybrid top spec has 18 or 19" wheels. MG4 has just moved its top spec trophy model to 18" wheels. They all basically take it or leave it ! Madness.

[TonyHSD]

Well, it used to be owners of new cars spending extra after purchasing the car for new set of larger wheels and low profile tyres.
Todays times has changed and some spend extra to buy smaller wheels and more sensible tyres sizes. And the latest Prius has super large wheels with skinny tyres which are also not wide at all 195. They could simply stay on 205/55 16 , the most popular and cheapest tyres size in the world, but hey it’s not gonna be so special. 
 

[Luke717]

On 7/6/2023 at 9:03 PM, mpm235 said:

Hello all,
At some point I will trade my much-loved Auris Hybrid in for a Corolla TS. I am tempted to treat myself to an Excell. Now those lovely looking, great big 18" wheels are the business, but I'm dubious about how they would affect ride quality. Can anyone with experience of the 18s (GR or Excel trim), advise me on the ride quality? What are they like with pot holes and speed bumps/ Ride quality is a bit subjective of course, but I will be very grateful for anyone's opinions. Thanks very much, Mark

Hello Mark. I have a 2020 Corolla Excel HB with 18-inch wheels, currently with Michelin Cross Climate 2 all-season low-profile tyres. I'm a fan of low-profile tyres, seemingly a lone voice among the many critics 😉

My experience is good, broadly speaking, and I am willing to accept some ride harshness that's inevitable with low-profile tyres in return for excellent grip, car handling and more. I wrote about this a few weeks ago https://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/214896-first-mot-test/?do=findComment&comment=1721505. Pot holes are definitely an issue so I try hard to avoid them! But I think they're an issue whatever tyres you have. There's also road type where some road surfaces these days are dreadful to drive on, and low-profile tyres do not make that experience better.

I suppose all is a trade-off in one way or another, and I don't disagree with many of the critical comments I read from others. I hope this opinion helps.

 

[dcweather]

That's fair enough. I would suggest though that the age profile of Yaris Cross owners is where they want a quiet smooth ride as opposed to looking flash or cornering at speeds where supreme grip is required 😉 Isn't that what hot hatches are for? As we have said all they have to do is make either 17" or 18" wheels an option. How hard is that?

[AisinW]

I don't get why Toyota put 18" wheel on Corolla or Camry.  It is just too much. 16" wheel is already ideal for such car. 17" for a hit fun but already hard. Unfortunately, 15" will not fit unlike in Prius 4. 

[Cyker]

That's what the appearance-conscious public want! And there are a lot more of them than there are of us comfort-biased types...

I must admit I don't get why increasingly ludicrously large rims is considered 'cool', but that's where we're at right now.

I prefer the performance and comfort improvements of smaller rims over the visual aspects personally.

 

[dcweather]

@Cyker I bet if they surveyed all the people that actually bought the Yaris Cross most wouldn't even know what size wheel they had and what the implications were. And I bet the market research didn't target potential buyers and ask "would you like these larger diameter wheels or a smooth and quieter ride"!