MY 2023 18-inch Wheel Ride Quality

[mpm235]

12 hours ago, Luke717 said:

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.

 

Thanks very much for sharing Nevile, I appreciate it,  ( I like Goodyear cross climate as well, I've got them on my Auris), cheers, Mark

[AisinW]

If I get an original rims and tires, 18", I will use the first set and after the first tire is gone, I will sell the rims and get used 17" (with tires already installed) with that money.   I prefer to keep 17" and 16" all seasons tires instead.  As far as I know, the all seasons from goodyear and Michelin have treadwear 500 , last longer than typical summer tires 300.  Winter tires does not have treadwear rating because it wear out very fast on aspalt and pavement. However, summer tires have much better dry grip, comfort, and responds.   I don't think anyone in western europe need winter tires unless we live in very north and scandinavian. 

[TonyHSD]

These all season tyres like cross climates aren’t very suitable for hybrids and electric cars imo.  They kill the inertia and reduce the efficiency. Only good for cold climates. 
In summer time when temperatures are 20C° and over these tyres becomes very soft and squishy and their deep canals and sipes cuts grip the asphalt, creating horrible drive pass noises and stick on like a glue, you can literally say if someone drive pass you that his car is on all seasons. The car will do “ squish squish squish,…👂🎧
At the same time if you push for emergency brake they lose grip easily.
Perhaps can do for people who doesn’t drive a lot, but for high mileage drivers definitely not the best option. 
One more thing about tyres and sizes is that Corolla fitted with 17” or 18” tyres has not much better handling if at all, not much better stopping or acceleration than the same car on 16”, personally tested.
On slippery conditions the car equipped with 16” tyres has much more grip than those with 17 or 18. 
On my car comparing 16” vs 17” , with smaller size tyres the car was drivable in snow and ice without any problems even on a new summer Goodyear tyres where previously with 17” new  tyres the car was unsafe to drive, even just to change the parking spot.
Another example with 17” tyres and winter tyres this time parked on wet grass the car refused to move, these cars when both driving wheels slipped all power is cut off and so I got stuck. The problem with wider tyres and low profile, too wide and too low is that the tyres start losing grip instead of gaining traction. Many people don’t realise that. And this is another reason why during winter we see so many cars out of contact and funny situations. Many years ago when most cars were coming from factory with more sensible tyre sizes we haven’t seen many of those winter funny stories. 
No need to rake my word for it, that’s my experience shared only and my understanding of how tyres work. 👍

This guy we all know and watch can explain it better than me. Please pay attention to what he says around 02:00. 

 

[Gerhard_Corolla]

I ride on 17" summer tyres and 18" winter tyres, and could not wait more to buy an 18" summer tyres set for next season...

 

I don't know if Toyota stopped developing suspension's setups and configurations for different markets, or as many people have said, they tend to listen more to the wants and needs of the markets, and less to what the engineers have to say about the driving quality of their vehicles. 

 

In every market there's a different perception of this Corolla's new platform, I've visited different forums, and everyone seems to have a different opinion on the driving experience. Nonetheless, the common factor I've being able to identify among the different complaints is the rolling surface. That single characteristic tends to affect the perception of the owners in everything related to the car, specially road noise and riding quality; being Portugal and Spain where the most complaints of the former come from.

 

The steering is so light, that with the 17" wheels, the car feels that dives way more than it should in emergency or tight situations, being braking or sudden change of direction. It definitely feels like the car is on "cotton" or "plushier", but only when sudden or fast weight transfers occur, and that's using the highest tyre recommended pressure; but I haven't felt a better overall riding quality, just on these scenarios. I can only think that with 16" wheels those diving sensations could be worse, that's why I've decided to ditch the 17" summer tyres next season and go with the 18", the steering is way, way better...

 

So, definitely take into account the roads and the speed you're going to ride on most of the time, the sensations and handling characteristics change a lot on every riding surface!

[TonyHSD]

The steering rack ratios are different for the cars that comes with 16” from the factory vs the cars with 17 and 18”. 
I haven’t noticed a significant difference between 16 and 17 but there is a difference between summer and winter tyres and how the car turns. With winter and all season tyres the steering wheel becomes ultra light. 
Summer tyres with straight lines and wide water channels tend to have slower steering response( heavier feel of the steering wheel) vs winter and all season tyres with V shaped pattern. The reason is explained well in this video.

Also summer tyres keep the car in a straight line better then the winter and all season tyres and return the steering wheel faster to the centre after a turn. That’s my experience. 
 

[Cyker]

4 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

The steering rack ratios are different for the cars that comes with 16” from the factory vs the cars with 17 and 18”. 
 

Really?? That's interesting... I do find the steering rate in my Mk4 noticeably faster than previous Yarisuseseisesusaseses

 

[TonyHSD]

Just now, Cyker said:

Really?? That's interesting... I do find the steering rate in my Mk4 noticeably faster than previous Yarisuseseisesusaseses

 

On Corolla definitely as has been noted even on the sale brochure. Yaris can be similar situation. Perhaps if we check Toyota official site there will be some information. 👍

[AisinW]

The all seasons tires is actually pretty good compared to summer tires. The respond is not as direct as summer tires but much better than winter tires.  In fact some of them have better rolling resistance than cheap chinese summer tires. The lateral patterns indeed reduce the comfort but necessary for grip in snow. 

American all seasons tires are more summer like tires with a tangential pattern like summer tires. It can handle a light snows but only M+S grade not  3pms certified. 

[TonyHSD]

Here a new and interesting video about Evs tyres but most applies to hybrids and all cars actually. 

 

[TonyHSD]

Here we go, another example about tyres size trends and real world experience. 
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/08/can-we-please-just-go-back-to-using-smaller-wheels-and-tires/

[Yowsah]

I drive a 2021 Corolla Touring Sport GR Sport with the 18” wheels. I am perfectly happy with it. Rides fine and handles very well indeed. As for speed bumps, I slow down and go over them with caution therefore they don’t affect the car. The bumps are also there to make you slow down for safety. I also look out for potholes and avoid them. As an advanced driver I drive to the conditions and with forward observations can avoid the dangers in front of me. 

[dcweather]

Exactly what I have been saying for the last two years - it really doesn't make sense - especially in the case of the Yaris Cross you get smaller wheels on the lower spec so they can't really be a design problem ! It's all a fashion andcost cutting (for them) nonsence and we are paying more for it. Perhaps I should have gone for a cheaper lower spec but I would then lose blind spot monitoring and a couple of other critical features that I want. That get's me on to another thing - options. That used to be fantastic, you could choose from a whole range of colours and mix and match features and add-ons. But now the marketing people have decided they can maximise profits by cutting the customers choices thus dictating to us what have to buy not what we want to buy. What can we do about it? SFA other than travel by train .😖

[dcweather]

51 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

Here we go, another example about tyres size trends and real world experience. 
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/08/can-we-please-just-go-back-to-using-smaller-wheels-and-tires/

The other issue is all these cars are tested on non-uk roads and so they don't realise what the ride is like on the world's most pot-holed roads outside of parts of Africa and India!

[dcweather]

On 8/17/2023 at 9:29 AM, Yowsah said:

I drive a 2021 Corolla Touring Sport GR Sport with the 18” wheels. I am perfectly happy with it. Rides fine and handles very well indeed. As for speed bumps, I slow down and go over them with caution therefore they don’t affect the car. The bumps are also there to make you slow down for safety. I also look out for potholes and avoid them. As an advanced driver I drive to the conditions and with forward observations can avoid the dangers in front of me. 

I don't think you need to be a super advanced driver to figure out that it is a good idea to avoid potholes. I envy where you live because around here you would have daily head on collisions if you drove to swerve round every pothole!

[Tom900]

I'm also thinking of changing the 17" alloys on my Corolla. I see that they do 15" steel wheels on the Corolla Commercial and also on the Police spec. Will let you all know how I get on.

[TonyHSD]

20 hours ago, Tom900 said:

I'm also thinking of changing the 17" alloys on my Corolla. I see that they do 15" steel wheels on the Corolla Commercial and also on the Police spec. Will let you all know how I get on.

Better don’t go for 15” but instead for 16” wheels. 
Your car on oem 17” wheels likely to have larger front brakes and 16” is minimum size possible to fit. 
 

[Obsidian Estate]

My 508 had 19s on it, that was a bit firm feeling. The Corolla on 18s though is absolutely fine.

[dcweather]

Just picked up my Yaris Cross today, Excel with 18" wheels. Will report back in due course when I've had it longer.Initial impression is ride is a bit bumpy but drives nicely but roadnoise a bit more intrusive thn my wife's 9 year old Yaris hybrid on 16" wheels !

[Talking Hoarse]

10 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Better don’t go for 15” but instead for 16” wheels. 
Your car on oem 17” wheels likely to have larger front brakes and 16” is minimum size possible to fit. 
 

And .... suggest you opt for a tyre size & spec listed in handbook or on the door shut label - this justifies your modificatiion when explaining to insurer.

[Louie]

I took  delivery of a brand new Excel several weeks ago and the first thing I did was swap the Falken tyres for Michelin Sport 5's. I previously had a 2L Gr Sport with Michelin 4's. The ride in the Excel is a  considerable  improvement in that it is smoother, quieter and  the vehicle does not crash its way through road imperfections like my GR Sports used to. The Excel has a sort of luxury feel to it compared to the other Toyota's I have owned in the past which is about 4. It also feels more solid in that when you close the doors they have a reassuring clunk about them rather than a tinny feel associated with vehicles not so well engineered.

 

[dcweather]

On 12/29/2023 at 11:24 PM, dcweather said:

Just picked up my Yaris Cross today, Excel with 18" wheels. Will report back in due course when I've had it longer.Initial impression is ride is a bit bumpy but drives nicely but roadnoise a bit more intrusive thn my wife's 9 year old Yaris hybrid on 16" wheels !

Apologies, just realised I've switched from Yaris Cross club to Corolla club.

[Chainbreaker]

Just read through this thread and thought I'd add my thoughts here.

I have a MY23 Corolla Excel TS with the 18 inch wheels with the falken tires on it. I have driven many cars over the years and would say the corolla is one of, if not the best riding car I've ever driven.

It is an excellent balance between comfort and handling, which is what I look for in a car. Suspension is firm but well damped and makes little noise, which is usually a pet peeve of mines, having cars with noisy suspension. Appreciate other people may be looking for different things from their car so may not agree on this. Imagine 17s could be better.

Quote

These all season tyres like cross climates aren’t very suitable for hybrids and electric cars imo. They kill the inertia and reduce the efficiency. Only good for cold climates. 

In summer time when temperatures are 20C° and over these tyres becomes very soft and squishy and their deep canals and sipes cuts grip the asphalt, creating horrible drive pass noises and stick on like a glue, you can literally say if someone drive pass you that his car is on all seasons. The car will do “ squish squish squish,…👂🎧

At the same time if you push for emergency brake they lose grip easily.

Perhaps can do for people who doesn’t drive a lot, but for high mileage drivers definitely not the best option. 

Having had all seasons fitted on over 5 cars now, I respectfully disagree with the above.

They are not only good for cold climates. The clue is in the name. Yes on a warm summers day pushing pressing on down a nice b road, summer tires will be better. Rest of the time, all seasons are king. Work so much better on wet, greasy roads with less risk of aqua planing and grip better under braking/acceleration. They work better for uk driving 90% of the time I would say. Plus they tend to ride better due to the softer rubber used (not quantifiable, just based on my own experiences.)

I will admit there is a mpg penalty with all seasons, but its been 1-2 mpg in my experience. It's a worthwhile price to pay for better safety.

The stock falkens are rubbish, typical eco tires that feel like they're made of plastic and have no grip. I will be replacing them with a good set of all weather tires as they work better in the weather conditions up here in scotland.

 

[AisinW]

I don't like the ride of any 18" wheel in compact cars like Corolla, Golf, or Civic.  I think 17" is ideal in term of handling and comfort, especially with a summer tires.  For a winter tires with soft tread, 17" is also good.  16" wheels are more comfortable in most scenarios until we go to mountainous roads in the Alps.  The 17" rims give us more confidence when taking turns and manouvering at higher downhill speed.

[drykoke]

On 12/31/2023 at 12:03 AM, Louie said:

 The ride in the Excel is a  considerable  improvement in that it is smoother, quieter and  the vehicle does not crash its way through road imperfections like my GR Sports used to. The Excel has a sort of luxury feel to it compared to the other Toyota's I have owned in the past which is about 4. 

 

Thank you so much for the very helpful input. I had been a bit put off by an Australian review of the GR Sport where they complained about tyre and road noise. 

Are your Michelins and Excel combination much less noisy than what the reviewer noticed?

[RzrAzr]

On 7/7/2023 at 3:27 PM, dcweather said:

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!

I will be 40 soon, and still like how bigger wheels look 🙂

On 7/7/2023 at 9:28 PM, Steven83 said:

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. 

I'd say Corolla is just much better engineered car than Auris. Corolla has very not Toyota like feel compared to previous Corollas, Avensis, Camrys etc which were pretty bland driving dynamics.

 

Ideally if I have extra cash to burn, I will be looking to get some lightweight 18" with good tires when the time comes. Tire choice also affects ride quality