[jostafew]

Hey everyone, I'm pretty happy with my winter wheel combo and I don't recall seeing anyone else with these wheels so I thought I'd share. I found a deal on a set of used 16" wheels (bright silver painted finish) from a late model Chevy Trax, and scored some clearance winter tires in 205/60R16. I'm in it for about $650 incl. tax, mount, & balance. I think the wheels suite the car well, and IMO look like they could have been a factory option.

If anyone's wondering, I didn't add the TPMS sensors to see how annoying the reminder would be. Turns out it's not that bad. The tire pressure warning light flashes for a minute or two then turns on solid. You also get a notice on the instrument cluster which you can dismiss with single button press. I can live with those to save the cost of TMPS sensors and reprogramming every spring and fall.

 

[reeler]

I put my winter tires on some 16" Sonic rims and it works well. TPMS sensors are cheap on eBay.

 

[lucycan]

Those wheels look great. Any idea the width and offset on them?

 

[sly]

Hey everyone, I'm pretty happy with my winter wheel combo and I don't recall seeing anyone else with these wheels so I thought I'd share. I found a deal on a set of used 16" wheels (bright silver painted finish) from a late model Chevy Trax, and scored some clearance winter tires in 205/60R16. I'm in it for about $650 incl. tax, mount, & balance. I think the wheels suite the car well, and IMO look like they could have been a factory option.

View attachment 27772

View attachment 27773

If anyone's wondering, I didn't add the TPMS sensors to see how annoying the reminder would be. Turns out it's not that bad. The tire pressure warning light flashes for a minute or two then turns on solid. You also get a notice on the instrument cluster which you can dismiss with single button press. I can live with those to save the cost of TMPS sensors and reprogramming every spring and fall.

I didn't know that the Trax wheels had the same bolt pattern Good to know. They also look great on the car. It looks like the sidewall height is greater with the 16" wheels. Have you noticed any difference in handling, efficiency or tire noise?

 

[Packard V8]

FWIW, we're using 16" Cruze steel wheels with Nokian winter tires and they're lighter and quieter and the ride/handling is a bit better. Since the winter temps are so much lower, what the tradeoffs in range is unknowable.

jack vines

 

[jostafew]

Those wheels look great. Any idea the width and offset on them?

According to my notes, the Trax wheels are ET38, and the Trax came with either 6.5" or 7" wide wheels. Sorry I don't recall the width on these ones, but I can say that they do sit a touch more outboard than the OE wheels. No risk of rubbing or anything given that the winter tires have a less squared off shoulder, they just sit more flush with the body.

 

[jostafew]

I didn't know that the Trax wheels had the same bolt pattern Good to know. They also look great on the car. It looks like the sidewall height is greater with the 16" wheels. Have you noticed any difference in handling, efficiency or tire noise?

Yes, if your drop the wheel diameter but maintain the overall diameter of the tire then the sidewall will be taller which all other things being equal will result in a quieter, smoother ride along with less sharp handling. In my case I picked up pretty close to the cheapest winters I could find which resulted in new tread noise (though decreased road noise) and squishier handling as expected. I usually go for winter tires with legit snow tread on them, which carry the usual noise and handling penalty, where something that's closer to an all season tread but a softer compound with more siping (spelling?) that's appropriate for ice and rain would have less of those tradeoffs... Just depends on where you want to go, in my case that is up to the ski resorts. While I couldn't give your a solid number, I'd estimate the usual 5-10% range loss to be true here when you move away from a low rolling resistance tire.

 

[PSHome]

Any chance you know the weight?

 

[jostafew]

Any chance you know the weight?

Sorry no, but the 16" with a winter tire on it feels lighter in hand than the stock 17" wheel and tire package