Questions about tires for my 2001 Corolla

[rykoala]

Hi everyone, I just got a 2001 Toyota Corolla as a gift. It only has about 55k miles on it and its a great little car. I will be researching things like the dams in front of the tires for small aero mods but really its going to stay stock for the most part.

I know that tires can make a world of difference. I need new tires, and so I am thinking about going from 185/65r14 to something of the same height but narrower. I think 155/80r14 is right in there or close. Would going to a narrower tire give me any measurable gains in the day to day driving? We do mostly around town stuff.

Additionally, I need something that's at least decent in snow and mild ice. I know that with 4x4's, which I used to dabble in, work better with narrower tires because it encourages the tire to dig down instead of float on top of the snow.

So, is this just a "dude, figure it out yourself" deal, or is there a well trodden path to follow?

Thanks a lot!

[Frank Lee]

All I know for sure is, I want to stand on a mountain and yell out your name.

[cfg83]

rykoala -

This is what I did :

My Continental Contact-Pro Tires

My thought process was to go to a larger diameter to make all my gears taller, but the merits of narrower tread has been discussed here as well :


(maybe not *that* narrow)

Your proposed new tire size will also be a little bigger than OEM :

Tire size calculator

Hrmmmmm, I wonder if Prius tires would fit on your Corolla.

CarloSW2

[rykoala]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

All I know for sure is, I want to stand on a mountain and yell out your name.

This is why all my newer logins have a different name lol. Its never pronounced right. Its Ry like Ryan, koala like the bear.

[rykoala]

Thanks for all of that! Lots of food for thought. I don't want to go bigger in diameter at all, just narrower. I have lots of research to do. A big factor is cost, though. I can't afford much right now. In fact, I may be buying some used tires to get through the winter until tax time comes and I can buy new ones. But if I can improve my situation at all even with just used tires, it'll be a cheap way to experiment with it.

Originally Posted by cfg83

rykoala -

This is what I did :

My Continental Contact-Pro Tires

My thought process was to go to a larger diameter to make all my gears taller, but the merits of narrower tread has been discussed here as well :


(maybe not *that* narrow)

Your proposed new tire size will also be a little bigger than OEM :

Tire size calculator

Hrmmmmm, I wonder if Prius tires would fit on your Corolla.

CarloSW2

[Daox]

Going from 185s to 155s on my Paseo made a noticable difference at low speeds.

Also, make sure you pickup one of the nice new fuel efficient tires they've been making more recently. Here is a nice review:

When Round and Black Becomes Lean and Green

[basjoos]

If you can fit the Bridgestone Potenza RE92 165/65r14 used on the original Insight on your car, try them. I highly recommend them if low rolling resistance is your main interest as they are leaps beyond any of the other supposedly LRR tires (Michelin Harmony, Sumitomo HTR T4) I have tried on my car.

[chuckm]

I got the Viva2 Goodyear tires from Walmart recently for my 'rolla. Mine are 175/65r14s. I've got them pumped to 40psi and they are doing well for me.
Which tires?