Does anyone have any concrete information on whether 16" wheels will fit on the Niro EV? Looking at the front caliper clearance, it seems like there's enough room. Keep in mind that there has to be enough room for wheel balancing weights to also clear since those are taped to the inside as near to the wheel front face as possible. The upside is a bump in efficiency and also a smoother ride since the 16" tires will have a larger sidewall. The tire size I would use would be 205/65 which comes within 1% of the same diameter of the factory 215/55 tires. Thoughts?
I just put 16" aluminum wheels on my Niro Ev for the winter tires and they fit just fine. I went with 215/60s
Awesome! Good to know that they fit. I know that 16" wheels are used on the non-EV Niros, but with the EV, since it weighs more, I figured Kia might have upper the caliper sizes front and rear that would forbid 16" wheels from fitting.
Just a follow-up. I did obtain some 16" Hyundai Elantra wheels that were 6.5" wide with a 50mm offset. The factory 17" wheels on the Niro EV have a 50mm offset and so I thought I was good to go. I just did a test fit on the front: tight, but there was clearance. On the rears, however, the wheel's metal will clear barely but there isn't enough room for the tape on wheel weights to pass the rear caliper. I suspect this is because there is a bit too much positive offset. Looking at factory Niro (non-EV) 16" wheels, it seems they have a 45mm offset, not 50mm like the wheels I have. That would add some clearance to the area I am seeing interference with. What 16" wheels did you end up going with? What offset do they have?
I bought these wheels from Costco. I measured 8.5 mm of clearance for wheel weights on the fronts. Didn't measure the rears. https://www.c-wheels.ca/en/fitmentsearch/result/index/?code_aaia=&diameter=62&is_hubcentric=Yes&make=Kia&model=Niro&part_type=41&submodel=EX&year=2020
Yes I'm in Canada. So far they seem okay and when I bought them there was a discount $100 off with the purchase of 4 wheels, so for the price it was a pretty good deal ($90 CAD per wheel).
I wanted to add some final details here so others can get as much info as possible. The 16" wheels I put on my Niro had an offset of 38mm. They clear the calipers just fine. I've heard that others have tried 16" wheels with bigger offsets (tires go under the car farther) and have had issues with the wheels touching the calipers. Also, I've heard that drivers with 16" wheels at 38mm offset have experienced some torque steer. I have not, but just want to put that out there so you know what you may be getting into.
I am trying some different aftermarket 16" wheels with a +50mm offset and will report back on how they work out, if they clear the rear brakes. Less positive wheel offset (ie moving the wheel face outwards towards the fender) will cause more torque steer in a FWD car, it's physics. Whether you will notice it is another matter. I definitely noticed a difference for the worse.
