What winter tires and rims do you use in the colder months?

Well, I tried a set of 16" rims, Hyundai branded, and there was interference with the rear calipers. This was on a 2019 Ultimate where the OEM wheels are 17". Fortunately I was able to sell the 16" set and replace with a 17" set of Blizzaks on steel rims at the same cost. Based on my experience, I would advise sticking with 17" rims.

 

What is the offset of the OEM 17" wheels?

 

Rather than trusting some anonymous info from a forum post, your go-to source is:
wheel-size.com

 

Has anyone tried 17x7.5 wheels with a 45mm offset? Seems like this size rim is much easier to find than the stock 17x7 50mm... but I'm a bit concerned about rubbing.

 

That's what I'm using. Assuming the 0.5 inch width increase is evenly split inboard and outboard of the mounting plate surface, that's about 6-7 mm closer to the bodywork, but the reduced +ve offset to 45mm pulls that out by 5mm, so only 1-2mm closer - hasn't been an issue. Measure or at least eyeball the stock clearance.
I'm assuming no increase in tire width...

 

One more thing...
The most commonly reported issue is rubbing on the rear callipers. This can be against the outside of the calliper if the offset is too large (50+), or against the back of the calliper if the inside diameter (I.D.) of the wheel isn’t large enough. 17” wheels are usually OK, while 16” are usually not OK, but what you need to check is whether the I.D. is the same across the wheel from outside to inside i.e. from against the back of the mounting plate to the inside rim should be flat, and parallel to the outside face where the tire sits, no thicker metal bulging inwards to strengthen the wheel...

 

+ 50mm

 

Waking-up an old thread to share my experience with the 2023 Kona EV. I decided to go for 16 inch rims (Fast Wheels EV01+, 16x6.5) with Yokohama IG53 205/60R16. Based on the information I gathered in the forums, they seemed to be a good pick. I also check with the manufacturer, and I was told that the 16x6.5 were the "recommended fitment for your vehicle".

I just received the wheels Yesterday, and I tried them on both front and rear of the Kona. The rims obviously have less clearance than the stock wheels, but there seem to be at least a centimetre between the tip of the brake callipers and the interior of the rim, which is OK for me. I won't be using the winter tires just yet, so I swapped back the summer tires. Will be ready for snow and ice!

 

I see you posted over at EV Speak where I replied, so I'll reply here as well.

This is really surprising!!

I have just looked up the 2023 Kona EV specs. Wheel size front and rear is 17 inch. Every website I've found says the same for the 2023. People on Kona EV forums have all reported that 16s won't fit on the rear because of the extra clearance required for the electric park brake mechanism. 16s don't fit on the rear of my 2021 model.

Perhaps Hyundai has changed the rear caliper so it would be great if you could confirm that. Did you actually fit a 16 to the rear and test it? Was it on straight and secure, the lug nuts done up tight and did it rotate with no scraping sound?

 

It seems 16 inch rims are not all made equal. I can easily figure that a rim that has slightly more depth towards the centre of the “donut” will rub on the callipers. This is what worried me, actually, but the rims I picked are very flat. I fitted the front and rear to test. The rear was rotating freely and silently. The front did not rotate fully because the parking brake was engaged, but the clearance is obviously good and wiggling within the parking brake ~1/16 turn tolerance was free of strange noises or friction. In both cases, front and rear, I was able to slide a finger between the callipers and the rim.

There is not lots of clearance, about a centimetre as I said earlier. I don’t know what kind of safety margin this represents. I hardly see how the rim could bend that much to cause problems. Rocks of that size getting caught there are a remote possibility, I guess. I could not find data on what a safe clearance would be.

 

Very interesting, O Daigle. And those wheels look pretty nice too

Kona EV is not supplied with a spare wheel. Have you thought about getting a spare that will fit both front and rear and also in the trunk. A regular wheel will not fit, you need a skinny temporary spare. Though one fellow did get a custom regular wheel made. Link to discussion.

 

No, I decided not to go looking for a spare wheel, mainly for cargo space reasons. I keep a reserve of windshield washer, scissor jack, ropes, that kind of stuff underneath the trunk floor, which would make it hard to carry a spare tire (one that would fit at least on the front wheels, and you swap tires if you puncture on a rear wheel). I will be relying on a tire plug kit if I run on screws or nails, not the goopy stuff provided by Hyundai that will wreck the TPMS, in the hope I would sense the soft tire before it blows. I still carry Hyundai's stuff though, just in case, but that would not be my first option. It will be the first car for which I won't be carrying a spare tire. I Hope it won't be the first car for which I would need one.

 

Quick unrelated-to-the-thread question...do you have a brand or name for the 'tire plug kit'? I used the goopy stuff on my first slow leak and indeed wrecked the TPMS. Tire was unfixable anyway, but want to know for the future. Thanks!!

 

Yeah, I carry one as well. No point in removing the tire if you can plug it and re-inflate it on the spot. So many flats are just from a wayward nail or screw.

I suspect the reason why the 16" space savers are problematic is more due to the narrow rim size and welded steel construction. My spare is 16" and I haven't even tried to fit it on the rear just because of being warned off by the many posts here. I adapted a Nissan X-Trail spacesaver and had to grind out the hub spigot by 1mm. But I tested it for 'fit' a little early and had a big scare when it wouldn't come off. Lots of heat did the job in the end but for a while I felt pretty stupid.

 

You need to be careful with those plug tools with plastic handles, especially cheap ones. A plug can be difficult to insert, requiring considerable pressure and effort. A number over here have failed under pressure of insertion, resulting in the tool going through the users's hand. If you can get one with a metal handle, you should.

 

Following-up on this, now that winter and cold is getting closer in Montreal. I've installed the 16" wheels this morning, and went for a road test. Everything is fine and I feel the wheels looks kinda nice.

The fit is tighter than I first thought, though. For the rear wheels, I had to move the weights that are sticked to the rim for balance. Where they were they were slightly rubbing on the brake callipers. Not all weights were placed at the same place on the tires and it seems I picked the "lucky" tire during my first test, which explains I only figured this morning that it was too tight. Anyway, I moved the weights towards the inner portion of the rim and now they are rotating freely. No rub, no noise, and made it through the road test. Snow and ice and come now.




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Let us know, how much range drops after the install . Once it goes thru a full range or two.

 

Will do! So far so good, from the first 75-odd kilometres as there does not seem to be an increase of energy consumption (used 10% of the battery for those, 70% city driving, 30% highway). I am hoping the narrower tires/larger sidewalls and aero rims will make the winter tires range hit insignificant compared to the stock wheels and rims. Then, it will be a matter of disentangling the effect of the cold weather/higher air density/use of heating to the effect of the tires alone if the range does decrease.

I will be doing a ~600km road trip next weekend, I should have some better stats after that.


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