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Aluminum 16" Wheels with P205/55R16 Tires vs. 17" with P215/50R17 Tires

I am going to be ordering/purchasing a 2006 Toyota Matrix XR FWD or XR AWD within the next month.

I still have not yet decided whether 3 mpg less, 7 horsepower less, and 1.3 gallons of fuel tank capacity less are worth the all wheel drive.

If I get the AWD version, I MUST get 16" wheels/tires.

But, if I decide on the FWD version, then I have two choices of wheels if I decide to go with aluminum wheels:

(1) 16" Aluminum Wheels with P205/55R16 Tires (2) 17" Aluminum Wheels with P215/50R17 Tires

What are the advantages and disadvantages of these two sizes? (Note - price is not much of a factor, and quietness, ease of ride, and fuel efficiency are more important to me than handling characteristics.)

Bud H

Reply to
Bud H
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The 17" will give you slightly better handling at not much of a hit on economy. What I would look at is the cost of replacing the tires when the time comes. 17" are becoming more of the standard and may be priced lower than 16"

Reply to
HachiRoku

One other thing I learned - to get Vehicle Stability Control , you have to have 2WD. And, you have to have the 16-inch wheels!

(Unlike my 2002 Highlander, you can't get VSC plus ABS brakes on an AWD model.

So, it seems my decision has been made for me......

Bud H

Reply to
Bud H

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