mnedescu

so im looking to purchase a set of winter tires / rims for the 09 es350 and had a few questions:
is it safe to downsize to 16 in rims?
where would you purchase TPMS for the spare tires?
what is the correct downsizing tire? 215/60/16 ?

garsarno

I would not down size the size as the tires that are stock are not super wide. I would recommend www.tirerack.com as a good source for your questions.

igzy

For winter tires, you can go with stock size or you can downsize to 16" without a problem. For snow driving it is actually recommended to go with a narrower tire so to be able to go through snow easier. For ES, your good options for 16" tires are 205/65R16 or 215/60R16. Sensors you can get used on kijiji or new at any tire shop or dealer. I don't have them in my set so have disabled TPMS for the winter...

iceblast

I was lucky enough to pickup a second set of OEM 17" rims for winter with TPMS. Yes, it is ok to downsize to 16 in tires, and it will save you a bit of money on the tires.

If you want TPMS (which I am unsure is required for traction control) then probably dealer or you can go aftermarket, still not cheap.

PS. What brand of winters are you planning on going with?

mnedescu

After looking at this site: http://www.1010tires.com/Tools/Tire-Size-Calculator
The variance is as follows:
215/55R17 - Original
215/60R16 - (-0.58%)
205/65R16 - (+0.69%)
@iceblast - i didnt have a specific tire in mind, but i saw its hard to find 215/55/17 winter tires.

nevernu

when i got my 07 a few years ago i looked at saving $ and downsizing to 16" snows. After chasing my tail for a few days looking at options for tires and rims, I said screw it and went with recommended standard 215/55r17 and been happy w decision. I got the TPMS from the internet at a good price, $50 or so for 4.