I’m looking to get a set of rims to put winter tires. I know there’s a lot of info out there but am feeling overwhelmed. I found a local set of factory gen 3 15” rims. I think there’s an offset difference to gem 4? Any chance to get them to work? otherwise the best option I found is aftermarket steel wheels. Are there known issues with that? I appreciate any info, just having a hard time parsing through the search results
The offset is close enough, Gen3 wheels should work fine. I have an aftermarket steely for my full-size spare but I bought cheap MB ICON 15" alloy wheels for less than the cost of steely for winter tires. Have had them on my PP for the last 4 winters without issue.
I went with this: Corolla steel rim, part no: 42611-02471 (2003-2008 corolla or matrix, CE, LS, S) steel rim lug nuts, part no: 90942-01007 (plain, open-ended, galvanized) One advantage of the Corolla rim, vs aftermarket: the hub opening is exact fit. When purchased in 2010 the rims were $70 (CDN) apiece and a set of 20 nuts $31 IIRC. I added a 2" ABS end cap (readily available hardware store plumbing item) as a make-shift centre cap. It keeps the hubs from rusting up, looks a little better.The cap fits slightly loose, but I fixed that by first pushing a rubber band (section cut from old bicycle inner tube) onto the hub opening flange, then squishing the cap onto it. They've never flung off. Also, I put a drop of oil on the exposed tips of the studs, again for rust prevention. When the current snow tires wear out I do have a set of PIP rims I'll probably use next, dress it up. This is on a 3rd gen btw, but I believe it's the same wheel specs, or very close.
Another option for those who live in Canada is the Envy branded rims sold by Canadian Tire. I purchased these in 2020 for both cars for less than $70 CND per wheel. They weight about the same as the OEM rims and unlike the cheaper steel wheels, they do not rust and weigh a heck of a lot less, which is a bonus for my back when it comes time to do the seasonal wheel changing ritual. The other plus is that these are lug-centric and as well fitting as the OEM wheels, requiring no additional hardware (lug nuts or spacers/shims).
