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A Toyota Corolla is one of the most popular cars available. There are many reasons why people consider it when buying a new vehicle. These cars are classy, provide a smooth ride, have a sporty look, and have great fuel economy. In addition, they are comfortable to drive and ride in. If you want to upgrade the tires, check out our list of some of the top Toyota Corolla tires available.
The mighty Toyota Corolla is arguably one of the best compacts you can buy, and its tires are one of the most important components you can change. Performance, comfort, and economy could all be yours at the click of a button and a trip to the tire shop. How do you know which tires are right for you? There have been a dozen generations of Corollas over several decades. Some have proven more economical than others, while more than a few are fun, spritely enthusiast cars.
Allow The Drive to guide you through a dizzying assortment of tires for your tried-and-true Toyota. From navigating blizzards to blitzing apexes and everything in between, I have you covered. I have combined knowledge with extensive research to deliver a comprehensive buyers guide.
Our Methodology
Our goal is to deliver informative and honest reviews in every guide. To find the best Corolla tires, I’ve combined my current expertise with research, diving deep into expert test data and consumer opinion. Tire Rack has proven to be a stellar textbook of data on every tire I’ve chosen based on popularity, Tire Rack’s test data, and most important, consumer experiences with dynamics and quality. Tires from previous guides on other compact cars were heavily considered, with many making it onto this list with consideration for the Corolla’s range of talents and buyers. For more information on how we generally curate our buyers guides at The Drive, visit the link here.
Best Toyota Corolla Tire Reviews & Recommendations
Best Overall
Vredestein Quatrac Pro
Best Value
Sumitomo HTR A/S P03
Honorable Mention
Continental PureContact LS
Best Economy Tire
Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus
Best Winter Tire
Michelin X-Ice Snow
Best Summer Performance Tires
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
Best Track Day Tires
Yokohama Advan A052
Best Dirt Tires
Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail
Our Verdict
Vredestein’s Quatrac Pro is a multi-talented hero, while Sumitomo’s HTR A/S P03 gets top marks for standing as an unbeatable bargain with usable attributes up its sleeves.
Let us know in the comments which tires you prefer.
What to Consider When Buying Tires for Your Corolla
There’s an expansive array of tires available for Corollas tailored to all sorts of talents. Every type has its strengths and weaknesses that define its category. I want to share a few ways that tires can distinguish themselves in a crowded field.
Types of Tires
All-Season
The most well-rounded, comfortable, and common tires on this planet, all-seasons make up the bulk of passenger car tires from both the aftermarket and OEMs. It’s a broad, all-encompassing term that can include cozy, highway-oriented touring tires with low noise and high mileage and even all-season performance rubber for year-round driving fun.
All-seasons are often a jack-of-all-trades-type, meaning they’re rarely standout showstoppers. Their high-silica compounds, complicated tread patterns, and immense siping mean they’re ideal for rain and comfort but won’t be an enthusiast’s pick for maximum dry grip. Their need to function year-round also means they’ll seldom approach true winter tires in ice and slush except those bearing the 3PMSF badge.
High Performance
Exotic compounds, ultimate traction, and car meet clout are yours with the use of dedicated performance tires. This ranges from more street-oriented summer tires like a Michelin Pilot Sport 4S to hardcore, ultra-focused rubber like the Yokohama Advan A052. Their overall missions are simple: elevate a car’s performance through increased traction on the road and track.
Many streetworthy tires will often use a hybrid rubber compound to optimize wet traction and comfort while still having an unyielding level of grip as a wheel leans into a corner. Low-treadwear track rubber will sacrifice on-road comforts like wet traction and road noise in favor of softer compounds that can better glue themselves to the pavement in the name of lap times. Due to being optimized for better performance in warmer weather, it’s strongly advised to avoid winter driving on performance tires.
Winter
A snowbelt savior and a rallyist’s delight, winter tires step above even the desirable 3PMSF all-seasons in terms of traction in slush, snow, and ice in frigid temperatures. They’re commonly offered as options from dealers and manufacturers but rarely installed as standard equipment due to their focus on traversing the winter wonderland.
These are defined by the softest compounds to better resist hardening at freezing temps, as well as the most aggressive tread patterns this side of an off-road tire. Their wide channels and bounties of siping are better suited to evacuating moisture and providing an abrasive edge for grabbing at the snow. Avoid running these in warmer months as the heat can soften the rubber leading to accelerated wear and sluggish driving dynamics.
Key Features
Tread Pattern
All those gashes and slashes on the face of the tire mean something in how your tire ultimately performs in various conditions. Large channels run the circumference to flush out moisture to maintain contact and resist hydroplaning. Smaller, angled channels on the shoulders flush moisture outwards while siping (those itty-bitty cuts) assist on a smaller scale and even assist in grabbing at the snow.
Winter tires will typically have the most aggressive tread patterns for their focused mission of traversing inclement winter weather. Performance tires will use as minimal tread as possible to maximize the contact patch, but most modern examples will use their tread cleverly not to sacrifice wet performance. Aggressive tread tailored for whichever discipline may contribute to increased road noise.
Sidewall
An essential factor in determining ride quality as well as cornering and steering feel, sidewalls are the vertical face between your rim and the road-contacting surface of the tire. Their construction is arguably the decider if your tire rides soft or firm, with numb or lively steering feel. Soft sidewalls found on some touring tires will greatly increase road comfort at the expense of having slow, sluggish responses during cornering as the rubber flexes and bends.
Firmer sidewalls on high-performance rubber will be harsher but will better transmit road feel through the steering system as well as better resist deflection for more predictable handling. In the case of economy tires, firm sidewalls coupled with firm rubber compounds may lower rolling resistance and thus increase mileage and tread life.
Rubber Compound
Premium, more expensive tires that are honed for specific tasks will sport unique and high-tech compounds to suit their tasks better. High-performance rubber may utilize hybrid compounds with center blocks formulated for wet traction and ride quality, while the shoulders are just soft enough to provide adequate traction as the wheel leans over. Firm rubber will lower rolling resistance for improved tread life and gas mileage, while softer compounds enhance traction and ride comfort.
An ingredient that helps modern tires excel is silica, a filler that allows them to remain pliable in a variety of temperatures. Popular in all-seasons and winter rubber, high-silica compounds are excellent at resisting freezing temps. In premium touring tires, high-silica compounds may be used to soften the ride.
Pricing
Most tires can be had for less than $1,000 per set. Four Quatrac Pros can be purchased for about $600. The same size for PureContacts would run nearly $720. Specialized performance tires such as the Pilot Sport 4S will ring in at roughly $900, while the super-focused Advan A052 hovers between $750 to $1,000 per set, depending on size.
FAQs
You’ve got questions. The Drive has answers.
You generally shouldn’t, but you could make it just fine through light snow with 3PMSF-rated all-seasons, which have improved siping, a more aggressive tread, and better resistance to freezing.
Generally, they are, especially if we’re talking about more commonplace performance summer tires. Most modern options make ingenious use of their tread and compounds to sacrifice little in the wet. Track-oriented 200-treadwear tires are far more compromised, with abysmal tread life and poor wet traction. Avoid snow on any performance tire.
You can. Just be careful about going too big in width or diameter to avoid rubbing on your inner fenders. Luckily, Tire Rack offers this fun configurator to help you nail down the right wheel and tire sets.