5 min. photochop.

 

The Matrix also has the same 5 spoke option, I just saw one.

 

Paulgw, I'm going to stop you right there before you make an incorrect purchase.

For anyone looking to swap wheels like I did, be very careful before you buy anything. You can't just say "5 evenly spaced bolts". There are many different sizes, even if you have 5 bolts. First is the spacing between bolts. For Camry, you must have 114.3, so the bolt pattern on any wheel you purchase needs to be 5 x 114.3. Therefore you cannot use Matrix or Scion wheels even though they are Toyota cars because they are both using 5 x 100. Also is the concept of offset, the Camry stock wheels are +45mm offset, and you must consider this if you want your new wheels to fit inside the wheel well. For example, if you purchase wheels that are 8" wide like mine and have the correct 5x114.3 bolt, but have just +30mm offset (Infiniti wheels come to mind), then your tires will end up bashing up against the fender of the car ever time you hit a bump because the wheels will stick out too far. Lastly, there is the concept of hub size, as different car manufacturers have different size wheel hubs. Most aftermarket wheels make hub size a non-factor by making the hole in the center of the wheel (where the hub goes into) so big that any hub will fit. However, this means that your wheel is held onto the car entirely by just the lugnuts, so this type of wheel is called lug-centric. The better way is for the car hub to fit perfectly snug into the hole in the wheel, so the wheel is supported by the hub and then held into place by the lugnuts. this is called a hubcentric wheel. Part of my decision to go with Lexus wheels was that LexusGS and Camry have the same hub size.

Buying non-factory wheels is not a "simple" process if you know nothing about the different specs. I recommend anyone interested in buying aftermarket wheels to do some research before purchasing anything.

 

Flopshot - I couldn't have said it better myself...

Good job!

 

Thanks for taking the time to educate me and probably some others as well! I apologise from my flippant comment regarding 5 evenly spaced bolts!

I really don't think I will be changing my wheels (once a get the car) but if I do following your words of caution I would definitely play it safe and go with the TCH five spoke option that is available here in Canada from Toyota. I have to admit however that I think the Lexus design does look a little nicer!

 

Here's the update after finishing my first tank of gas on these wheels.

Handling: I have not noticed any handling differences positive or negative. The car is neither more nimble nor more sluggish, and the car is not quicker nor slower off the line. I'm guessing the hybrid engine and basic suspension of a Camry wouldn't take any kind of advantage of the smaller profile tires. Maybe if I install the TRD springs I'll notice a difference.

FE: Before the change, the on-board display (OBD) was showing me about 36.3mpg on average, while my manual calculations (including an adjustment for the known 1.5% odometer error) was giving me about 35.7mpg. With the new wheel/tire setup, the OBD was showing me 35.0mpg and after adjusting my manual calculations for the new 4.2% error I've introduced, i come up with 35.2mpg. So what do these new numbers tell me?
1) I've only lost 0.5mpg moving to these heavier wheels and larger footprint tires. I'll trade that 0.5mpg in FE for the better look and better handling anytime.
2) The speedometer error was less than 4.2%, because I'm now getiing a calculated FE over the OBD, instead of the under. I'm guessing my speedometer error was somewhere around 3.0-3.5%.

One note: I forgot to check my psi in the new tires right when they were put on, so I didn't change the psi until after I killed the first tank. The above calculations are based on a psi of 38psi, and I've now increased the pressure to 41psi. I won't go higher than that, since max pressure on these tires is rated at just 44psi unlike the Michelins which were max 51psi.

 

So which is it, the car handles better, or it does not handle better?

 

Yes, I guess I did post contradicting statements there. I do not notice any handling differences. So I do not mind trading the 0.5mpg for the better look, and maybe in the future I will notice some handling benefits if I start driving the car harder than I do currently.

 

flopshot,

Thanks for starting this thread and sticking with all of the info. Based on your experience, do you feel its possible to go with a 17 x 7 (or 7.5) solution that can be made to both look cool and still be very close on mileage to the stock wheels?

I would think so, but you have made a more drastic wheel change on the TCH than anyone I am aware of.

Thanks again,

Bigsk8r

 

The stock wheels are 16x6.5, so going with 17x7 is definitely not a problem as long as you don't go more than +35 offset. I've seen many 07Camry's over at ToyotaNation.com (not necessarily TCH's) with that size wheels with no problem. Then you will just have to get the proper size 17" tires to keep the same outside diameter as the 16" stock tires, which should not be difficult since you can just use the same size tire as the CamrySE!