Can I put 16” wheels on my 09 V6 that came with and currently has 18” wheels??

[Sweendog]

I have an 09 v6 that has factory 18x8 wheels on 235/50/18. Looking to get some beater 16 inch wheels for the winter, the cars that came with 16” wheels from factory had 215/65/16 tires which should be pretty good for winter as the narrower the better for snow. Using a tire comparison calculator the 16 inch wheels and tires would be less than 1% smaller than my current set up. My questions are 1) will this affect my gearing / speedo / odo ?? Main concern is damaging anything mechanical, less so the speedometer / odo
2) I have scoured the internet for an answer to this question and cannot find it - do car manufactures program the car based on what wheel and tire combo option (16,17,18) it came with (gearing, speedo, odo) or is it the same regardless of what wheel option was selected for that car???

 

[Forty61]

As long as the two driven wheels have the same size wheels and tires you'll be fine, mechanically it will make no difference to how anything works.

The only thing to account for, which you already did, is rolling diameter as a smaller wheel takes more revolutions to travel a set distance than a larger wheel will due to differences in circumference. This wouldn't hurt anything but if far enough off it will mean your speedometer is not accurate. Not a huge issue, just something to be aware of.

 

[Pentalab]

As long as the two driven wheels have the same size wheels and tires you'll be fine, mechanically it will make no difference to how anything works.

The only thing to account for, which you already did, is rolling diameter as a smaller wheel takes more revolutions to travel a set distance than a larger wheel will due to differences in circumference. This wouldn't hurt anything but if far enough off it will mean your speedometer is not accurate. Not a huge issue, just something to be aware of.

With smaller diameter tires, like ur proposed 16"s...and say u are travelling at 50 mph as indicated on the speedometer. Your actual (real speed) will be a tiny bit less...due to same rpm, but smaller circumference tires. If u have a GPS, you can easily see any differences between speedometer...and the GPS with the GPS reading actual (slightly less) real speed.

Ur 18"s have a circumference of exactly 27.25". Your 16"s will have a circumference of exactly 27.003" The 16"s are exactly 1% smaller circumference. The car's speedometer will read 50 mph...but your actual speed will be exactly 1% less or just .99 x 50 = 49.54 mph. Your real speed is .46 mph less than speedometer. Non issue.
Go for it.

 

[Sweendog]

Thanks all… 16s will be quite a downgrade from the 18s but 16 inch tires are significantly cheaper which is probably worth it as winter tires wear out fast anyway

 

[Pentalab]

Thanks all… 16s will be quite a downgrade from the 18s but 16 inch tires are significantly cheaper which is probably worth it as winter tires wear out fast anyway

ur 16" will have 5.5" sidewalls...... which is good when the snow flies.

 

[fast Ed]

16” was the base size on V6 cars until 2010, they will be fine. Use 215/65R16 winter tires, and the OD of them will match with your factory 18”. Smaller wheel + taller sidewall = same OD. Later cars had bigger front brakes that needed 17” or larger wheels to clear.