Having a fun sporty car used to mean that you also needed a second car to handle the winter months. This is no longer the case as modern traction control systems and ever improving winter tires mean the fun doesn't have to stop when the snow falls. For example, you have a 2016 Camaro and we have several tire and wheel options to get you through the challenging driving months of winter.
WINTER / SNOW TIRE CATEGORY
As covered in our 2017 winter / snow tire overview, winter tires have to be engineered to balance ice and snow grip with competent dry road handling. Should you opt for the better ice and snow grip of a Studless Ice and Snow tire or the better dry handling of a Performance Winter / Snow tire? It depends. If you're an LT driver deep in the snowbelt who frequently travels on persistently icy roads, Studless Ice and Snow tires are probably your better choice. If you drive an SS along the fringes of the snowbelt and enjoy spirited drives on nicer winter days, Performance Winter / Snow tires would normally be a better fit.
WINTER / SNOW TIRE SIZE
Check your tire sidewalls to verify your current tire size(s). Here's a quick summary of trim levels and respective sizes:
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Year
Model
Trim
Brakes
Standard Wheel
Standard Tire
2016
Camaro LT Coupe
1LT
Standard Brakes
18x8.5 ET 32
245/50R18 High Performance All-Season Goodyear Eagle Sport All-Season
2016
Camaro LT Coupe
1LT
Standard Brakes, Run-flats
20x8.5 ET 25
245/40R20 Ultra High Performance All-Season Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetrical All-Season Runflat
2016
Camaro LT Coupe
2LT
Standard Brakes
20x8.5 ET 25
245/40R20 Ultra High Performance All-Season Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetrical All-Season Runflat
2016
Camaro LT Coupe
2LT
Standard Brakes Run-flats
18x8.5 ET 32
245/50R18 High Performance All-Season Goodyear Eagle Sport All-Season
2016
Camaro LT Coupe
2LT
Brembo Brakes (4-Piston front)
18x8.5 ET 32
245/50R18 High Performance All-Season Goodyear Eagle Sport All-Season
2016
Camaro LT Coupe
2LT
Brembo Brakes (4-Piston front) Run-flats
20x8.5 ET 25
245/40R20 Ultra High Performance All-Season Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetrical All-Season Runflat
2016
Camaro SS Coupe
1SS
Brembo Brakes(4-Piston front & rear)
20x8.5 ET 25 20x9.5 ET 39
245/40R20 Front & 275/35-20 Rear Max Performance Summer Eagle F1 Asymmetrical 3 Runflats
2016
Camaro SS Coupe
1SS
W/ZL1 Brembo Brake Kit (Performance Brake Upgrade Kit - Brembo 6-Piston Front)
20x8.5 ET 25 20x9.5 ET 39
245/40R20 Front & 275/35-20 Rear Max Performance Summer Eagle F1 Asymmetrical 3 Runflats
2016
Camaro SS Coupe
2SS
Brembo Brakes (4-Piston front & rear)
20x8.5 ET 25 20x9.5 ET 39
245/40R20 Front & 275/35-20 Rear Max Performance Summer Eagle F1 Asymmetrical 3 Runflats
2016
Camaro SS Coupe
2SS
W/ZL1 Brembo Brake Kit (Performance Brake Upgrade Kit - Brembo® 6-Piston Front)
20x8.5 ET 25 20x9.5 ET 39
245/40R20 Front & 275/35-20 Rear Max Performance Summer Eagle F1 Asymmetrical 3 Runflats
The proper winter tire size will be narrow enough to cut through deeper snow while being wide enough for packed snow and ice. See more on how narrow to go with your selection here.
STUDLESS ICE & SNOW WINTER TIRE PACKAGE
Let's consider the hypothetical case of Bernie from Buffalo whose sole vehicle is his 2016 Blue Velvet Metallic Camaro LT V6 with Standard Brakes. Bernie lives out in the country and frequently sees a mixture of deep snow blizzards and persistently icy roads. During nice winter weather days he likes to take it easy.
I would recommend that Bernie go with 235/50R18 Studless Ice and Snow tires on basic 18" wheels. 235/50R18s are about 1/2" narrower than the 245/50R18 Original Equipment size, so they're narrow enough to cut through deeper snow yet wide enough to be competent on packed snow and ice. Given the V6 Camaro's relatively high 3,339 pound curb weight, I don't see a strong need to downsize to 17" wheels and narrower 225/60R17 tires. I feel that would place too much emphasis on deep snow capability at the expense of ice, packed snow, dry road performance and aesthetics.
For Studless Ice & Snow tire choices, the shortlist includes the Bridgestone Blizzak WS80, the Continental WinterContact SI and the Michelin X-ICE Xi3. All three provide good ice and packed snow traction along with overall capability. I like the WinterContact SI for sportier cars like the Camaro because it handles the best among the three. Putting it altogether I would recommend that Bernie go with 235/50R18 Continental WinterContact SIs on 18x8 ET 32 Sport Edition P2 wheels.
Bright Silver 18x8 ET 32 Sport Edition P2
Anthracite 18x8 ET 32 Sport Edition P2
235/50R18 Studless Ice and Snow Continental Wintercontact SI PERFORMANCE WINTER TIRE PACKAGE
With Bernie from Buffalo taken care of, let's move south to advise Louisa from Louisville. Louisa loves how her 2016 Red Hot Camaro SS hugs the curves as she's charging through open country roads. We wouldn't be surprised to find her revving that LT1 V8 as she impatiently waits for the light to turn green. For her better winter weather, more powerful chassis and enthusiast inclinations, I would recommend staying with a Performance Winter / Snow tire in O.E. widths. I like Pirelli Winter Sotto Series 3 because in performed well in wet and ice testing for its category. Taking all these factors into consideration, I would tell Louisa to go with the Pirelli Winter Sotto Series 3 in the 245/45R19 front and 275/40R19 rear tandem. For wheels, I like the O.Z. Racing Cortina in the 19x9 ET 26 front and 19x10 ET 40.
19x9 & 19x10 Black O.Z. Racing Cortina
19x9 & 19x10 Machined with Anthracite O.Z. Racing Cortina
245/45R19 Front & 275/40R19 Rear Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
Are you more like Bernie or Louisa? Your ideal winter package might be very similar to the above suggestions or it might incorporate some of both. Consider how bad your local weather is, what performance comprises you're willing to make and how much snow proficiency you need.