What size steel wheels for winter?

[vybr8d]

I currently have 17 inch wheels with lo-pro tires on my 09 Vibe; are these any good for winter driving? If not; what size steel wheel should I get?

[tpollauf]

Hi there. I'll assume you have the P-24 original 17" alloys (see attached pic showing wheel options for the 2009 Vibe) that came with the Vibe.

Are you the original owner? Anyways if you want to spare them any future winter road rash then get yourself a set of Camry "take-offs" from a salvage yard (mine shown when I took delivery of them) & mount your choice of rubber onto them, then drive & relax. They will be 16" instead of your 17" and will offer a slightly smoother ride.



This is what they'll look like on the Vibe. I added some real cheap wheel covers so the Vibe GT doesn't look too out of place Hope some of this helps you out

[vibenvy]

We too have Camry 16" steel wheels on both our 2009 Vibe GTs for the winter months. We got them in the fall of 2009 right before the first winter we had our Vibes. Late last year I bought brand new OEM 2.4L Base/AWD wheel covers to make them look less "ghetto"...





I highly recommend getting some different wheels and tires for the winter months not so much because the 17" inch wheels and tires won't fare well in the snow, but more because it will save your nice 17" wheels from getting beat up with salt, sand, etc. and it will also extend the life of your 17" tires which will end up saving you money in the long run .

[star_deceiver]

LOL, your "winter" pics are so clean

Buy yourself a set of 16" steelies... it'll save you from getting your nice shiny rims messed up!

[vit]

I got my snow tires from Tirerack - went with generic 16" steel wheels, they were 50 bucks a pop and tires were mounted and balanced on them. Didn't want to have any issues with possibly bent salvage wheels.

[Canker]

I run 15" for the summer and 16" for winter but only because the stock 16" wheels came with snows when I bought it.

I'd check and see what you can get the cheapest 15" wheels tires vs 16" wheels tires.

[vibenvy]

LOL, your "winter" pics are so clean

LOL! Well, that was only because we had an unusually mild winter last year in the Chicagoland area. While I don't think our Vibes have ever been as dirty as yours is in that picture, they've been pretty dirty, especially during the winter months when it's sometimes pointless to wash them with all the cr@p on the roads.

[vybr8d]

To all that answered; thank you! I now have the info and know what to look for.Bring on the snow!

[leemur]

Yep, get the OEM 2.4 hubcaps that VIBENVY has and then do this to them:
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and then do this to them...depending on color needs:
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My 04 Vibe has 205/60/16 and the 09 has 215/60/16. The 215's rub just a tad on the hard plastic mudflaps when fully turned.

[vibenvy]

To all that answered; thank you! I now have the info and know what to look for.Bring on the snow!

Glad we could help! Afterall, that's what we're here for !