I have posted most of this already in an attempt to help another member in a different thread but I thought I would share my budget/practical mods with the rest of the crew here. After all, if the Vibe/Matrix crew doesn't appreciate it, no one will!
My better half was suffering awful traction in the winter months, to the point that we were considering selling the Vibe and buying another 4Runner. To make matters worse the Vibe's throttle response is so sensitive it can make gaining traction very difficult. Well we opted to try dedicated winter tires and if these weren't satisfactory we would sell the Vibe. The winter tires are a night and day difference! I realize having two sets of tires seems like alot of money but if you are the type of person that drives a lot the cost is almost a wash as both sets are going to last a long time when the duty is split between them though the year. The only real expense is the purchase of the second set of wheels. I highly recommend not swapping tires on and off of the same set of wheels each spring and fall as it gets expensive fast and can pay for the second set of wheels in one year.
The Vibe is a light vehicle, IMO far too light for the factory 205/55R16 tires for winter duty so we opted for a skinner 195/65R15 tire that offers the same overall height. For tires we went with Cooper Evolution from Discount Tire Direct. After the Black Friday promos we got a set of tires for less than $300. Keeping with the budget theme I headed off to the local self serve salvage yard for a cheap set of Prius wheels and Pontiac center caps. I slapped some paint on the wheels and machined some adapter rings to run the smaller diameter Pontiac center caps, yes, I am an OCD machinist. Long story short, she now can live with the Vibe again and hasn't complained once about traction!