New Tires???

[Boldizar]

Okay, today we have a bad snow storm in Michigan. My vibe handled like a POS! I could barely make it up a hill in 1st gear. I just kept spinning. I have a 2003 Vibe GT. Granted the roads were bad but I have never had a vehicle handle so poor. It felt like it just wanted to slide sideways on me the whole time. I didn't know if somebody would think I need new tires by now. I bought it almost 2 years ago and have 26,000 miles on it. Do you think it is the tires?Let me know on what you think or any recommendations.Thanks,Boldizar

[dsegundo]

did you check the tires? the penny test?

[Boldizar]

No, not yet. What is the penny test?

[zionzr2]

Quote, originally posted by Boldizar »No, not yet. What is the penny test?Stick a penny into the tread with licolns head first into the tread...If you still see the top of lincolns head... then you fail! and need new tires. If you can not see the top of lincolns head then your tires still have "legal" amounts of tread left.

[Boldizar]

Do you know of anyone having the problem with the Vibe GT driving so poorly? I will check on the tires though.Thanks

[vibe-04]

If you have the Goodyears, which I believe were the stock on the 03 GT, then you are going to have problems. You need snow tires or go really, really slow. Tires are everything. Trying to have a tire handle rain, snow, mud, and still give you rail like grip in a hard corner is really asking a lot. It is best to have a winter set to handle the days like today. Good Luck

[Nervous_Dog]

If you have the Continentals (like I do) you should consider getting a set of snow tires for the winter months. I am definitely getting a set for next year. I already have summer rims/tires and I figured the Conti's would be fine if I used them in the winter since they are only on the car about 4 months out of the year, but they are absolutely horrible in the snow. I had Goodyear RSA's on my last car and they were ok in the winter.If you have the Continentals those are most likely the problem.

[dsegundo]

My GT isn't bad at all in the snow. Just shift early and try to keep the RPM's down.

[DavidPIL]

Hi,Also, if you have the 17" tires on the 03, you may have the Dunlop 9000 series which is a Summer only tire. Harder compounds, horrible for snow/ice. None of the stock OEM tires are all that great for winter. Consider a winter tire or an appropriate All-Season tire. Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S, BF Goodrich Traction TA's and Continental ExtremeContact are good A/S tires and have been well recommended here along with through Tirerack.com.If your treads are ok and you don't have the Dunlops, maybe the road was just a bit more icy (packed snow?)than you thought. Try going uphill in a higher gear. The higher the RPM, the better chance you have of tire slippage. If you can get used to it, even starting in 2nd gear on snow, ice tends to prevent wheel slippage.Dave

[simon]

Don't use "all-seasons" in the winter. There really is no such thing! Buy a set of winter tires, even a cheap set from WalMart or CostCo is better than a "good" all-season tire. While you're at it buy a cheap set of steel rims to put the winter tires on and it will save your nice alloys from all that salt and ice.

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by simon »Don't use "all-seasons" in the winter. There really is no such thing!I learned that the hard way! The winters this far south aren't anything intense by any stretch of the imagination, but I still ended up getting stuck. Previously on every other car I've owned, I've had good luck with regular ol' all-seasons. Not so with the tires I bought for the Vibe last spring. I thought about either finding a set of tires that were all-seasons but may work better in the snow since it really doesn't get that bad down here; or just getting a set of winter tires. I chose the latter - Blizzaks mounted on steel wheels, as I didn't want to risk spending all that money and still being screwed on the next snowfall, with tires that don't do much better than the ones I had. That's a good route to take, IMHO - switch over to another set of wheels and tires in the winter, go back to your others when spring rolls around.

[michaelgt]

Welcome to driving the Vibe in a Michigan Winter! I am not sure what vehicle you are used to, but the Vibe is the worse vehicle I have driven in winter. I purchased mine in March 03, and drove it in one snow. Last winter, with 26,000+ miles, it was awful. When I needed new tires in May (36,000) miles, I got an all season tire. Now, 25,000 miles later, they are not very good. I think the Vibe is much lighter then what I am used to, and is difficult in the snow. My solution is to drive my 3/4 ton Yukon XL. With 4wd, and more than 3 tons, it does a great job. However, it costs about $12 more a day in gas. You probably need dedicated snow tires. I did not want to go that route, as they are rated for around 10,000 miles for wear, and I do that much each winter.

[isis]

Let me know if winter tires help. I also live in GR and have had a hard time getting up my driveway. Thank you,Isis

[simon]

Last winter I was driving in the city through deep snow on roads that hadn't yet been plowed and no other vehicles had tried to go down them yet and was pleased to pass a Subaru sitting with all four wheels spinning. I have a base , so automatic and FWD. The biggest difference I had good winter tires, he probably had all seasons.

[gpk99]

Wish I could dump these OEM conti's for a set of BF Goodrich all traction t/a's.......winter or summer...you cant find a better tire.....those will be going on my car after i run these conti's into the ground.