Upgrading tires and wheels

[slvrvibes]

I'm about to upgrade my factory tires and steel wheels on my '05 base model.I was curious is anyone who has upgraded going from like a 16" to a 17" or 18" has noticed any major changes in the ride comfort?

[damronjr]

I went to 19's w/ springs, HUGE difference!

[slvrvibes]

better or worse difference?

[damronjr]

Way worse! Very harsh ride. 18's with stock springs you should be fine. Even 18's with springs others have and say it's ok.

[slvrvibes]

I'm upgrading to 17s.Although, I like the look of 18s, I have to stay within a price range I can afford.The Goodyear Eagle RSA are gone. They aren't very good tires to have on a vehicle if you are wanting good traction on wet pavement.Their ratings are not that great compared to other brands.

[1oldbanjo]

I just changed from the stock 16 steel wheels with the Goodyear RSA 205/55-16 to 7x17 wheels with Kumho Ecsta ASX tires 225/45-17. I have the base Vibe and this size was necessary to keep the gearing and speedometer accurate. I think the 215/50-17 tires would have offered a better ride and would have looked a little better on the 7 inch wide rim - but the tire diameter is bigger than stock and would have thrown the gearing and speedometer off so that I would have been going about 62 mph when the speedometer read 60 mph. The 225/45-17 is just a little too wide for the 7 inch rim and the sidewalls are a little more square than they are with a narrower tire. I have attached a file that shows what the sidewall looks like with this combination....it is not bad....but would be better with a narrower tire.The ride and handling have changed dramatically. The original Goodyears had a nice ride and the car was pretty smooth. When I turned quickly form left to right and zig zagged (like they do in Nascar to keep their tires warm and clean) you could feel the tires rolling around from left to right on the rims as the sidewalls flexed. The ride would not have offended anyone...unless they like the big luxury car floating-boat kind of ride.With the new lower profile tires and stiff sidewalls the ride is now pretty stiff. When turning quickly from right to left and zig zagging the car is now much quicker to respond and you can no longer feel the sidewalls flexing - you feel the car tipping from right to left on the springs. The pavement joints and bumps and potholes are now much more noticeable both in feel and sound. The steering wheel is now much more precise and just a little bit of correction makes a big difference in the direction of the car. You really don't turn the wheel anymore to keep it in the lane on straight sections of road....you just kind of apply pressure to the right or left to keep it going straight without really making much of a turn to the wheel - it is easy to overcorrect if you are used to a car that requires large steering inputs.I really like the change - it has turned the Vibe into a very sporty driving car that handles very nice. For around town trips it is a joy to drive and brings back the memories of when I used to have very aggessive autocross cars with modified suspensions. I have not taken the Vibe on any long drives yet and don't expect the handling to be a problem or get tiring or annoying....as long as the pavement is smooth. Long drives on rough roads would get tiresome I believe. The Kumno Ecsta ASX is a very nice tire and was recommended by Eric at the Dayton, Ohio Discount Tire as a very good choice for me. It is not an all out performance tire - but is a 30,000 mile rated all season tire that does provide good ride qualities. I liked it because it was asymetrical....but not directional and can be rotated to other sides for the best possible tread wear. One thing I have noticed since making the change is how easy the car rolls. If you coast down a hill or just take it out of gear to coast to a red light the car seems to lose very little speed and can coast forever. There is a hill with a light at the bottom on my way to work and when the light is red I will often put my cars in neutral and just coast down the hill. My other cars coast up to about 62 mph down the hill and then don't go any faster. I tried that same thing in the Vibe and when it got to 74 mph I put on the brakes as the speed limit is 55 and I didn't want to go that fast. My car is very new and I am only on my second tank of fuel - I got 34.5 mpg on my first tank and I am thrilled....I think the good mileage is a result of the tires and my using light throttle and low rpm for a little bit of a break in for the engine.I am very pleased with my 17 inch wheel and tire choice and I enjoy the handling and ride improvements (some people may not see the increased stiffness as an improvement). My next step is to install the Eibach Pro-Kit springs....I am hoping the ride stays the same but provides a little less height. If you are in the Cincinnati area and would like to drive my car before you make a decision....contact me and we will set up a test drive.Dave

Attached files

[slvrvibes]

Dave, thanks for that post. It was very informative and I'm glad to hear someone else with Kuhmo tires likes the tires. They came recommended by a friend, so I got online and did the research on them. I also looked at the 215/45/17 but like you said it would throw off the speedometer more than I would have liked. I decided to stay go with the 205/50/17 just to be as accurate as possible with the speedometer reading. I ordered them earlier this week and they only have them in California so they won't be in until early next week. I would have liked to have taken you on your offer about test driving, but I'm in Houston, TX, thanks for the invite though.I like your Voxx rims. I was actually looking at those as one of my choices, but then I saw the American Racing Casino rims and something about them just told me those were the ones I needed to get. I should have the tires and rims installed by mid next week. I'll have to take a picture and post it here.

[1oldbanjo]

I think you may have mis-understood my sizing comments. When looking at replacement tires you need to check the (revolutions per mile) or tire diameter for a specific size....and not just get the same width and aspect ratio tire when you change rim diameter. On the base Vibe the 205/55-16 tire turns 837 revolutions per mile. On the Vibe GT the 215/50-17 tire turns 814 revolutions per mile. If you put the GT sized tire on the base Vibe the speedometer and odometer will change to 97% of the original - so a speed reading of 60 mph on the speedometer will actually result in 62 mph speed on the highway. The 225/45-17 tire that I chose has 837 revolutions per mile and is an exact match for the orignal 205/55-16 tire on the base Vibe - and that is why I chose this size. The 205/50-17 tire that you have chosen turns 828 revolutons per mile - which is 98.9% of the original size - which at 60mph on your speedometer will result in an actuall speed of 60.6 mph.....which is awfully darn close. The tire size you have chosen will have about the same height from rim to road as the ones I bought - but your tires will have a narrower sidewall and tread.If you do install the 205/50-17 size tire on a 7" wide rim - your sidwalls will be slanted in from the rim to the narrower tread and your rims will be pretty easy to curb - even the slighest bump will leave a curb rash. The stock wheels have the 205 size tire on a 6.5 inch wide rim and a 215 sized tire on the 7" wide rim.You can obtain the tire diameters and revolutions per mile for most tires on the TireRack website - however not every manufacturer listed there has this information. This information does not change much between manufacturers and you can try other brands to find out what information you want. The one detail that does change significantly from manufacturer and tire style is tread width - and most of the manufacturers don't list this information. Dave

[iinan]

I went from 17 to 18 and I have a MUCH better ride, I dunno if its because of my upgrade from bf goodrich (stock) to the Michelin. But whatever the reason is i am glad I did it

[slvrvibes]

I misread it, but after more research and talking to a few people, I decide to go with your recommendation Dave. I'm having the Kuhmo Ecsta STP 225.45.17 installed today.I've heard possitive things about the Kuhmos, so I hope they do turn out to be a good choice.