Finally buying wheels, need some help...

[Blanco_Diablo]

Trying to decide between 17” and 18” and yes I know it’s an age-old question, did a bunch of searches. The thing is, I have never bought aftermarket rims before or rode with someone who had them so coming into the ride quality question with no prior experience to base my decision on. This is our only vehicle so it needs to still be comfortable on daily commutes and road trips as there will be an East Coast journey in or future.(edit) Looks like I'll be rollin' with these:Tenzo Passion 5

[Sublimewind]

KILLER choices...!!! Lighter IS better, in all aspects... without considering handling, it's less load on the car, both starting out and stopping... I would choose Enkie over Tenzo, but there is no denying those first 2 wheels... WOW... hot... As far as comfort, AJ and Paul are both on 18's IIRC (I know for sure AJ is) and they live in Detroit, so they deal with crappy roads all the time... I doubt it would be much problem... Have you looked at TireRack and Discount Tire Direct? DTD offers free shipping...

[Kamikaze]

My factory wheels are the 17's, and I also have 18's...Personally, if ride quality is a big concern for you, I would go with the 17's. I love the look of the 18's with the lower profile, but you do sacrifice some of the ride quality. With the 17's you'll have a little more cushion for the bumps, and overall the wheels will still look really nice.Also, your tires will probably be a little cheaper on the 17's (if you go with 225-45-17's like most people do) for some reason I swear I can't find 215 50 17's fairly cheap.oh, and personally I like the Tenzo GT-6's the best, they will be the easiest to keep clean without all the little rivets that are soooo much fun to clean.

[bull77]

17" Tenzo Passion 5

[BlueCrush]

[KNINE]

I like the first one.

[damronjr]

1 3 or 4

[Blanco_Diablo]

Alright, ordering the Tenzo Passion 5 wheels tomorrow. Now for tires...they suggested the Goodyear F1 All Season tires. Anyone had these? How are they? Is there anything else that is an all season tire, good in rain, similar as far as longevity, but a bit cheaper? I will gladly pay for the quality if the Goodyear's are worth it, just wanted to make sure I wasn't getting played. Americas Tire wants $160/wheel for the Goodyears, does that sound right, seems a bit high to me. I asked about the Nitto Neo Gens and they said it was great fro the trach but wears way too quickly for a daily driver.Thanks to everyone for the insight so far!

[keithvibe]

i priced out the goodyears, myself... I found that i could get a summer tire package and a winter tire package cheaper and have better handling than with a "all season" if you look closely at the reviews most of the goodyear f1 reviews were for light snow.. as in dustings... i wouldn't trust them in anything more than 1inch of snow.did you decide on 17" or 18" there are more "all season" tire choices for the 17's than 18'scheck out http://www.wheelmax.com/check out http://www.tires-easy.comalso a bit cheaper http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/r...Achse=

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by keithvibe »i priced out the goodyears, myself... I found that i could get a summer tire package and a winter tire package cheaper and have better handling than with a "all season" if you look closely at the reviews most of the goodyear f1 reviews were for light snow.. as in dustings... i wouldn't trust them in anything more than 1inch of snow.did you decide on 17" or 18" there are more "all season" tire choices for the 17's than 18'scheck out http://www.wheelmax.com/check out http://www.tires-easy.comalso a bit cheaper http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/r...Achse=I would suggest this as well.... Tires are cheap compared to the good performance of your car.. I want to know that when I'm driving, I didn't compromise the performance of the car, i'm not talking about carving canyons or drag racing, i'm talking about everyday performance... much of your braking come from ho the tire reacts to the road surface... High milage is great, but the only way to achieve that is a hard rubber compound... This drastically effects braking... Same holds true for slid prevention, you will always slide sooner on a high milage tire.. A mild performance tire will also be cheaper... My Falken FK452's on my Subaru were under 100 each.. and got free shipping through Discount Tire.. Looks like the FK452 in 225/45-17 is 99/tire right now... http://www.discounttiredirect....18546

[Blanco_Diablo]

Thanks everyone, much appreciated...will post pics as soon as they are on!

[BlueCrush]

Quote, originally posted by Blanco_Diablo »(edit) Looks like I'll be rollin' with these:Tenzo Passion 5SWEET! Can't wait to see them on your Vibe! I really do like your steelies look though.

[ramenboy...]

i'm diggin the tenzo passions. hope you.....hey! you got 'em!!!! nice choice

[Blanco_Diablo]

Thanks, one more question, kinda strange one...my wheels are being discontinued, would it be dumb to buy a fifth wheel as a back-up?

[AKLGT]

it may not be a bad idea.. you never know when you need them. Plus, i find it helpful to have a full size spare.

[Sublimewind]

So, what have you decided to do about tires??

[Blanco_Diablo]

Well after a few calls to the guy at America's tire, and adding in a 5th wheel...I was able to get him down to pretty much the same price as a set of 4 Falkens for a set of 4 Goodyear F1s once I factor in the discount he gave me and the $50 rebate that goodyear is offering right now. So F1s it is for now

[Kamikaze]

I might have missed it... did you decide on 17's or 18's?

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by Blanco_Diablo »Well after a few calls to the guy at America's tire, and adding in a 5th wheel...I was able to get him down to pretty much the same price as a set of 4 Falkens for a set of 4 Goodyear F1s once I factor in the discount he gave me and the $50 rebate that goodyear is offering right now. So F1s it is for now that's cool, I wasn't saying you SHOULd go with the Falkens, I was just suggesting and showing price for a GOOD summer performance tire.. Post pics..

[Toasted7]

+1 on the full size spare. I think those will look sweet on your Vibe. I saw a Vibe with the same Tenzo's but in gunmetal and they looked really nice. I almost bought those myself.

[Blanco_Diablo]

Some cell phone shots to fend off the angry mob 4 now. Hope to wash the ride this weekend and take some better pics! Glad I got these wheels, I love 'em!Yes it really is that dirty

[BlueCrush]

Wheels = GoodDirty Vibe = BadWheels + Clean Vibe = Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding....We have a winnnar!