Would bigger wheels improve off road worthiness on a AWD Vibe?

[bongoyvr]

Would bigger wheels improve off road worthiness on a AWD Vibe?Is it worth it to move up to 17 or 18"?thanks2005 awd vibe

[RIT]

Assuming you don't change your tire's aspect ratio, then you will end up will taller tires, and gain some road clearance, but you will throw off your speedometer, and you are still driving a car that was not designed for off-roading. Probably your best bet would be to trade-in for a vehicle that was designed for off-roading.

[Raven]

Buy a Subaru Outback, they're amazing. Same ground clearance as a Ford F150.

[morbay]

Well this begs the question....Why???

[vibolista]

Why? Because it's there! Yes you can... but be Aware... an AWD Vibe is already down a little on power already. Plus you are moving slightly more weight around than a plain front driver. Increasing beyond OEM tire diameter will give you slightly higher gearing ratios... so even less power. There's another problem you create by increasing that tire diameter... your speedometer and odometer will certainly explode. Unless you can figure out the new indicated speed difference to keep Law Enforcement from picking you out for blatant speeding. This will require the Majic of mathematics! I put 225/50 17's on my front drive Vibe and have noticed very little change... other than the slight increase in clearance. I was also able to safely decode the misterious speedometer discrepancy. With my 38 mm offset wheels, I could probably have tried 225/55 17s for added clearance, but I chickenned out! So, there you have it.

[djkeev]

Hi,Don't know about the Vibe but back in the mid 70's I had a 2 door Datsun 110 (rear wheel drive). I put oversize wheels and tires on that sucker and I went almost anywhere my buddies in their CJ's went!! My fuel mileage on the highway jumped up and even though I lost some power as a result, losing a little from little still left you with little power so it didn't bother me at all.Do it!! Just make sure you have the fender clearance for whatever you put on.Dave

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by bongoyvr »Would bigger wheels improve off road worthiness on a AWD Vibe?Is it worth it to move up to 17 or 18"?thanks2005 awd vibeIf you are talking about plus sizing (taller wheel, shorter tire) then NO, it will not help you off-road in any way... In fact it would hurt more than help... If you are talking about doing any sort of rocks, logs anything, you are far more likely to pinch a lower profile tire than you would a high profile tire... I mean really, do you see ANYONE off-roading on low profile tires, anywhere...? For good reason.. you NEED compliance.. short sidewalls are not designed for this..