Winter Tires and more

[bryan59]

Got a 2009 Vibe GT ..... Hot Red .... looks great with the low 18" low profiles!but it doesn't ride so softly as reg. tires. ... currently stock tires are:Goodyear P215/45 R18 89W on the car.1. What would be a good replacement size wise for a standard profile tire?2. Winters coming and will need to get at leat 2 snow tires for the front. Thinking of the Michlien x-ice2 .... Assuming steel wheels what size should I get? This answer may depend on #1 as if say 17" rims are suggested??thx

[bryan59]

Did some research here and found some suggestions. Like 205/55-16" is pretty much what a standard vehicle uses. The tire calculator suggests that 225/55-16" would be within .5%. One person thought that 17" are a good compromise between softer ride and performance. .... So a 215/50-17" is within .6% ...So what kind of difference in ride and handling can I expect between those 2 sizes and the stock tires?thx

[keithvibe]

a few thingsFirst and formost do NOT get JUST TWO TIRES. Most snow tires these days are ment to be used on all four corners. If you were to get just two tires and just put them on the front you will end up spinning out because the back end of the car will come around on you faster than a horny teen at prom.Second, if your looking for comfort go with the 16" tires and rims they will be cheaper than the 17" tires and rims.You will be able to find 16" steelies but most likely you will need to buy alloys for 17"s

[kowell]

2 winter tires at the front will really be dangerous. Like Keithvibe said, your rear tires will go wild in every curb. You really need to use 4 similar tires. 18 inch tires would be too wide and way to expensive. Optimal winter tires should be much more narrow than your summer tire so the car will "sink" more in the snow. 18 inch tires would be like having snow shoes. Your car won't penetrate the snow and you'll have a lot less grip.If you have a good ammount of snow than your best bet would be 4 winter tires on a set of 16'' steelies. A set of 4 205/55R16 snow tires will be much cheaper than low-profile 18'' and the money you save on the tires themselves will pay for the 16'' steelies.I agree that putting 16'' steelies with generic hubcaps on the vibe tones down the look, specially when hot red but I think it's a good compromise and that ultimatly, the car looks better on the road with 16'' than wrecked on the side of the road with low profile tires.

[bryan59]

Hey thx for the feedback guys ...That tire calculator says those 205/55-16" are like 2.9% off....So what about 205/60-16" they are within .3%?If I get 4 snows/rims then I don't really need to worry about matching up with the summers.I find the current 18" aren't to bad around here but would definitely like something a little softer, so aside from the price of the 17", would 17" make that much difference on the comfort side ... say the 225/50-17" which are .9% vs. 215/50-17" which are .6%?Around here, Vancouver BC, snow tires are on from Nov-Mar ... half the year! So I might not mind getting some nicer looking 16" rims .... any suggestions that aren't way over the m$$n?thx

[j42.snyder]

My Vibe 1SB with 2.4 came with P205/55R16's on it - so that's what I bought for winter as well. You may find that you can get P205/60R16's for slightly less money. Here in Ontario I paid close to $1000 for 4 steel rims and Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60's to fit mine.I would personally stick to 16" wheels to keep the tires as tall as possible. It will help your ride - but more importantly it allows the tire to deflect much more before damaging the rim - if you hit a large pothole or chunk of ice, etc.As for what may look nicer - that's really a personal decision. Around here they use too much salt to bother with alloy wheels - they look like crap after a couple of winters, and are more prone to leaks. Plus I'm cheap when it comes to cosmetic stuff like that...John

[Kincaid]

I like a nice set of gloss black (and washed clean) steelies. Gets some chrome lug nuts and leave off the hub caps.I wish I had a pic of my Civic (daughter now has it down at college). I have Primax wheels (16's) on it that look just like American Racing Estrellas. Leaving off the large center caps and using chrome lug nuts looks very good IMO. Those wheels were cheap new and are very prevalent on craigslist.http://www.andykcheng.com/imag...1.jpg

[Kincaid]

Found my wheels! I traded this guy straight across - but I was confused. I had 16's (blue mesh wheels - don't laugh) and he had Primax 15's. Anyway, if you scroll down a bit you'll see them both on his blog.http://www.angelfire.com/or3/ep98se/1sentra.html

[keithvibe]

I plan on getting 205/60/16 when i have the extra cash. no issues if you go with th 60 series tire

[bryan59]

The 205/60/16 sound fine to me for the Snow tires.But if I spend a few $$ more on rims then I'd like to use them for the summer tires. So is 205/60-16s gonna be ok for summers too? I don't wanna be bouncing down the road after all ... thx

[bryan59]

Indications on line are that painted alloy wheels are ok for winter? ..... do you agree

[bryan59]

Any Canadians ordered tires/wheels from the TireRack.com? ... Pros/Cons?

[j42.snyder]

I really don't think you'll be "bouncing down the road" on a 60 series tire. You'll probably notice a bit of a difference in cornering. Sticking with higher speed rated tires will give you stiffer sidewalls - which will compensate somewhat. For winter, most tires are a soft compound, so cornering is going to feel a little "squishy" in comparison regardless of what size you go with. Again though, a 60 series tire isn't exactly "tall". Some of my older cars came with 75's and 80's on them. Corner hard enough with those, and you'll be driving on the sidewall!Personally, I'd just buy a set of rims/tires dedicated for winter use, and save your 18's for summer. I've never been a fan of changing tires over on rims seasonally - too much risk for damage to both - especially alloy rims and soft snow tires.Although painted alloy wheels will stand up better than some other finishes for winter, they can still cause problems around the bead after a few years if you've got much salt/sand to deal with on the roads. Although I know a few people that haven't had problems, most people I know that try running alloys year-round here run into issues by the time they're about 4-5 years old. My mom's 2003 Suzuki Aerio came with clear coated alloys, that started looking crappy within the first year. You could see how moisture was getting in under the clear coat around all of the sharp edges in the design. I managed to get the dealer to refinish them for her - but again, within the next 2-3 years they started showing signs of corrosion again. Fortunately it's still only a cosmetic issue - no leaks. I should point out here, that she rarely even takes it out in the winter - and to this day it only has 21,000km on it! I'm almost at 20,000 on my '09 that I bought this year in March...I'm just going to run my 16" black steelies as they are this winter. I'm using a set of chrome acorn style lug nuts - as I don't want corrosion issues on my factory ones or I may have trouble with installation of my hub caps in a couple of years. (and it will look better - until it's covered in salt). I'm just enjoying how nice everything still looks on the car right now - as it hasn't seen winter yet. By spring it just won't be the same...Haven't ordered from Tirerack at all. If you could get it shipped to a U.S. address and go to pick them up, it may be worthwhile - but shipping to Canada was expensive when I looked into it last spring. When I added all of their costs together with shipping and taxes (with current exchange rate at the time) - it came out to about $30 more than I paid at a local tire dealer. I like the fact that if there are any issues, it's easy for me to get the problem resolved locally - and it was cheaper! With the current exchange rate, that's probably no longer true though. I still prefer to try to keep my money "local" whenever possible though.Sorry for the long winded reply. Apparently I get very "wordy" when I'm tired. It's after 1AM here now...John

[bryan59]

Thx j42 ... you make some good points.Check these winter alloy rims out:http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST...s.jspAt only aprox $30 more than steel I'd be willing to give them a go.I'd have to check if they would actually work on my Vibe though...One thing I can't seem to get is a definitive answer on is what is my Vibe's bolt patter. Seems its either 5x100 or 5x114.3 .. my dealer should know that i guess.

[bull77]

Quote, originally posted by bryan59 »One thing I can't seem to get is a definitive answer on is what is my Vibe's bolt patter. Seems its either 5x100 or 5x114.3 .. my dealer should know that i guess.since it's a GT you have the 114 bolt pattern. CT is having tire/rims sales this week

[dragon64]

Quote, originally posted by bryan59 »Any Canadians ordered tires/wheels from the TireRack.com? ... Pros/Cons?I know a lot of canucks that order from Tire Rack. Most only have the orders shipped to the border then pick it up. Shipping door to door to Canada can be very costly with duties and taxes if the wheels and/ or tires are made outside a NAFTA country. International shipments paper work fee by UPS will be very expensive if you don't have your own customs broker and depending on the actual weight of the shipment most carriers will charge a volume weight (the average weight of a shipment that could be transported in the same space occupied by your shipment even though it is lighter)

[vibolista]

The 60 sidewall will give you a little more clearance for snow under the car since its a taller tire than the 55. I went with a 215/60 16 for my snows, since most snow tires tend to end up a bit narrower than summers even when marked with the same numbers. I compared the tread width of the 215/60 snows with my original 205/55s... and they were only a couple of millimeters wider than the scary RS-a's. The snow's performed great. Even at our local ski area parking lot that turns more into a car trap as it ices up. As long as you don't get crazy wide, like 225 or more, they should work really well. If you find them too mushy... you can up the air pressure a tad to make them more responsive. Just remember to bring the pressure down again if you expect really tough Winter conditions.And go with 4 snows. Snows offer way more grip in the slick than any other type of tire. If you only use two snows in front, it will leave you with 'sudden loss of rear end control syndrome'. Very embarassing! And dangerous, too.

[RIT]

I can fix you up with some snows, and we get to Phillie on occasion. See the threads for "Winter is coming" for details...I have an interested buyer form Canada, but you can have 2nd refusal if he doesn't buy.

[bryan59]

Well ...... I bought some Michelin x-ic2/Xi2 today from Costco.Must say it was hard tracking down a set of 205/60r16s!! They were $169.99 each. The total including taxes came to $722.56 after using the Michelin $60 off coupon.So ... now I need to find wheels. Canadian tire has them for $60 steelies, a tire shop quoted be $75 per and my OEM dealer quoted me $430 for 4!!So am definitely looking for alloys around $100 each. Any recommendations? Am thinking painted and black alloys. So .... any recommendations of rims for winter around that price point?

[vibolista]

KA-CHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bryan59]

Ka-Ching is right! I phoned up a dealer today who said a Seco 6 spoke is all he had to fit.$124 + HubRings $19.95 + Mount kit $ 17.75 = Holy ****e!Phoned up another dealer that after getting over the 5x100/5x114 issue then said a 16" wouldn't fit cuz of the calipers .... grrr . On top of that they don't have em in stock and once they get ordered they're mine .. fit or not.. More grrrrSo far I am looking at: MSW Type 16 and Kazera KZ-K (black finish with red stripe).Need to know some 16" brands that do fit and if Rings/Mounting kit were needed ..... thx

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by bryan59 »Well ...... I bought some Michelin x-ic2/Xi2 today from Costco.Must say it was hard tracking down a set of 205/60r16s!! They were $169.99 each. The total including taxes came to $722.56 after using the Michelin $60 off coupon.So ... now I need to find wheels. Canadian tire has them for $60 steelies, a tire shop quoted be $75 per and my OEM dealer quoted me $430 for 4!!So am definitely looking for alloys around $100 each. Any recommendations? Am thinking painted and black alloys. So .... any recommendations of rims for winter around that price point?Hi and welcome... Get the steel wheels, unless you like to just spend money... They get thrashed in the salt and snow anyway... 60$ is on par with TR for steel wheel prices..

[keithvibe]

Quote, originally posted by bryan59 »Well ...... I bought some Michelin x-ic2/Xi2 today from Costco.Must say it was hard tracking down a set of 205/60r16s!! They were $169.99 each. The total including taxes came to $722.56 after using the Michelin $60 off coupon.So ... now I need to find wheels. Canadian tire has them for $60 steelies, a tire shop quoted be $75 per and my OEM dealer quoted me $430 for 4!!So am definitely looking for alloys around $100 each. Any recommendations? Am thinking painted and black alloys. So .... any recommendations of rims for winter around that price point?Quote, originally posted by vibolista »KA-CHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^^^thati got 205/60/16 firestone winterforce snows mounted and ballance for 89 each tax included.

[vibolista]

Way more reasonable!

[schroeder]

I got 205/55/16 Firestone Winterforce snows last winter, mounted on the trix alloy wheels.I felt more secure and enjoyed better tractionand stopping.The ride was good and I thought noise levelwas not bad at all.

[bryan59]

Well.... for the record .... I've ordered some wheels from the tire rack.16x6.5 Rial Milano Silver @ $96 each ... I found a place up here that had similar wheels as those on the Rack but they wanted $150 each plus Tx.They're cheaper even with duty and shipping in the US!!Anyways .... some more: KA-CHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!!!!! .... some $604 + US conversion.They should be here around the end of the week ... then there will be another $100 or so to get em mounted! GOOD GOD!

[whitevibeblackvibe]

Hey Bryan59, I'm in Manitoba and had to order a new tire for my '09 Vibe GT, we ordered it from tirerack.com and it was delivered by UPS right to our door in about a week. We didn't have to pay any extra delivery charges or taxes or anything. It was also $275 cheaper then Pontiac and $159 cheaper than another tire store, so any delivery charges would have been worth it imo. We recommend it everyone, great service.

[bryan59]

Got my new wheels on Monday ... Took 6 business days.So far I am very impressed with Tire Rack. They come off very professional.I've attached a pic Anyways they should get installed this coming weekend

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[bryan59]

Well..... got them installed as planned. This was the cheapest part of this little trip ... $67 ...I'd say in terms of ride comfort though that there is some 50% improvement! ... Haven't had any ice/snow conditions to test em out on yet though .... just plenty of rain and cool temps ....... typical around here!

[vibolista]

Very nice looking wheels, especially for winter duty. Don't forget that we all need to see a picture or two of those Rials and snows on your car. Soon, OK? Waiting for picture... just waiting. Did you get that picture up on a post yet? Still waiting...

[bryan59]

Here ya go .... click on the attachment

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[vibolista]

Way better looking than steelies, and they won't rust. Very nice!

[Jims08Vibe]

I have for the winter 4 Blizzacks in the corners and have never looked back here in Lowell, mass with the street hills in my neigborhood and the savy not to drive like an idiot they work awesum

[bikeman1]

that's a pretty good deal on the Firestones. General (altimax arctic) also makes a studdable winter performance tire in the same price range (I think its $3 more on tirerack.com) that has strong owner reviews. not to second guess you bryan but for others shopping for winter tires -- these both are about $30-$40 a tire (US) more than what you shelled out for the michelins (maybe thats from the "green" stuff they say they are putting in the tire )http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...1=yesh ... /...forceI am curious why (as Keith points out) the 205/60R16 are less money (like 10 bucks a tire) than the 205/55R16's in both tires (the Michelins too). Both sizes have similar speed ratings............I am guessing sidewall construction may have something to do with increasing cost of lower profile Both tires really have an assortment of profiles at both 205 and 215 widths. I guess that means they are trying to cover the market of OEM sizes (as well as competing head to head). no worries finding the profile/width anyone would wantAnyway they both seem like really good winter tire choices, and locally available as well as online. I am rolling on the Generals now so lets see how they ride and perform.

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