New to Pontiac - want to change the look

[Infinity-x]

Hi guys, I just picked up an 09 Pontiac Vibe :DThis is my first Pontiac and I am not satisfied with the hubcaps that came with it. It is the silver base model with the 1.8(?) 4 cylinder engine. I have been searching the internet and apparently my car has 16 inch rims/hubcaps. I am sorry if this has been asked here before, but can anyone take a look at what I found and tell me if it will fit my car without modification? Thanks! http://www.hubcaphaven.com/mm5...=2167 And yes I know I could spend a little extra money and get allow rims, but I really don't care that much about my rims/hubcaps, I just want a different style than whats on it now.Thanks!

[vibolista]

They might, but you need to call "hubcaphaven" to check that out with them. They should know about fitmemt on a Vibe. At 60 bucks a corner for those hubcaps, it's really not that much more for a set of alloys. You can check on Tirerack.com or Discounttiresdirect.com. There are others, too. Tell us what you decide on.

[keithvibe]

welcome, glad to see you took my advice and signed up.Glad to have ya here.

[lovemyraffe]

Welcome to GenVibe!I'm not sure about the '09, but on the '03-'08 the hubcaps would screw on to the lug nuts.

[Infinity-x]

Thanks for the quick replies. Yes the car has plastic lug nuts that screw on top of the rim's lugnuts. I will e-mail or call the website and see what they say. I also checked out the alloy rim websites listed above, def. interested.On the side note, is it possible for my horn to sound when I lock my doors? It currently only flashes the ambers only once.

[Kincaid]

$60! youch. wait patiently and you'll be able to pick up a pretty good set of used alloys off of craigslist for barely more than that I bet.When I had hubcaps I always was able to find at least something that was pretty good looking for $20. K-Mart, Wal-Mart, etc.

[petervivian]

Yes, search craigslist and ebay local (sort nearest first), you will be able to get a set of scion tc wheels for a little more than one hundred, depends on the wheels condition.

[Infinity-x]

Well I used about half a tank and drove to about 5 stores that sell rims and hubcaps. Needless to say, I did not find anything worth spending the $$ on. I actually tried a set of hubcaps on but they did not fit the rim underneath. So I got creative with some paint and this is the outcome: Before:After:I haven't tried them out on the car yet, I may just decide to go ahead and fully black it out and get rid of the silver. I don't know yet, but I think they atleast look better than stock in my opinion. Let me know what you guys think!

[ponta2147]

THAT is a nice look, really classy! Would look better if it was an actual alloy wheel but I really like the duotone look.

[silverbullet]

of course alloys would be nice but your route was much cheaper, i get it. its an improvement over the way they started out still.love the silver contrast on the black, way better than blacking them out. get those put on the vibrtr and youll have my vote for awesomest hubcaps. lol. very nice

[Kincaid]

Looks great! Someone else here blacked out the space between the "spokes" for a split-spoke look.

[Infinity-x]

Well, not sure how they turned out. Mind you, the picture does not do justice.. they appear very dark compared to how they actually are. Overall, for the price of this mod, I think I will keep it. Nice improvement over stock in my opinion

[lovemyraffe]

I think they look great!

[09vGT]

Quote, originally posted by lovemyraffe »I think they look great!

[Infinity-x]

Thank you guys for the comments! Whats cool is when I am driving the outer rim appears silver like my car's paint, but the center is blacked out except the round pontiac logo. On a side note : I am so thankful for the rear wipers on this car LOL, they are helping a ton with this pollen.

[star_deceiver]

Looks good!

[Infinity-x]

Well since I was so dissapointed that I couldn't retrofit my headlights because they can't be baked in the oven and seperated.. I went ahead and changed the design of my hubcaps again :DHere is the new style.. what do you guys think? Do you like the first pair I did or these better? And yes.. I still can't afford real rims LOL

[09vGT]

I like these better than the first!

[tpollauf]

Quote, originally posted by Infinity-x »Well since I was so dissapointed that I couldn't retrofit my headlights because they can't be baked in the oven and seperated..Say What ?????? I thought our 09-10 headlight assemblies COULD be separated just like several owners have done to their 03-08 Vibes! Tell me what went wrong, what DIDN'T happen, and why it won't work! Somehow, over this winter, I WILL succeed at separating these lenses so that I can go forward with one of my many mods that I have planned Quote, originally posted by 09vGT »I like these better than the first!x2 Also, for a mere $20.00 you could get a set of Taiwanese cheap wheel covers to fit your 16" steelies. On my Vibe GT these look OK for the 4-5 months that the winter tires are on the car

[vibenvy]

Hmmm... I like both looks of wheel covers, but I think I prefer the first look. In case you haven't realized by now, your Vibe is a 2.4L, not a 1.8L .It is possible to get the headlights apart, it's just a major PITA!

[Infinity-x]

Quote, originally posted by tpollauf »Say What ?????? I thought our 09-10 headlight assemblies COULD be separated just like several owners have done to their 03-08 Vibes! Tell me what went wrong, what DIDN'T happen, and why it won't work! Somehow, over this winter, I WILL succeed at separating these lenses so that I can go forward with one of my many mods that I have planned x2 Also, for a mere $20.00 you could get a set of Taiwanese cheap wheel covers to fit your 16" steelies. On my Vibe GT these look OK for the 4-5 months that the winter tires are on the car As Envy said, it IS possible.. but it takes a TON of work. I've read on other forums that our headlights are made by Valeo.. which means they are "perma-sealed".. meaning the sealant is very heat-resistant and does not get gooey like most sealants do with high heat. I put mine in the oven @ 250 for 15 minutes, took them out.. the sealant wasn't even sticky, it was still as hard as it was before I put it in the oven. Most people end up taking a dremel and CUTTING the lenses off.. and resealing them. I said NO WAY to that idea, I'm not cutting the lenses off my headlights. Also: if you guys are interested in projector fog lights.. just search the 07+ year camry fog lights on ebay.. and you will get plenty that are projectors with halo rings. They fit right in just like stock I'm sure. Also Envy.. what are the visual appearance differences of the 1.8 and 2.4?? How do you know which mine is?

[KITT222]

Quote, originally posted by Infinity-x »Also Envy.. what are the visual appearance differences of the 1.8 and 2.4?? How do you know which mine is? I can answer that! Its the hubcaps. Those style hubcaps came with the 2.4l motor while the hubcaps from the 03-08 Vibes carried over to the 1.8l 09-10 Vibes. No difference in appearance other than that.

[06pvibe]

I like the second set better too. The only difference I would have done is left the outer trim in the silver color. Or to put it another way, just painted the middle of the spokes.I would worry more about getting those crappy Bad*Year RS-A's off before worrying about alloys. Alloys won't help the appearance if the car is in a ditch.

[Infinity-x]

Quote, originally posted by 06pvibe »I would worry more about getting those crappy Bad*Year RS-A's off before worrying about alloys. Alloys won't help the appearance if the car is in a ditch. Are you talking about the picture with the blue Vibe? Thats not my car.. its just a picture I found off of google Another "mod" I did to my car.. had some of these bulbs laying around so I thought id try them out. They are switchbacks so blue when driving and then they turn orange when I use my turn signals.

[06pvibe]

Yes. I was looking at that picture. If the RS-A's are already off then good for you.I don't know how picky the Cops are in SC, but in general they don't like blue lights on anything but a emergency vehicles. You might/could get pulled over for them.Around here, cops were pulling people over left and right when the blue (or green) LED washer jets were the thing to have.Just sayin'.

[Infinity-x]

Quote, originally posted by 06pvibe »Yes. I was looking at that picture. If the RS-A's are already off then good for you.I don't know how picky the Cops are in SC, but in general they don't like blue lights on anything but a emergency vehicles. You might/could get pulled over for them.Around here, cops were pulling people over left and right when the blue (or green) LED washer jets were the thing to have.Just sayin'. Yeah I hear ya! Cops are prettty darn picky. The picture makes them appear bluer than they actually are.. in reality they are white. Really they dont even look like turn signals.. it looks like I have white HID headlights with halogen fog lights underneath (like the Infiniti G35 has)Oh what am I saying.. its midnight I probably don't make sense On my Ford Expedition I ran these with BLUE headlights.. 8000k HID.. and cops didn't really notice. Around here aslong as you're not speeding, you can get away with pretty much anything

[vibenvy]

Quote, originally posted by Infinity-x »Also Envy.. what are the visual appearance differences of the 1.8 and 2.4?? How do you know which mine is?Quote, originally posted by KITT222 »I can answer that! Its the hubcaps. Those style hubcaps came with the 2.4l motor while the hubcaps from the 03-08 Vibes carried over to the 1.8l 09-10 Vibes. No difference in appearance other than that.What he said !The wheel covers are an easy way of telling which engine an 09-10 Vibe has. If it has alloy wheels, it's automatically a 2.4L i.e. AWD, 2.4L Base or GT as no 1.8Ls had alloy wheels, only steel wheels with wheel covers.

[09vGT]

I had my factory Good Years on for around 50,000+ miles. I really didn't think they were that bad. I know have Good Year Eagle GT's and they are great. Well, have been so far.

[06pvibe]

You're one of the few I have heard that actually likes, or at least tolerated them.Personally, I found them pretty grippy in the dry, but anything else they were dangerous on both my wife's Vibe and my Mazda. Near the end, and they weren't bald, they were hydroplaning when there was little/no reason to.I also found it a little funny that the other day we had rain for the first time in months. I was on my way to work driving just a little slower than normal with no hint of a problem on my Conti's. I, and several other cars, came upon a local Sheriff's Crown Vicky. I know the std police car tire is the RS-A, no matter what the make of the car. He was going at least 10mph slower than the rest of us and being passed by most of the other cars. The only ones that weren't were those that were probably scared that they would be pulled over if they did.He may not have been going that slow because of the tires on his Interceptor, but after my experiences with them, it wouldn't have surprised me at all.