17 inch wheels

dmitri · Post by **dmitri** » Sat Aug 16, 2003 7:34 am

Im gonna get 17's when i get my new wheels. Should I upgrade the brakes since with the bigger wheel the disk will spin less? When you order the vibe from the factory with 17's does it come with bigger brakes?

millster · Post by **millster** » Sat Aug 16, 2003 7:54 am

No, my brakes are the same as everyone else's. Judging from that, I'd say you're safe. Also, I believe the 17's from the factory wind up the same diameter as the 16's since they're a lower profile tire.

NovaResource · Post by **NovaResource** » Sat Aug 16, 2003 8:42 am

quote:...since with the bigger wheel the disk will spin less?The larger wheel does not spin the rotor less. When you get new tires for the new wheels, the overall diameter of the new tire will be the same as the old tire.

dmitri · Post by **dmitri** » Sat Aug 16, 2003 2:42 pm

u sure????

millster · Post by **millster** » Sat Aug 16, 2003 2:57 pm

It's true, but think of it this way too. If the rotor were spinning slower, would that not make it easier to stop? If you're not increasing the overall diameter of the wheel/tire combo, you're not affecting the rotational speed of any components. However, even if you did change the overall diameter, the only real effect would be a loss of speedometer accuracy.

NovaResource · Post by **NovaResource** » Sun Aug 17, 2003 5:34 am

quote:u sure????Yes. Remember, the car rides on the tire, not the wheel. Vibes with 17" wheels have 215/50-17 tires while Vibes with 16" wheels have 205/55-16 tires. Both have almost exact same diameter and circumference.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Sun Aug 17, 2003 5:49 am

He's right. If you measure the outside diameter of the tire with both the 16's and the 17's, it should be nearly, if not, identical.

good vibes · Post by **good vibes** » Sun Aug 17, 2003 6:32 am

correct all around. the only way you will get a different rotational speed is if you change the outside diameter.

shibaman · Post by **shibaman** » Sun Aug 17, 2003 7:25 pm

I switched from oem 16" Contis to oem 17" Bridgestones. The 17" 215-50-17 are .9" taller than the 16" tires. Tire size can vary from brand to brand. A good way to check tire sizes is at the Tire Rack web site.

NovaResource · Post by **NovaResource** » Sun Aug 17, 2003 9:08 pm

quote:I switched from oem 16" Contis to oem 17" Bridgestones. The 17" 215-50-17 are .9" taller than the 16" tires.215/50-17 = 25.46" tall205/55-16 = 24.88" tallThat's a difference of only 0.6", not 0.9".

aggie_vibe · Post by **aggie_vibe** » Sun Aug 17, 2003 11:49 pm

The stock difference in tire diameter is odd considering there are other tires that would work (225-45-17).

shibaman · Post by **shibaman** » Tue Aug 19, 2003 7:42 pm

I guess that I can't do the new math! If you check tire specs at the Tire Rack you will see that tire sizes vary a bit from brands and tires. Depending on the tire the 16" and the 17" can vary between .5 to .9" The Bridgestone RE92 is on the taller range. The 215-45-17 would work and be closer to stock hight(16") or slightly shorter.

17 inch wheels

17 inch wheels

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