Max Wheel & Tire Size

[BlueCrush]

What is the max wheel and tire size that I can put on my 2005 Vibe AWD? I will not be lowering the car at all, I like the height.Thanks,Brian

[BlueCrush]

My first search before this post didn't yield any matches. But I did a few more searches while changing the parameters and found what I was looking for. Next time, I will do more searches before asking something that has been asked many times before.Brian

[ragingfish]

Just out of curiosity, what answers did your searches reveal?

[BlueCrush]

I found threads talking about 18", 19" & 20" wheels. It seems as though 18" would be the best for look and structural integrity for the Vibe. It is best to keep the same overall diameter with the tire on as stock. So you could go 215/40/R18 or 215/35/R19 or 215/30/R20 and stay close enough to stock diameter so that your speedometer would be the most accurate. As far as width goes you can use 7, 7.5 or 8. Now these sizes are before lowering your vehicle. If you lower your vehicle, let's say 2", then the 8" width and or the 19"/20" wheels might be too large and you tires may rub in the wheel well. From the info I found the general consensus was that with the thinner the tire the more risk there is for damaging your rims. 18"x7", 18"x7.5" or 18"x8" for rims and 215/40/R18 were the recommended sizes for wheel and tires, but I would think that the wider wheel you get the wider the tire could possibly be. so, you might conceivably go to 225/40/R18 or even 245/40/R18 for the tire size. Does anyone know the widest tire you would want to put on a 7" wide rim?, a 7.5" wide rim? and a 8" wide rim?Brian

[Raven]

Try this comparison chart. It will tell you what sizes match stock diameter and max size tires for rim widthshttp://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp.

[DavidPIL]

I'm not technically savvy on the wheel width part but I would stay with the 215's for a 7" rim. I would assume the 215 or 225 would be ok for a 7.5" rim. 225, 235, 245 on 8"I'm running 235's now. Had them on the OEMs and noticed major tire flex at 45mph and higher with only the slightest steering wheel movement. I have 8" wide rims now and they're a perfect match. I'm considering going up to 245's for my next tire width.Looks wise, I like the 18" wheels. 19's, unless well constructed would probably get damaged to easily since the tire depth would be so small. I have 17's and am happy yet still have had rim damage.The width of the tire, being 215, 225, 235, 245 would need the basic same rim size, as I mentioned above, no matter what the wheel diameter.Hope this helps.Dave

[BlueCrush]

Thanks Sunny. It looks like the largest size a person would want to go is 245/40/R18 for tires and 18"x8" for wheels. According to your link the maximum difference to prevent brake failure is 3%. the stock wheel and tire on the Vibe is 215/55/R16 & 16"x7". With the above size there is a 1.56% difference. So when you are traveling at 60mph on the stock tire you would actually be traveling at 59 mph on the new set-up. Looks like that is the size I will try to get.(for summer driving only of course.)I suppose if you were to go with a larger brake kit that you could safely go with an even larger tire and wheel combo. It's just that your mph would be even more off. Hmmmm.... Monster Truck tires on a Vibe?Nah, I still want to be able to fit it in my garage.

[Raven]

Check your stock tire size. You said 215/55/16 but my '04 stock tires are 205/55/16. Maybe the '05 AWD is different. If you have 205's, you would be better off with 245/35/18 for a 0.49% diff.

[BlueCrush]

Rubbed the dirt and salt off my tire only to reveal it is 205 not 215. Doh! So knowing that I would probably go with the 235/40/R18 tires with 18"x7.5" wheels. That will give me a 2.09% bigger overall diameter. which will give me the look I want. I found the rims I am going to get: Icon 18"x7.5" 5x100.($170+-/each) I haven't decided on a tire brand yet. I want something that will have good dry and wet traction. I will have snows on in winter. Any suggestions?

Attached files

[MadBill]

Several of the on-line tire stores, e.g. Discount Tire: http://www.discounttiredirect....e.jsp or The Tire Rack: http://www.tirerack.com/index.jsp have excellent performance comparisons and customer comments re the brands they carry. This is a great way to select a tire that reflects your priorities. PS: If you didn't stumble across my old "Big Boots" threads, I have 'pushed the envelope' to the tune of 275/40 x 17"s on 10" wide wheels on my slightly lowered Vibe...

[BlueCrush]

Madbill,Yes I did see that thread. Did you ever take any pics? I couldn't find any.

[Raven]

I had Falken FK451's last summer and they were fantastic, wet and dry. They only last about 30,000 miles though. I just bought a set of Nexen's on Ebay for next summer. Here's a link to Ebay for your size.http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...=WDVW Nice rims.

[BlueCrush]

Thanks, I will definitely keep my eyes on ebay for both the rims and tires.

[MadBill]

Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush »Madbill,Yes I did see that thread. Did you ever take any pics? I couldn't find any.Yes, there are several pix in the two threads that I posted: http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=4132 andhttp://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=3150

[BlueCrush]

Those are huge!

[MadBill]

Well, got to live up to my name you know...

[kostby]

My .02: Are these going to be for 'summer' or all year around?I'm guessing that in MN you probably face a lot of springtime road damage (we call 'em chuckholes around here) caused by freezing and thawing. They're pretty deadly on the lower profile rim/tire combinations. Not a problem if you have winter wheels/tires (15" Corolla steelies are popular).The folks out west in San Diego and down south in Florida and Texas can go for the 18's and the 19's...

[BlueCrush]

Yup, for summer. I have will have snows on for next winter and every one thereafter. I currently just have the stock conti's on for this winter.Brian