GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

My '04 FWD auto base has Kelly 205/55/16s on the front and Goodyear American Eagles in the same size on the rear. The rears are at 1/2 tread and the fronts have 90% tread.The problem I have is that the Kellys spin wildly in the rain. The only performance mods I have are a K&N typhoon and an aftermarket muffler.So my question is will 225/50/16s get better grip in the rain? Or should I just find a stickier 205/55/16?I know that typically wider tires hydroplane more than narrower tires. But, on my Camaro, I am running 245/50/16 Sumitomo HTRs (OEM size is 235/55/16) and they absolutely hook up! They have wider sipes, and of the 225/50/16s I have seen and been looking at (Kuhmo Ecsta) the sipes on the 225s are wider than on the 205s.Thoughts?

I would think that thinner tiress would do better in the rain but it all will depend on how well your tread can expell water out from under the tires. I have Falken Ziex 512 on my Vibe in the summer of '05 and they were awesome in the rain never hydroplaned once. Even going at higher speeds in 2-3inches of standing water.

There are two key areas for good traction, wet or dry, - they are tread pattern and rubber compond (how soft of hard the rubber is). Most tires get harder with age. I'm running 225/50/16 Goodyear TripleTreds and they are great, wet or dry.

do not get kumho ecstas..i had them on my vibe before my current set of michelin sport pilots and they were terrible in any amount of rain, snow, etc. in fact, the michelins are bad too haha so stay away from both of those.

Here are some survey results for Kumho and Michelin (225/50/16) from Tire Rack. Wet performance appears to be very good for both. To the far right of each tire, click on "Survey Results" to see how each tire performed......wet, dry, snow, ice, etc.http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...&y=10