GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I am going to be updating my wheels from the 16in steelies to MB Mesh wheels, but first I wanted to ask the forum a few questions.Here are the wheels:http://www.discounttiredirect....09697I should note, I have a 2007 base, automatic vibe.1. Do I need to be concerned with offset being 45?2. With 17's, will the standard spare tire still work? I was planning on putting on 215/50/R17 Goodyear TT tires on the wheels.3. I was thinking about using these wheels all year long (through the winter); bad idea?Thanks

Quote, originally posted by zdkaiser »I am going to be updating my wheels from the 16in steelies to MB Mesh wheels, but first I wanted to ask the forum a few questions.Here are the wheels:http://www.discounttiredirect....09697I should note, I have a 2007 base, automatic vibe.1. Do I need to be concerned with offset being 45?nope2. With 17's, will the standard spare tire still work?yes that dosen't change the final rotatial size of the tire. you can still use the spair if you had a flat with out issue.you should be using a 45serise tire though not a 50 I was planning on putting on 215/50/R17 Goodyear TT tires on the wheels.3. I was thinking about using these wheels all year long (through the winter); bad idea?most will say yes for a few reasons. With your location in CT your winters can be quite bad. Allseason tires harden up after the temp drops below 32deg. When that happens they lose their traction(starting and stopping) in bad weather. Then there is the damage done to the clear coat on the rims from the salt and road treatmentsThanksMy replys are in bold

why should zdkaiser use a 45 series tire instead of a 50?

You need to decrease the tire profile ratio when increasing wheel diameter and or tread width. Also wheel offset only need to change as the wheel width increases or decreases from stock width or to allow for slightly wider tires to clear the suspensions.

so, all and all, would the 16 inch spare with sidewall of 50 (or 55... whatever comes with the base vibe) work with a 215/50/17 wheel?

here are my options:i could get the 17 inch wheels with GY TrTreds 215/50/R17 for a $1011ORi could get the 16 inch wheels with the GY TrTreds 205/55/R16 for $867OR the 16 inch wheels with the GY TrTeds 225/50/16 for $915They all include the lugs, mount/balance, hubcentric rings, etc...

what do you all think?I would like the way the 17s look and handle. But the 16s would be a more comfortable ride, and over the long haul would be cheaper.If I was to get the 16s though, i think I would want the 225 tires.Any comments?

Quote, originally posted by zdkaiser »what do you all think?I would like the way the 17s look and handle. But the 16s would be a more comfortable ride, and over the long haul would be cheaper.If I was to get the 16s though, i think I would want the 225 tires.Any comments?Depends on what your looking to accomplish. Do you want comfort or do you want performance. If you want one your going to have to sacrifice a bit of the other.You have to make that choice.Because you will have your current rims laying around why not use those for winter tires and get 17"rims and summer tires or 18"rims with summer tires for the summer months?Most go with a set of rims for the winter and a set for the summer.For instance. I'm running 18" rims and strickly summer tires in a size of 225/40/18For my winters I will be running 205/60/16 (i was running 225/55/16)the wider the tire, usually the better performance *in dry and wet conditions*.But that is thrown out the window when you enter in to ice/sleet/snow. In that instance you want narrow tires to cut threw the snow instead of riding on top of the snow.

Quote, originally posted by zdkaiser »here are my options:i could get the 17 inch wheels with GY TrTreds 215/50/R17 for a $1011ORi could get the 16 inch wheels with the GY TrTreds 205/55/R16 for $867OR the 16 inch wheels with the GY TrTeds 225/50/16 for $915They all include the lugs, mount/balance, hubcentric rings, etc...Sounds like you got the idea regarding tire sizes - here is the calculator I use:http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.htmlYour three choices are the best sizes (closest to OEM overall diameter). Although a wider tire hurts mpg only marginally and maybe makes turn in less precise, I prefer the better grip and a bit more protection for my rims. If you are the practical sort and also do not intend to put your Vibe thru the twisties much, I'd go with the wider of the 16's. Remember, you are probably going to put more than a few new tires on the car and each time, the 16's will be cheaper than the 17's and those savings do add up.I do like how the 17's look on mine, but on my Civic I had gone from stock 14's to mesh 16's (BTW, I love the wheels you chose) and then decided to go a bit retro and put 15's on, which looked better IMO.One final note, because you have a 1.8L, you can use Scion TC take offs. To me, they are the best looking stock wheel out there for a small car. I saw someone local on craigslist selling a set of those six-spoke bad boys for $100, in perfect condition. Now that's some savings!

Get the 17'sUse the stock wheel for winter wheelsGet the cheapest winter tire you can get... Profit..

so... i got the 17s with the GY TT 215/50/R17Can I just jack up the car and replace the old 16s with the new 17s one at a time?Also, do I need to replace my spare tire, I imagine it may be smaller than the 17s now?

Quote, originally posted by zdkaiser »so... i got the 17s with the GY TT 215/50/R17Can I just jack up the car and replace the old 16s with the new 17s one at a time?Also, do I need to replace my spare tire, I imagine it may be smaller than the 17s now?Did you end up getting new lug nuts? And no, you do not need to replace your spare tire.

yeah, the lugs were included with the wheels. going to put them on saturday. damn, the GY Tripletreds look so awesome compared to my bald Eagle RS-As.

Quote, originally posted by zdkaiser »yeah, the lugs were included with the wheels. going to put them on saturday. damn, the GY Tripletreds look so awesome compared to my bald Eagle RS-As.Since you have different lugs, then you are all set. Enjoy the new rims! Just be aware that winter time is very harsh on aftermarket rims. Many people use their "nicer" rims during the warm weather and more basic rim for the winter.

Pics or BAN... lol

so i am still uncertain about the spare tire issue.i put the spare tire next to the new 17s and the 17s are over an inch taller. The spare has a sidewall of 75 and it is a 16 inch wheel (i believe). The 17s are 215/50/R17s. Is this going to be a problem? I feel like my car will be slanted horribly in one direction if I ever need to use the spare. What do people usually do in regards to the spare when they up their tire sizes?Also, the 215/50/R17s are quite a bit larger than the stock steel 16s (205/55/R16). I had thought they were going to be equivalent in diameter (i.e. larger wheel, smaller sidewall). Does this mean the Vibes with alloy 17s are riding higher than the 16s?One last question, should I have my car aligned after I put on the new tires?I will be putting them on hopefully tomorrow. It is raining today.

Assuming the spare is stock, I would not worry about it. It may be smaller for vehicle packaging reasons (space saver spare and all that).As for the difference in your old tires and the new ones, it may just be that the old ones are worn down - how many 16th's of an inch is missing now that they are "bald eagles"? The tire calculator says that the 215/50/R17's are 2.4% smaller than the OEM size you had. When your speedo says you are 60 mph (assuming it's accurate), you are going 61.4 mph. If you had gone to 215/45/R17's you would have been 1% larger putting your speedo at 59.4 mph.

Quote, originally posted by zdkaiser »so i am still uncertain about the spare tire issue.i put the spare tire next to the new 17s and the 17s are over an inch taller. The spare has a sidewall of 75 and it is a 16 inch wheel (i believe). The 17s are 215/50/R17s. Is this going to be a problem? I feel like my car will be slanted horribly in one direction if I ever need to use the spare. What do people usually do in regards to the spare when they up their tire sizes?Also, the 215/50/R17s are quite a bit larger than the stock steel 16s (205/55/R16). I had thought they were going to be equivalent in diameter (i.e. larger wheel, smaller sidewall). Does this mean the Vibes with alloy 17s are riding higher than the 16s?One last question, should I have my car aligned after I put on the new tires?I will be putting them on hopefully tomorrow. It is raining today.No need to worry regarding the space saving spare tire. Just make sure you check the pressure occasionally so it has air in it if/when you need it.The 215/50-17 tires are the correct size. Factory 17" wheels were optional on the 2003-2008 Vibes and the OEM tire size was 215/50-17, and those cars had the exact same spare tire as yours.I currently have Scion tC wheels on my Vibe with the original 215/45-17 tires and the sidewalls are slightly too short for my taste. It rides a bit too rough and the odometer is off about 2%, which is to say that when I have traveled a true 100 miles, my odometer indicates that I have went 102. When I need new rubber, I'll be getting 215/50-17 or possibly even 215/55-17.No need for an alignment unless the tires you took off have any funky wear issues or the car pulls in one direction or the other on smooth, flat pavement.And yes, we demand pics! PlatinumVibe08

hey thanks for the answers. i was a bit concerned about the spare because it is a 9% difference from the 215/50-17s according to the tire size calculator. I am putting the wheels on this afternoon. I will try to post some before/after pics this afternoon. I am currently just running the 16in steelies without the plastic ninja stars and it looks utterly dreadful.

zdkaiser,Those new shoes look pretty sweet!PlatinumVibe08

Now get some lowering springs and it will make that car look suh-weet!