GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

From other posts I know that I must at least buy 16inch rims.Are there any advantages to buying 17 inch rims?Are generic 16 inch rims from a Mazda Protege compatible or do I have to buy GM rims?

Hi and welcome to GV... !!16's aren't 100% necessary, It just allows you to have a little more rubber on the rim to actually slow down the reaction of the car a bit.. It also softens the ride a bit.... I knew a gut that drove 17" winter tires on his subie and it was great, if you asked me. I like a higher level of "direction performance" than most.. I'm not sure about the Protege, I believe the 09' is a 5x114.5 and +35 offset, but i'm not 100% on that.. as long as you hit those 2 criteria, you should be good with anything from a 16 to a 18-19" wheel.. possibly 20.. You would be best off with a cheap steel wheel for the winter though, unless you like ruining your nice wheels in the salt and slush.. Cheers

On a '09 GT the smallest diameter wheel that will clear the brake calipers is 16". 16" is also the largest size of steel wheel available for a passanger car. If you want to stay with a 17" this will mean that you will have to use the wheels you have now or buy winter mags. The center-bore for a wheel for the Protege is 67.1mm where as the Vibe is 60.1mm. this will mean that the wheels will not be hubcentric and will more that likely shake and in the worst case break the wheel studs as the weight of the car is being supported by the wheel studs and the the center hub of the axle. Actually you will be looking for a Toyota wheel as no other GM product uses a 5 X 114.3 bolt pattern and only Toyota use this bolt pattern with a 60.1mm center-bore

he could always get hub centric ring for the rims.

Sorry I talked to the owner and it wasn't a Protege but rather a Mazda 3.Also, went to Canadian Tire and they did not have the lug nuts for the steel rims. GM sells them for 3 dollars a piece. Toyota for 2 a piece. Any other place have them other than the expensive dealer in Canada?

I stayed with Toyota and paid 20 bucks to crappy tire to replace them. Plus 50 bucks to repair two nails in the tire.