Saved my 18's with New Snow Tires and Smaller Wheels for 2009 Vibe GT

JetBlack09VibeGT · Post by **JetBlack09VibeGT** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 3:03 am

I bit the bullet and bought Snow Tires and Wheels for my 2009 Vibe GT. The Goodyear F1 tires that come with the GT are terrible on snow and ice covered roads and I can see a Michigan pothole destroying an 18" wheel in a hurry. I went to Discount Tire but I did some my own math and came up with the tire size that should be on the car and not the one everyone reccomends. Out the door was $790.I got 16" alloy wheels and 205/60/16 Yokahama IG20. Everything I read says that the vibe needs 205/55/16 but those tires are a full 1" Diameter smaller than the 215/45/18 that are stock on the GT AND that tire size (205/55/16) is $20-$25 more than the 205/60/16.

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JetBlack09VibeGT · Post by **JetBlack09VibeGT** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 3:08 am

They may be ugly but they stick to the road well and the dry pavement noise is lower than Blizzaks I've used in the past.

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Sublimewind · Post by **Sublimewind** » Sun Dec 27, 2009 12:25 am

Looks good, bet it performs 1000000000000% better...

ou.grizzly · Post by **ou.grizzly** » Sun Dec 27, 2009 12:45 am

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »Looks good, bet it performs 1000000000000% better... Well, if he is on the east side of the state, there really has been no snow.

JetBlack09VibeGT · Post by **JetBlack09VibeGT** » Sun Dec 27, 2009 5:04 am

No, I'm in West Michigan... Lake Effect Snow even on days when the weathermen say we aren't getting snow.

ou.grizzly · Post by **ou.grizzly** » Sun Dec 27, 2009 5:11 am

Quote, originally posted by JetBlack09VibeGT »No, I'm in West Michigan... Lake Effect Snow even on days when the weathermen say we aren't getting snow. I envy you, the West Side of the State is so nice!

vibolista · Post by **vibolista** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 2:30 pm

I wished I had gone with a 60 series snow. That little bit of extra clearance does come in handy in deeper snow. Let us know how those Yoks perform in the snow.

Camaro_Bill · Post by **Camaro_Bill** » Wed Jan 13, 2010 9:58 am

You're on the money, vibolista. On my 2009 Vibe AWD, I have four 195/60R16 Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60s (89R SL; D=25.2"; Wt=21 lbs) on 16x7" Enkei Racing RPF1 Silvers (Offset=35mm; Backspacing=5.35"; Bolt Pattern=5-114.3; Wt=13.7 lbs). This set-up is optimized for treacherous ice conditions and NOT kamakazi highway runs. In low traction conditions, narrower is better, as psi on road contact patches is higher; see <http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/tec ... ntpage=124>.

Saved my 18's with New Snow Tires and Smaller Wheels for 2009 Vibe GT

Saved my 18's with New Snow Tires and Smaller Wheels for 2009 Vibe GT

Re: New Snow Tires and Smaller Wheels for 2009 Vibe GT (JetBlack09VibeGT)

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Re: Saved my 18's with New Snow Tires and Smaller Wheels for 2009 Vibe GT (JetBlack09VibeGT)

Re: Saved my 18's with New Snow Tires and Smaller Wheels for 2009 Vibe GT (vibolista)