Page 1 of 1
Saved my 18's with New Snow Tires and Smaller Wheels for 2009 Vibe GT
Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 3:03 am
by JetBlack09VibeGT
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.
Attached files
Re: New Snow Tires and Smaller Wheels for 2009 Vibe GT (JetBlack09VibeGT)
Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 3:08 am
by JetBlack09VibeGT
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.
480217=14641-Image1.jpg
Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 12:25 am
by Sublimewind
Looks good, bet it performs 1000000000000% better...
Re: (Sublimewind)
Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 12:45 am
by ou.grizzly
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.
Re: (ou.grizzly)
Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 5:04 am
by JetBlack09VibeGT
No, I'm in West Michigan... Lake Effect Snow even on days when the weathermen say we aren't getting snow.
Re: (JetBlack09VibeGT)
Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 5:11 am
by ou.grizzly
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!
Re: Saved my 18's with New Snow Tires and Smaller Wheels for 2009 Vibe GT (JetBlack09VibeGT)
Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 2:30 pm
by vibolista
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.
Re: Saved my 18's with New Snow Tires and Smaller Wheels for 2009 Vibe GT (vibolista)
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 9:58 am
by Camaro_Bill
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>.
