Switch from 17s to 16s?

[Grace]

Hi All, I just bought an 03 GT, with the fancy rims & 17 inch touring tires. It looks like I may be leaving beautiful Maine for the southwest & Mexico this winter, and I've been advised to get plain rims as fancy ones often get stolen. (No offence & this is strictly hearsay). Plus I'd like a softer ride on smaller all weather tires.Comments, anyone, and is there anyone out there who'd like to make this switch in reverse?Thanks.

[vibolista]

Get a good set of locks to keep the wheels on the Vibe. I wouldn't sweat the rims in Mexico... just buy a proven armored vehicle to do the driving around down there, south of the border. I hear they they're having a little trouble down there in parts of that country with the drug cartels.Why leave nearly peaceful Maine for that?

[06pvibe]

Quote, originally posted by Grace »Hi All, I just bought an 03 GT, with the fancy rims & 17 inch touring tires. It looks like I may be leaving beautiful Maine for the southwest & Mexico this winter, and I've been advised to get plain rims as fancy ones often get stolen. (No offense & this is strictly hearsay). Plus I'd like a softer ride on smaller all weather tires.Comments, anyone, and is there anyone out there who'd like to make this switch in reverse?Thanks.No, haven't done it as ours came w/the 16" steelies as it is now. However, if you are going to downsize (Minus1) be sure they new wheels will clear the brakes. As with my Mazda, the bigger engine cars have bigger brakes and the smaller (in this case 17 to 15", or 16 to 15") will not clear the calipers up front. Also be aware of the factory wheel offset (+38mm.) This is critical in a DD to not add additional stress to suspension and steering pieces. (They will likely wear out much faster. ) Going too "deep" or too "shallow" and the handling and braking ability of the vehicle can become downright dangerous.Stay with in 5mm one way or the other and you should not notice any ill affects in handling, braking or component wear.And yes, why would anyone in their right mind want to go (drive, especially) into Mexico right now? I only live several hours away by car and I won't go there.

[vibolista]

Quote, originally posted by 06pvibe »No, haven't done it as ours came w/the 16" steelies as it is now. However, if you are going to downsize (Minus1) be sure they new wheels will clear the brakes. As with my Mazda, the bigger engine cars have bigger brakes and the smaller (in this case 17 to 15", or 16 to 15") will not clear the calipers up front. Also be aware of the factory wheel offset (+38mm.)And yes, why would anyone in their right mind want to go (drive, especially) into Mexico right now? I only live several hours away by car and I won't go there.Hey 06! You're only a silly little milimeter off! The Vibe/Matrix steelie is a +39mm. I know, picky, picky! Grace lives about as far as you can get from old Mexico and still be in the contiguous U.S. of A., so the news of the "troubles" down there may not have filtered up to Lubec. The Mexican vacation adds on TV usually don't include the sounds of gun fire and news of the beheadings and such. Probably something to do with image?Hey, my son and I ordered a set of those LED brake lights, and they have been a no show for over 2 months. Emails not answered and the rest. Our LED CHMSLs probably got lost in the snail mail somehwere. Very dissapointing.

[Grace]

Thanks for all the replies. The one that interests me most (because it involves least expense) is the idea of wheel locks. Please excuse my ignorance, but what are these? Are they locking lug nuts? Available at the local VIP?The whole Mexico controversy is moot; I will be visiting friends who live on the AZ/Mex border, not traveling into gun country. BUT I'm told the theft issue is real. And, I'm still wondering whether 16" wheels will give me a significantly easier ride.

[06pvibe]

Quote, originally posted by Grace »Thanks for all the replies. The one that interests me most (because it involves least expense) is the idea of wheel locks. Please excuse my ignorance, but what are these? Are they locking lug nuts? Available at the local VIP?The whole Mexico controversy is moot; I will be visiting friends who live on the AZ/Mex border, not traveling into gun country. BUT I'm told the theft issue is real. And, I'm still wondering whether 16" wheels will give me a significantly easier ride. In a word, yes, they are locking lug nuts. http://mcgard.com/Home/AutomotiveProductsThere are some better (more secure) than others. I'd be careful buying "no-name" brands from your local parts store as there are many that carry the universal, cheap Chinese types these days. Most use exactly the same key. Spend a little more and get better ones.Comparing apples to apples (the same brand and model of tire as you are running now,) and if using the same overall diameter tire as the 17's you are currently running, you should see an improvement, but it will largely depend on the tire/model you choose. Some manufacturer's naturally offer softer sidewalls than others, even within the same catagory of tire. e.g. UHP Summer, or Grand Touring All-Season. But by going to a greater aspec ratio tire (a 55 to a 60 series for example) and using a smaller wheel you will be adding more rubber between you and the road which will likely reduce the cornering ability slightly while improving the ride overall. Everything is a trade-off. Remember that and you will be OK.

[moonstonemike]

You have a couple options, you can go with the 16" stock steel rims with 205/55/16 or go with 205/60/16 tires and have about 10% larger sidewall and a little more ground clearanceor you can put 15" steel rims from a toyota corrolaand put 205/60/15 tires which is also 10% larger sidewall or 205/65/15 with 15% larger side wall and a little more ground clearance

[vibolista]

Not sure if the 15 inch wheel is going to be OK on a GT. There could be brake clearance issues. Grace could go further, security wise by buying 2 sets of good wheel locks. Put 2 on each wheel with different keys. Just don't lose those keys!!! You could get a little more of a plush ride from your 17 inch wheels by mounting a slightly taller 17 inch tire on there as well. Research comfort tires that give quiet smooth rides and then try a 215/55 17, instead of the 215/50 17s that come on the car from the factory. That will give you a taller tire side wall that usually equals a smoother ride.I run a 225/50 17... and that would probably be almost equal in diameter (25.9 inches) to a 215/55 17. The only problem I could imagine on fitment is the fact that (I'm assuming here) you have the factory 17 inch wheel that actually has a +45mm offset, compared to my aftermarket 17 inch wheel's +38mm offset. But, you have some options to chose from! Good luck and have a safe trip to the Southwest! A great drive and a lot to see, plus it will be really different than Lubec and Maine in general.

[moonstonemike]

15" will fit on the front for sure because alot of vibes and matrix including mine run corrola 15" for winter without brake clearance issues. I dont know about the rear though since the gt's have 4 wheel disk.

[vibolista]

Does the GT wear the same brakes that our more pedestrian Base Vibes are equiped with from the factory?

[06pvibe]

Quote, originally posted by vibolista »Does the GT wear the same brakes that our more pedestrian Base Vibes are equiped with from the factory? That's what I was wondering too? It seems the GT woiuld have slightly bigger rotors to accomedate the additional HP. One usually dictates the other.

[moonstonemike]

As far as i have seen the part number for the pads and rotors on the front are the same for gt and base. I haven't checked the caliper part numbers but i would assume those would be the same also.The rear brakes are completely different. Base=Drums GT=Disks