GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

bought sunfire gt rims as alternative wheels for my vibe. gt rims do not clear front callipers (the rims otherwise fit just don't clear the calliper when i rotate). any options? i've heard something about spacers. ideas? scrap the gt rims?

Which rims are they. I use two different style 16" sunfire rims on my car, and its funny but both fit when I had about 60% brake pad, but when I installed new pads and rotors one set fit but when I installed the winter rims they hit. I installed a spacer about 1/8 thick and it cleared.

they're off a ~1998 - 2000 vibe gt. again, they mount nicely...just can't rotate them. i don't know anything about spacers but have read on this website that going too big will cause rubbing. ???

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Ya those are my winter rims. It was a surprise when after using them for two winters they no longer fit this winter. I made some spacers up that were under 1/8" and it clears fine. You wont have any trouble with rubbing because its such a marginal amount that they are being offset. I you anything to shim it you can put the rim in place with the shim behind it and see if it spins, when it clears you know how much it has to move to clear. If i find my measuring caliper I can check the exact thickness I made them

i'm more likely to purchase vs make spacers. (wouldn't trust myself to do it right.) will need to look into this a bit more. will spacers cause any computer misreadings? will cause any problems with ABS? i'm doubting will cause problems with AWD. incidentally, my winter rims are from a chrysler. don't know what kinda chrysler but they fit great and don't look too stupid.

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Im using rims from my 98 Cav Z24 as my winters right now, and havent had any problems. We'll see if its different when i install the new brake pads (squealing right now).

98 Z24...do you have a pix?

Quote, originally posted by lemieux »incidentally, my winter rims are from a chrysler. don't know what kinda chrysler but they fit great and don't look too stupid.Look like PT Cruiser wheels to me.

For whatever reason, the wheels I bought that fit the spec range for the vibe had the same issues. Had purchased them with partially worn brakes, then had the dealer replace the brake pads and the wheels scraped on the calipers. The dealer gave me some really thin spacers and that did the trick. Have not had any issues since.

****ty blackberry camera, but you get the idea

looks pretty good. ...not as nice as your summer wheels but still pretty good.

Are we talking 5x100 rims? The links below even talk about Cavalier/Sunfire rims. I believe one link says hub diameter is 54.1mm for 5x100 hub on Vibe, while the Sunfire is 57.1mm (center of rim would be slightly larger {tenths, hundredths, thousandths?}). Offset is approx. 38 or 39 mm for 16 inch wheels for the Vibe, while I do not know for the Sunfire. 15 inch 5x100 Corolla rim might have 38mm offset, not sure.Offsets, backspace, center of wheel/center bore/hub diameter need to be considered. Whatever you do, get the right lug nuts for the particular rim. Center hub ring for non-hubcentric wheels and or spacers needs to be considered.Offset = Backspace - (Rim Width / 2)Caliper Clearance (X-factor): The amount of clearance built into the wheel to allow for the vehicle’s brake rotor and caliper assembly.http://forums.genvibe.com/zero...76726 15 inch rims possible for Vibehttp://forums.genvibe.com/zero...19667 15 inch rim for snow tires....Cavalier/Sunfirehttp://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=24385 wheel/rim reference guidehttp://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=44003 center hub diameterhttp://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=41523 size application offset charthttp://www.victoriatire.com/wheeltech.html .."Offset = Backspace - (Rim Width / 2)"..https://secure.wikimedia.org/w...izing .."Caliper Clearance (X-factor): The amount of clearance built into the wheel to allow for the vehicle’s brake rotor and caliper assembly."..http://www.tirerack.com/wheels...id=91 Wheel tech; centerbore