GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I'm having trouble finding compatible 15" rims for my 05 base for Winter tires.
How about 14's? Has anyone here done this? The overall diameter difference is slight between the stock 205-55-16 and 195-70-14 tires, approximately 25.1" vs 24.8".

14" wheels don't fit Vibes, the brakes get in the way.

Can't be that hard to find, can it? Pretty much any Corolla wheels should fit fine. Here's a set I found on Green Bay CL:
http://greenbay.craigslist.org/pts/4048589045.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

kumquat wrote:Can't be that hard to find, can it? Pretty much any Corolla wheels should fit fine. Here's a set I found on Green Bay CL:
http://greenbay.craigslist.org/pts/4048589045.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for looking Kumquat! But I'm looking for 15's (or 14's, if they fit). The ones you found are 16's. Thanks again!

SeattleJeremy wrote:14" wheels don't fit Vibes, the brakes get in the way.

Have you tried 14's Jeremy? Where did you find the information? Thanks for the input!

Chiadog wrote:

SeattleJeremy wrote:14" wheels don't fit Vibes, the brakes get in the way.

Have you tried 14's Jeremy? Where did you find the information? Thanks for the input!

My 15s are pretty darn close to the calipers. You really can't go any smaller than that. I do not have a picture of it, but trust me when I say that space there is really tight. There's a few 15's in my area for sale. Maybe try junkyards. Pull them from Sunfires/Cavaliers, Neons, and Corollas.

[quote="KITT222" My 15s are pretty darn close to the calipers. You really can't go any smaller than that. I do not have a picture of it, but trust me when I say that space there is really tight. There's a few 15's in my area for sale. Maybe try junkyards. Pull them from Sunfires/Cavaliers, Neons, and Corollas.[/quote]
Thanks for the info. Kitt! Two votes for 14's being too small - good enough for me! I'll keep looking for 15's.
The problem with ALL non-Toyota wheels is that the center bore is too large. Therefore I'd need to add hub-centric rings to insure the wheels are centered on the hubs. I'll probably only do that if I find a nice set of alloys that I can run year-round!

Why not run 16s?

I'll make the case for 15's for ME in MY situation. YMMV.
1. 15's of the same overall diameter as stock 16's have a significantly "deeper" sidewall. I am expecting a less harsh ride from 15's.
2. My favorite Hankook Optimo 727 tires in 15" are $30 cheaper than 16"s per TIRE! I'll save $120.00 on a set of tires. I'm talking 195-65-15 vs 205-55-16.
3.Traction in snow! The footprint or size of the contact patch of stock 16's is too large for a car the mass of the Vibe (in snow). The smaller contact patch of the 15's should allow the Vibe to have traction in snow as good as my (185-65-14) Saturn SL1, which is awesome with the Hankook's.
Hopefully, I'll find some 15's so I can put my ideas to the test! And let you all know how it works, of coarse.

Chiadog wrote:I'll make the case for 15's for ME in MY situation. YMMV.
1. 15's of the same overall diameter as stock 16's have a significantly "deeper" sidewall. I am expecting a less harsh ride from 15's.
2. My favorite Hankook Optimo 727 tires in 15" are $30 cheaper than 16"s per TIRE! I'll save $120.00 on a set of tires. I'm talking 195-65-15 vs 205-55-16.
3.Traction in snow! The footprint or size of the contact patch of stock 16's is too large for a car the mass of the Vibe (in snow). The smaller contact patch of the 15's should allow the Vibe to have traction in snow as good as my (185-65-14) Saturn SL1, which is awesome with the Hankook's.
Hopefully, I'll find some 15's so I can put my ideas to the test! And let you all know how it works, of coarse.

1. With experience going from 15's to 17's, the ride difference isn't really significant. I'd say you feel more steering weight with the larger diameter rims, and of course body roll. I could turn the wheel 15 degrees (roughly) in either direction back and forth while going straight on a highway and get just body roll due to the larger sidewall. That said, the 17's I have in particular have a mushy sidewall, so saying there's a difference means something.

2. Yeah... that will happen. Buying new tires for my 17's in a few years is going to be expensive, and not just because I'm going to go for the best!

3. I've conquered mountains with my 15" snow tires (not really, but I swear by them), but when I had my all-season 16's deep stuff never gave me too much trouble. The fact that they were all-seasons makes more of a difference than width. In theory it makes a difference, but in practice you lose literally a centimeter of tire width. 195/65/15 suit the Corolla better than the Vibe. On the Vibe, a heavier vehicle, they look more like pizza cutters. Also, the car will tend to follow highway grooves a lot more with the thinner tire, and the taller sidewall makes it easier for the tread to move before the car does.

If you find some pre-mounted snow tires on Craigslist that fit you might be better off doing that than buying rims and adding tires later, regardless of rim size. Also, I don't use hub-centric spacers on my winter wheels and I have no problems.

KITT222 wrote:

Chiadog wrote:

SeattleJeremy wrote:14" wheels don't fit Vibes, the brakes get in the way.

Have you tried 14's Jeremy? Where did you find the information? Thanks for the input!

My 15s are pretty darn close to the calipers. You really can't go any smaller than that. I do not have a picture of it, but trust me when I say that space there is really tight. There's a few 15's in my area for sale. Maybe try junkyards. Pull them from Sunfires/Cavaliers, Neons, and Corollas.

Thanks KITT222.
I've read several places that 15" are really close, and some 15" don't fit at all. It's really unlikely you'll find a 14" that will fit, but no I haven't tried any personally.

Thanks Guys! I'll let you know what I end up with in the way of wheels, hopefully it won't take too long. I appreciate all the input!