To Change or not to change wheel size?

[WhgVibe]

Hello fellow Vibers! Im thinking of buying some new wheels for my 2010 base Vibe to replace the steel wheels with hubcaps to jazz it up a bit. Are there any adavantages or disadvantages to switching to a 17 inch wheel vs the OEM 16's? Mileage, ride, etc.......?

[Raven]

You should stick to the original diameter of tire. 225/45/17 is perfect. 17s will handle a bit better because of the lower sidewall. I've got 17 inch Motegi rims with 225/ 45/17 on my '06.

[thebarber]

Get 17's

[WhgVibe]

[quote="Raven"]You should stick to the original diameter of tire. 225/45/17 is perfect.

The factory size 16 is what I have now. I figured the 17 would look better but a little concerned what other effects they will have. Mileage, winter performance. etc....

[sideshowalan]

17s will be more expensive to replace and give you a harsher ride due to shorter sidewall.
The only good reason to upsize is for looks and the 'sporty' factor.

[WhgVibe]

Well the ride is too harsh now so Ill stick with the 16's then. I wont need to buy tires that way either!

[thebarber]

Well the ride is too harsh now so Ill stick with the 16's then

LOL

[vibenvy]

Well the ride is too harsh now so Ill stick with the 16's then

You'd really hate having a 2009-2010 GT then !

[WhgVibe]

@Vibenvy.....I dont know..... they look pretty sweet!! The ride quality does seem to be the only constant complaint about our great little cars tho. I guess at the price level you cant have it all!!

[vibenvy]

@Vibenvy.....I dont know..... they look pretty sweet!! The ride quality does seem to be the only constant complaint about our great little cars tho. I guess at the price level you cant have it all!!

No doubt the GT wheels are gorgeous! I like the ride of the GT. It's stiff and sporty, but not too bad. It's kind of funny, I spent a lot of money on aftermarket parts trying to get my former Sunfires to ride like the GT does from the factory !

[Kincaid]

For some reason I think the Vibe looks great in all wheel diameters 16-18. Post pics when you get 'em!

[vibolista]

Ride harshness can be different depending on sidewall construction and of course, air pressure. When I got my 17 inch wheels, I looked for a tire that was rated quiet and comfortable. Tire rack has good bit of info and owner feedback on the tires they sell. They also have a good rating system that you can use to compare tires against one another.

Pirelli has a new all season tire that is a low rolling resistance 17 inch, called the Cinturato P7. Great reviews about how quiet and compliant it is. A great candidate for a Vibe, since anything quiet helps our cars. The compliant part will help give us a better ride, plus it has a high UTQG number (700) that means it should wear well.

Back in 2008, I bought 225/50 17 tires from tirerack.com... Kumho, Ecsta LX Platinum. It has turned out to be a very durable and fairly quiet tire.

I much prefer how my Vibe handles and feels with these 17 inch tires, although they are not great as a snow tire. I have dedicated snows on the OEM 16 inch steel wheels for Winter duty.

Do your homework and find out which tire you would like best.

[SuperVibeMan]

I went with 17" Motegi Racing MR125's with Cooper Zeon RS3-A's and the car handles noticeably better than the stock 16" on my 2010 base. I use the stock steel rims for dedicated winter snows.