GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

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.......?

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.

Get 17's

[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....

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.

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

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

LOL

WhgVibe wrote: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 !

@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!!

WhgVibe wrote:@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 !

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

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.

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.