GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I installed Kumho 711 P215/45R17 tires on my Vibe. The tires were set at about 40psi in each tire. What I am noticing is ripples in the body of my Vibe (see Problem and Warranty Complaints/I have dents ) A few opinions are floating around that my car was a victim of vandals or stress on the body. One tech mentioned to me if I had changed the suspension to make it stiffer, changing the flex points and after he said that I thought of my tires.I went out and they were still all right around/above 40psi so I changed them ALL down to the Vibe recommended 32psi. Does anyone think I might have been a victim of my own folly here? I was prepared to pay for the dents to be removed anyway but I'm thinking of trying to prevent a reoccurance.

I really can't see that that would cuase ripples in your body. I would think you would have to apply quite abit of stress to do something like that. Simply having too much air in your tires shouldn't cause that much stress, especially on stock springs.

like i've said before, you don't drive your car very hard, especially around corners or what not. hard to believe that you would have caused those to happen. i know i push mine maybe more than i should, and no stress marks that i can see other than the ones from my ditch dive this march. but yes, seems wierd that they are on the same spots on each side of the car.... no scratches or otherwise. clueless on this one. sorry.

Even with close to 44PSI in one of the tires?Well that makes me feel a little better if you or others think thats the case... you will see the ripples at the meet... I'll be going over every Vibe there looking for dents hah cause I'm starting my own case.It HAS to be a stress issue... just how I can prove it...

Maybe a dumb question, but have you ever had any type of roof rack installed on your car?

I wouldn't think that tires and/or pressure would do it. That kind of damage can't be just from that.

Quote, originally posted by silverawd26 »Phil, this problem did not occur until it got warm out right?I wonder if it has to do with the heat and the metal shrinking/warping. I think your on to something, started with this warm/cold weather we have been having lately.No I have not had anything on the roof other then the racks that came with the car.Now I looked at the 05 again today before leaving cause a fellow was putting a stone guard on the front of my car and parked it there... Guess what? it has faint ripples to and one noticable one and it hasn't even been driven yet. The shop foreman who mentioned the idea that it might be warping was out there looking at both the cars when I was headed home and pointed that out to me.So if it seems like I am fondling all the Vibes this weekend, I'm actually looking for dents and will be taking a load of pics with my digital camera.Problem is if GM does decide to actually do something about this... whats the fix?

This indeed is strange. I would think that GM would extensively check things like that, but hey, stranger things have happened! Like Ford Pinto Bombs in the 70's! We all make mistakes!

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »So if it seems like I am fondling all the Vibes this weekend, I'm actually looking for dents and will be taking a load of pics with my digital camera.awww... and i thot it was just gonna be me. LOLhmm. we've been having some extraordinarily HOT weather after cold and so forth. i will have to carefully examine mine too... see what's up.

This is getting me all sketched out! I'm gonna go check my car now! *cross fingers*Wish me luck!

I'm not gonna check mine cause I'm out of warranty, and if there IS a problem, I won't be able to address it without paying...Ignorance is bliss.

OK, I'm good. No dents. SSHHHEEEWWW! Keep us posted. This is really strange. I'm still betting on kids.

But those kids didn't hit the 05 Vibe straight off the truck and it has a ripple to already...

I bought mine used (factory 16" alloy wheels). It has a couple of minor dents that look a lot like the ones in your pics, but they are together in curve of the right front fender, aproximately centered above the wheel opening. I figured the previous owner just leaned against it. You can check it out Saturday at the meet.

I've got something similar on the right front fender of mine. Center of the dent appears to be behind the cladding.Weird.

well I will be going over all the Vibes at the meet and gathering info that way. But like the battery, stone chips and rattles polls, here we go.

Quote, originally posted by silverawd26 »Yeah... Make sure you point it out to anyone who works for GM who will be at the meet. thats plan #1

just out of curiosity, why are you running your tires at 44 psi when it's recommended to run 36 psi? Is it because of aftermarket recommendations?

i don't think he checked them when he got them installed. just that the tech asked about suspension or springs and that popped into her head.

Quote, originally posted by ebslopp »just out of curiosity, why are you running your tires at 44 psi when it's recommended to run 36 psi? Is it because of aftermarket recommendations?Actually, manufacturer recommended pressure is 32.I've bene running mine at 32 since delivery day, not a problem yet.

i believe all my tires are at 32 or 35 psi.

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »Now I looked at the 05 again today before leaving cause a fellow was putting a stone guard on the front of my car and parked it there... Guess what? it has faint ripples to and one noticable one and it hasn't even been driven yet.Are these "dents" in the exact same location on the effected vibes? Just wondering if it was due to improper clamping of body panels during assembly. If that's the case, the dents would be in the same locations on each Vibe.The sheet metal on our new cars are extremely thin, and can be dented real, real easily though.

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »i don't think he checked them when he got them installed. just that the tech asked about suspension or springs and that popped into her head.No I never checked the tire pressure when I installed them but that was back in april.But last I checked Hope, I'm not a "her"

sorry... i was typing and packing, and chatting... LOL and i know you are not a HER.

Quote, originally posted by silverawd26 »I thought you both had that cleared up? It couldn't have been more obvious