New Wheels & Tires

[trikkonceptz]

Well here I am excited about my new wheels and tires and how I got them ... Now if any of my custom buddies read this, they will think I have gone mad, (Don).

My vibe has 17" rims and tires on it, the alloys that are an upgrade from factory. The other day a stranger walked up to me to see if I would sell him my rims and tires. I asked what he drove and he said a Matrix. I went to see his ride and noticed that he had stock 16" wheels with hub caps, (1 missing).

So I thought I would try and strike a deal. Here it is. In exchange for my wheels & tires, he would buy new tires and a new set of hubcaps and then we would switch wheels.

Well he swore my tires looked new, (Actually have 32K miles on them), and as for hubcaps he agreed to get me my moon discs.

So in the end I got a new steel wheels with new tires and Moon Hubcaps for an alloy set of Vibe wheels with tires that have 32K miles on them.

I believe thats called, making out like a bandit. I was thinking about asking him to buy me LRR tires, but thought I was pushing it already ...

I'll get pics up of the new shoes once I get the hubcaps on ...

[SVOboy]

Looking forward to pictures!

[Sean T.]

Awesome! I know it's off topic, but what happened to the Matrix hubcaps? I think I have a spare in the garage...

[trikkonceptz]

I have them in a garbage bag in my garage ... 3 only ... I'll get pics of them up over the weekend. Do you want them?

[Daox]

Dang, thats quite the deal.

[Tango Charlie]

What's the weight difference between the alloys and the steelies?

[trikkonceptz]

Originally Posted by Tango Charlie

What's the weight difference between the alloys and the steelies?

Don't know, but weight wasn't my motivation. I did it for the smooth cap hub caps. I was thinking about doing them to my 17" wheels, but finding the right cover, tapping into the spokes, etc, was to much trouble. Not to mention the steelies are skinnier with narrower tires I believe.

This was a great way to get the caps that I needed for all the hwy driving that I do ...

[Ford Man]

Sounds like a great deal. Unless you're running a higher profile 16 tire you also lowered the car a little which should also help FE.

[trikkonceptz]

Lowering the car was on my list of things to do, but with money being so tight, it was a project that I put on the shelf.

BTW, I was very happy to learn that lowering cars helped with FE. Every car I have ever owned has always removed reflectors ... including my current trailer queen ... It's suspension is air adjustable however ...

[trikkonceptz]

OK I did the wheel swap this past weekend. The car is now naked with black rust spotted steelies ... LOL I did however get them with new Michellin tires ..

205/55 16s which replaced the 225/50 17s which I had on there before.

I have a question though. How long will it take for these tires to break in? Meaning, as they roll I can literally hear them as they make contact with the road. They sound like a lint brush on a suit. And yea my mileage has taken a huge hit temporariliy. Also what benefit can I anticipate from the smaller tire.

Here is the Before;


And Current;