Finally found some tires and wheels to fit my car. I just couldn’t bring myself to shell out 7 to 15 hundred bucks for tires and wheels for my GEM car. others here have asked about maximum tire & wheel size So, after doing some research, I found a set of wheels from a Saturn that have the 4X4" bolt pattern, they are aluminum 16" wheels with 205-55-16 tires. The fit is tight and I’m considering raising the bed an inch or two for better clearance. For now they’re working out fine at low speed and low bumps.
Here are a couple pics to show what they look like on the car, sorry the seat is missing, its at the upholstery shop.
thanks for the pics and info… did you have to change brakes or gears to run that big? what year is yours? mine doesnt have the truck bed? thanks again. je
Hey je,
Mine is an 05. I didn’t have to do anything but bolt them on.
I drove it down the street to the store and back, then around the RV park where I live without any problem. I believe if I was going any faster than the 25mph it does now, the top of the rear tires would rub the floor of the bed and the front tires could rub the back of the fender well when hitting bumps. Its my understanding that cars with spats, like yours will have to be modified for clearance, but that’s not difficult to do.
hope this helps,
John
What does this do to your range?
I don’t know Rodney, haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, but will report back when I do.
Piper,
The tire setup looks great. Did you post the pics of the new upholstery?
What year and model Saturn were the rims pulled from? I matched the picture to a 2006,2007 Saturn ION. However, they are listed as 4x100 not 4x4.
Also, those tires are huge, at almost 25 inches tall. Most of the aftermarket sizes are around 23.5 inches. You should gain more than 4 mph at top speed. I’ve read the utility models have more clearance than the passenger models.
Wheel Part Number: #7044
2006-2007 Saturn Ion
Size: 16" x 6", 4 Lug, 100mm Bolt Pattern
Finish: Gray
Description: Used 5 Spoke OEM Alloy Wheel
Hey Jim,
Yes, somewhere I posted a set of photos of the completed project. I sold it a couple weeks ago. Yeah, I reached 30mph on a long straight stretch and the speedo said 21 while the gps read 30mph. so 4 mph is right on. While it’s true the utility vehicles have more clearance, If I had kept it, I would have put a slight lift kit on it as I did discover it rubs slightly when you hit bumps. If I had to be honest I’d recommend a smaller 195-45-16 as a better fit with no modifications. I don’t know what year these were taken off of, I got them from a salvage yard and didn’t ask the year. These are a true 4x4" wheel. I’m not sure how the work it on after market wheels, but I know when I looked up after market wheels for a Saturn and for a honda (witch is 4x100) they both use the same wheel. However, a true 4x100mm wheel will [I]not[/I] fit the GEM, I tried it and there is just no way.
Cheers,
John