So if my early 2003 came with 18x8" wheels all the way around it would be in my best interest to go staggered tires but not wheels to keep the VDC happy?

 

To keep the VDC happy you need to maintain the HEIGHT stagger difference, it could careless about the width stagger. The problem is the height is a ratio based on the width, IE: wider tires are taller tires. Play around with the calculator on this very site and you'll start to understand. Here is more info: https://my350z.com/forum/wheels-and-...read-here.html

 

This ^^^

Here's another way to look at it all from this simple chart of tire sizes applicable to the Z33 (only).

REFERENCE TIRES (OEM sizing with height in inches)

17" Sizes
225 50% 17 25.86 Stock Reference Size
235 50% 17 26.25 Stock Reference Size

18" Sizes
225 45% 18 25.97 Stock Reference Size
245 45% 18 26.68 Stock Reference Size

Double Staggered NISMO sizes
245 40% 18 25.72 Stock NISMO Front
265 35% 19 26.30 Stock NISMO Rear

You can see the heights are all pretty close between the varying wheel diameters from 17 to 19. This is done to keep wheel speed consistent between stock (17") and "Plus 1" (18") and "Plus 2" (19") sizes where wheel diameter increases while maintaining close to same rolling diameters of the tires.

And, if you calculate the percentage stagger delta between each set, you'll find they range from ~2.75% to ~3.25%. THIS is the delta range the ECU is expecting. Anything deviating from this % range is interpreted by the ECU as "wheel spin" (as told to it by the wheel speed sensors at each corner), this, in turn, is what triggers your VDC-on from it's active monitoring state (and TCS to some degree but not as severe a reaction as when VDC kicks in.)


Now, here are alternate 18" sizes:

245 40% 18 25.72 Front-Alternate 1
255 40% 18 26.03 Front-Alternate 2

275 40% 18 26.66 Rear-Alternate 1
285 40% 18 26.98 Rear-Alternate 2

Here are alternate 19" sizes:

245 35% 19 25.75 Front +1 sizing (vis a vis 18s) Alternate 1
255 35% 19 26.03 Front +1 sizing (vis a vis 18s) Alternate 2

275 35% 19 26.58 Rear +1 sizing (vis a vis 18s) Alternate 1
285 35% 19 26.85 Rear +1 sizing (vis a vis 18s) Alternate 2

============

As you can see, widths are fairly consistent with upsized tire sizes (plus sizing) with only the aspect ratio (%) changed for increase in wheel diameter.

It just happens that in the Z's range of sizes, a 5% drop in aspect ratio equates to roughly the extra inch of wheel size.

 

Having purchased a 2004 touring new, terrasmak is correct - 18 x 8 on all four corners. Oddy, the wheels, while identical, are mark with an "F" and "R" denoting "front" and "rear" and the casting is slightly different for each.

 

Wow learned something new! Going to look at my 04 touring 18s when I get home. I just always assumed they were staggered due to the different tire sizes.

I wish I knew this years ago when I had 2 sets of front tires and had to purchase another set of rears for them!