You cant get S03 255X40X19 here legally.

 

So I take that to mean that this size is not sold here in Oz.
Pity as we miss out on a lot of sizes and tread patterns sold O/S.

 

You sure about that? You're going to all this trouble to get narrower rear wheels for your insurance but you're going to use tyres that aren't legal here anyway so if your insurer found out your policy would be void.

I'd say you have an equal chance of them finding the illegal tyres as the wide wheels so if you're willing to take a risk I'd say stick with the wheels you already have. At least they're legal according to the RTA so you'd have a better chance of having them pay out.

 

Crap, thats a good point. That slipped me mind. Damn!

Alright, its up to Jax to jam a S03 265 tyre onto that rim then.

 

Ok guys, I got the prices for you. All of the prices below are in US$ and include shipping to Sydney. You will need to convert to AUD yourself since it flactuates all the time.

To convert the currencies go to http://www.xe.com. I'm still waiting for payment details and to find out how much taxes and duty we would have to pay to customs .

I'm waiting for a response from tirerack because they have great prices, but I think if I go throught them, I'll have to pay duty (instead of none or a fraction of it).

Let me know if any one is interested in this deal.

 

Tyres sold in Australia do not have any unique to Australia markings, but they have to be made to an acceptable international standard. The US std is DOT (Dpt of Transport) & european std is the E mark. All tyres sold in these markets would have ether the DOT or E mark & 99% would have both.
Some tyres manufactured in Japan for the domestic only market do not have International markings but it is becoming very rare.
There is a lot of things I would like to import & do import but tyres would not be one of them

 

Peter,

Legally from an insurance claim point of view, is there anything wrong with me ordering some 255X40X19 wide S03s from the US or Japan for the US market? They arent sold here basically.

 

As long as they have International std markings on them they are legal. All S03's will be so marked as they are sold worldwide
Have not been following you Insurance hassles so I dont no what your Ins, Co will accept

 

Murray, why don't you ring up NRMA and ask them if there are any restriction on the tires you can have on your car since you are thinking about importing them.

 

I decided to email the RTA and ask them if I can import tyres for the 350z.

Here is the cut'n'paste!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
name withheld

There is nothing in the regulations prohibiting the use of imported tyres.

The only thing you need to be sure of is the tread depth is at least 1.5mm and the load/speed rating of the tyre is equivalent to the original tyre type.

If you have any other enquiries, don't hesitate to reply or contact Technical Enquiries on 1300 137 302.

Regards

Colin Lambert

Technical Enquiries Officer

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So there you go! Now you heard it from the horse's mouth .

 

Ok thats some pretty good info, from all three of you.

Thanks guys.

 

Murray - if you're still considering this avenue, then keep in mind what may happen if you receive a faulty tyre.

1. Remove tyre from wheel at your cost.
2. Repackage tyre and send back to place of purchase, probably at your cost again.
3. Wait for a new wheel to arrive from OS.
4. Drive the Z with the T spare for probably 2 weeks or more.
5. Refit and balance replacement tyre at your cost.

This is assuming that the company you purchase from accept the tyre as being faulty.

Too many risks for my liking.
Surely you could get an Ultra high performance tyre to suit your requirements locally, making exchange in the event of a warranty claim far simpler.

 

Originally posted by KY350
Murray - if you're still considering this avenue, then keep in mind what may happen if you receive a faulty tyre.

1. Remove tyre from wheel at your cost.
2. Repackage tyre and send back to place of purchase, probably at your cost again.
3. Wait for a new wheel to arrive from OS.
4. Drive the Z with the T spare for probably 2 weeks or more.
5. Refit and balance replacement tyre at your cost.

This is assuming that the company you purchase from accept the tyre as being faulty.

Too many risks for my liking.
Surely you could get an Ultra high performance tyre to suit your requirements locally, making exchange in the event of a warranty claim far simpler.

I had thought of all these possible issues, though with:

3. My x2 new wheels will take at least 3 months to get here(they have to be made first then shipped)
4. I would put the stockies back on instead of the T spare.

But I know what your saying and it would all be a very large sh!tfight. Something similar to the sh!tfight I have had up until now with my current wheels, but cheaper. Ive had my wheels on, off, on off, on off, on off.

 

KY350, I've decided to go with getting tires from OS because the size I want (Michelin Pilot Sport 265/40-18) is $800 each in australia. The cheapest I've found it at the moment is US$270, I'm trying to find out at the moment if they ship to australia or not.

Also the prices which I've specified above were from a guy who sent me koni shocks. By mistake he send me one wrong shock and he has replaced it for me at no expense from my side. He has a cousin in syndey so all I had to do is return the wrong shock to him and I recived the new on 4 days later. He even sent it to me by FedEx Express and I've only payed for FedEx Economy for the original shock. I think you can't beat that for customer service.

Besides it seem to me that AU$ is going up and it has reached .70 today, so it's a good time to buy from overseas. Even if I recive bad tire, I'll be able to buy the tire I need locally and I would still come out on top and save money.

 

Nuff - thanks for that info. Damn those Michelins are expensive!

I am going to get Goodyear F1 GS D3's to replace the Predenza's. I don't know how much I can get 225/50R17 and 235/50R17's from OS as I am unsure as to how taxes are accounted for when coming into the country. Importing is an unknown are to me and of course I am hesistant to try it if I can get the product locally.

BTW, without ringing around, I got a price of $260 front and $335 rear, which I think is reasonable.

Good to see that your contact in the US is looking after you.

By my calculations, if you can get the Michelins for USD 270 = AUD 385. Add 30% for shipping and taxes and you're still miles ahead at $500 per tyre.

 

KY350, the shipping is bit more, i roughly estimate US$50 per tire, I'm not quiet sure since all the quotes I've recived up to now include shipping.

I would end up paying a bit less then you are estimating since I'm dodging the duty and taxes. Also AU$ just went up to .71 US$

I think it would work out to be around AU$490

Can you PM me the phone # where you got your qoute? I' would like to check some of their prices.

 

Jelly, can you also let me know where you got the price from, please!

As always

H

 

Has anyone considered AVON's?

I've done a lot of looking over the last few weeks, and there's a bluddy lot of performance late model cars wearing those

Porsche
Ferrari
Audi
jag
Merc.

Acouple of people interviewed commented on soft ride characteristis (because of the high silica content?)

NEXT - Still get good vibes re the YOKOHAMA V102 from a couple of revheads. ($460) for 245'2

One of my OS seas contacts who has given me lots of info re suspension/tyre stuff (I've got the dreaded tyre feathering)
suggests (read praises) the Goodyear f1 gs-d3 (?).
Interpreted P255 and P275/40ZR 18s on factory wheels - "100% smmother and quieter with phenomenal grip". No feathering without any alignment adjustments.

Also - it seems that the G35 in the US comes with Pilot Sports.

FRIZZLE

 

Frosty can u even get a 275 on the stock 18"s?

Wouldn't it look weird? And if it did just fit would it be legal? Ie it would look like it's buldging out from the rim.

 

I think getting the 275 on stock 18" would be quiet a fit, mostly the ones with stiff sidewalls. The minimum size that I've seen for goodyear, toyo, michelin, bfgoodrich and others are 9JJ wheels. That is why I'm going with 9JJ wheels allround.