i have a 2006 350z and im contemplating between fully adjustable coilovers or going from the 18x8.5 wheels to a 17x9 wheel and running 265/45 in the rear and 245/45 in the front.... nitto NT01's maybe? feedback would be appreciated with specific brands & preferences....
Daily/weekend track car

 

Why go DOWN in tire size? 18" to 17"? I could understand if it was a track queen but from what you're saying, it's not...

 

because $$$$

 

Shoudlnt have a bought a Z. The first lesson with this car is that you have to pay to play. With that being said, your trying to have a good combo for the track and DD, get wheels and tires first. than coilovers. Your suspension wont matter till you can handle the stock at the track just fine, when you take those to the limits than look for new coilovers, but the stock suspension at the track and new tires and wheels can do wonders.


get 17 x 9 all around with 275/35/17 great for weight savings as well.

 

Then i'd go with Coilovers if thats the option. stock 18"s looks fine on the 350z

 

Golden rule: Drop before wheels.

 

Keep the stock wheels for daily , get 17x9 all around with 275/40-17 front and rear for track use. Start saving for coilovers.

 

+1.... that's my golden rule too!

 

^

 

I'm with Stogey here too! Why buy wheels and tires if you are planning on altering the stance? The wrong wheels or tires can make your car unfunctional or just plain fugly.
Stop, Drop THEN roll!

 

The stock suspension will take you a long ways on the track, much further than mot expect. Combine stock suspension with a proper wheel and tire combo, your car do wonders on the track.

 

After reading the responses, you are only going to get a proper response when you tell us your goals.

the "golden rule" stated by DCJodon is incorrect unless you are for appearance only (even that is debatable). Or pigpen's comment on "stance" or "fugly". if that is your goal, stop thread, drop it.

There is a lot more to performance than a drop.

tires are the most important upgrade, to start.
performance coilovers are for people that know what to expect from coilovers and the specs they are looking for (maybe you are). "looks coilovers" - have at it, doesn't matter what you choose.

wheel size - 18's are fine for cost purposes, 17's could be better cost wise. but again, appearance for daily is a concern, may not be for you - and may need dedicated wheels (another cost)

agree with terrasmak, the stock suspension is a good starting point to learn for track use, then progress as needed. Tires first.

Again, entirely depends on your goals.

pp

 

Agree 100%! The original post by the OP is asking for opinions on drop first or wheels first.

Obviously you do not understand the concept of opinions. Several of us (including myself) stated that it would be wiser to purchase coil-overs BEFORE choosing wheels and tires for the mere sake of proper fitment. I've read countless threads of people selling their wheel set-up after a drop because the car is basically rendered useless due to poor fitment. This is our opinion on functionality which can save the OP wasted time and money in the future.

On that same dime; if the OP were to simply want to go wheelsOR coils, the majority of us would state the opinion of wheels. Thats a no brainer! If the OP wanted to go coils for just "looks", then the majority of us (again, those of us that understand this aspect of mods) would tell him to go coils or springs and add spacers to the stock wheels to avoid the dredded wheel gap that our stock Zs are notorious for. But again, this would be for "looks" since I would not recommend tracking a car on spacers (my opinion but stated in several instances).

If the OP were looking for straight up track performance, then the majority of those that have working knowledge of the Z would suggest for the OP to save some money and get coils, have them installed, get your desired stance/ride height, THEN purchase wheels and tires that will compliment your set up for optimal performance.

So as you see here palepony... those of us that stated our functional opinions to the OP were giving him opinions on functionality and the OP needs to decide what's best for his/her particular wants on their budget. I will show some pics of why we know what we know:

Stock wheels with 25mm spacers sitting on Tanabe springs


Again, stock wheels with 25mm spacers on Tein Springs


A rather unfortunate drop (in my opinion) on stock wheels/tires on coil-overs. This represents the dredded wheel gap!


A drop on coil-overs with wheels and tires to compliment the drop on coils AND I've been able to go lower than this picture due to proper wheels/tire selection made AFTER coils. (with Stogey420's help I will add)


As seen here


OP, I hope this helps, but the bottom line is that it's your car with your wants. Decide what you want to do and keep it stock until you can get exactly what you want when it comes to tires, wheels and drop. This is my opinion and the opinion of others that will back me up. Good luck!

 

I'm going to disagree with you. Regardless of whether you're going for appearance or performance, an aftermarket suspension will perform greater than just wheels/tires in both aspects. Granted, the Z is very trackable from the factory, coilovers will give you much better track performance AS WELL as a nice aesthetic drop.

And you probably took more effort to spell my name incorrectly than it would have taken to spell it correctly.

 

Wheel and tire will get you a lot further on the track, coilovers are nice but nothing compared to wide sticky rubber. I tracked for 2 years on stock springs and dampers with only Hotchkiss sways.

So how many people screaming coilovers have a lot of track experiance?

 

Order of importance for track stuff after the driver mod:

1. Tires
2. Diff
3. Suspension

 

I think the general consensus was that the OP should get his desired ride height figured out BEFORE he purchases wheels and tires. No one is going to argue that better tires have no bearing on track performance.

 

Sorry man, not all of us are racecar drivers like you. OP wouldn't be asking this question if he already knew the answer, therefore must not spend much time (if any) on the track. In the eyes of the daily driver/common enthusiast, suspension outweighs the benefits of wheel/tire. In the interest of adjustability, performance and ride comfort both on and off the track, coilovers are my choice for the common driver.

 

 

The amount of poor advice in this thread is not the least bit surprising. I'd argue that the majority of coil-overs that would be suggested by people in this thread would hinder performance vs stock. I'm speculating, but almost certain I am right.