jimgary5390

I have an '06 Base with the 18" 5-spokes. I'm about to get some aftermarket DD wheels, and I want to use the stockers for drifting. However, I was considering selling the stockers and picking up the 17" wheels that came stock on the 03-05 Base Z's. The reason I am considering doing this is because of tire costs. I will actually make money by selling the 18's and buying the 17's, there is no doubt in that. My question is if tires will always be cheaper for the 17's and if the 17's will be sufficient for drifting in (I'm a n00b btw, if you couldn't already tell).

For my drift wheels, I'm also thinking that the cost might not be much different between 17" and 18" if I'm buying cheap used tires anyway. Is this a correct assumption?

And for the aftermarket DD wheels, I was also thinking about getting some 17's because tires will definitely be cheaper (right?) because I'll be buying new tires each time. I don't really care whether my wheels are 17's or 18's, I just care about tire costs and finding a wheel with a nice design. 17's may cost less for tires but there is less of a variety of designs to choose from.

Thanks for any feedback!

Nackers

I had a hard time reading this so excuse me for asking:

Why are you asking about this?

Look up tire prices online if that is your only concern.

But if thats too difficult- due to experience, 18's are more than 17's in most situations. However, if you want to compare a 245/45/18 Federal so say a 205/50/17 Falken... the 17" Falken will be more.

Although, if you go with the used route, I've found it less difficult to find good low AR tires in 17".

Now from an aesthetic and performance stand, I'd say 18's are the way to go. With the larger diameter you can run a lower AR tire and it doesn't look too goofy so you get the benefit of smaller sidewall. But again, there comes the cost.

And as far as wheel design, 17" and 18" are nearly identical. The vast majority of wheels offered in a 17" will also be offered in a 18". However, sometimes the widths aren't as wide between sizes and the offsets are different. I believe it's due to market demand. Until recently, most cars running low offsets had small diameter wheels. This has changed dramatically with the popularity of the "drift style" or "HellaFlush" among other cars besides the regular late 80's early 90's drift cars.


So again... I'm not sure if I read this right. I even tried again, but got annoyed. So here is a long, annoying, and somewhat hard to follow post in return. I do hope you get something out of this.

jimgary5390

Hey thanks for the response, it was very helpful. I'm sorry my post was so confusing, I'm aware it's hard to read. It's just a ton of questions jumbled into one post haha.

My impression is: 17's are cheaper, cheaper to buy tires for, and weigh less (relative to an 18" counterpart). 18's just look better and might add a little better handling. I'm pretty sure I will be getting 17's for both drift and DD. I'm not too picky about looks so 17's seem much more practical for me. I just wanted to weigh the differences before I spent some cash, so thanks for your input, I really appreciate it.

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iTrader: (7)

You are generally looking at $50 per tire price difference between 17s and 18s. It adds up. 17s are very popular with the 240SX crowd, so you have better selection and used tire/wheel options. The only reason I drift on 18s is because I have six OEM 18s laying around and I use my 17s exclusively for racing tires. (Again, cost is a huge factor) There is no performance benefit to 18s.

jimgary5390

Thanks dude! That's exactly what I was asking, just wanted some confirmation.

My DD rims will always get new tires and my drift rims will always get used tires. Therefore, cost is more important for the DD tires and abundance/selection is more important for the drift tires. 17's seem like the better choice for both ways, as long as I don't go crazy wide. I'm thinking 17x9 with a 245/255 tire for DD and 17x8 with a 205/215 tire for drift.

For drift I need to figure out a set-up that allows for quick loss of traction, but also decent grip for control throughout the drift. For DD I will want a little more grip for safety.

I also know that tire selection will also play a huge part in how the car reacts. I think that is just something I will have to figure out on my own (an expensive learning experience!). Anyone who currently drifts their Z (with relatively stock power output) who could give some input on rim and tire selection would be greatly appreciated.

Nackers

I used to use stock 17's. I would use 225/40/17's

Had pretty good experience with the Federal 595
Horrible experience with Sumitomo HTR 2 I think it was.

Other than that, junkyard tires.