FOR VDC EQUIPPED Z’s

According to Nissan, the following applies to VDC equipped Zs:

The rear tire stagger (overall diameter different) should be between 0.5” to 0.75” greater than the front tire.

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I’ve been reading and researching a lot of threads regarding the proper tires for my 2005 6speed Touring Z with stock suspension.

Based on my research I have concluded that the following will suit me best:
WHEELS: AXIS HIROS – 19X9.5 & 19X10.5
TIRES: Goodyear F1 Eagle 255/35 – 275/35

Here are the reasons behind my decision:

The Stock setup is as follows:
WHEELS: 18X8 – 18X8
TIRES: 225/45/18 – 245/45/18
STAGGER = +0.71



Some wheel shops and some threads recommended:
WHEELS: 19X8.5 – 19X9.5
TIRES: 245/35/19 – 275/35/19
STAGGER = +0.82 (incorrect stagger according to Nissan)
CONS:
-> The stagger is incorrect.
-> Why is this, the most common setup with an incorrect stagger?



Through my personal research and preferences I came up with the following:
WHEELS: 19X9.5 – 19X10.5
TIRES: 255/35/19 – 275/35/19
STAGGER = +0.55 (proper stagger; within Nissan specs)
PROS:
-> 35 series have sufficient side walls
-> Overall tire diameter is greater or equal to stocks, decreasing the fenderwell gap.
-> Good balance between oversteer and understeer by retainin the 20mm width difference (225 -> 245 VS 255 -> 275)
-> No fender rolling OR rubbing ( I HOPE!)



Other shops and some threads recommended:
WHEELS: 19X9.5 – 19X10.5
TIRES: 255/30/19 – 285/30/19
STAGGER = +0.71 (proper stagger, within Nissan specs)
CONS:
-> 30 series have insufficient side walls (personal preference)
-> Overall tire diameter is shorter than stocks, increasing the fenderwell gap.
-> Possible understeer issues do to greater contact patch in the rear



This is where the FORUM comes in…


1- Are my assumptions correct?

2- And if NOT, could you please post your PROS and CONS?

3- Is there anyone with a similar setup that would like to add their 2 cents?

Thanks

 

Don't forget some of us have 17" OEM wheels. The more important key is keeping the overall diameter as close to stock as possible. This allows for accurate speedometer and allows the TCS and VDC to work properly. Check this out:

Stock Front Tire:

225/50R17 = 25.9" Diameter

Aftermarket Front Tire:

245/35/R19 = 25.8" Diameter

Stock Rear Tire:

235/50R18 = 26.3" Diameter

Aftermarket Rear Tire:

275/35/R19 = 26.6" Diameter

Another factor is tire availability. There are quite a few choices when going with 245-275/35R19 tires. A 265/35/R19 rear tire would be perfect, but try and find one of those for sale.

 

dewuser, I agree with your findings. I've been suggesting a 255/40/18 and 275/40/18 combo for a long time, and my next tire set will be that size. Your reasoning mirrors my own, so I'm glad to see someone else reach the same conclusion as me.

The only draw back is as King Tut suggested. Tire availability can be limited in some sizes, but extremely common in other sizes. A 255/40/18 tire only has a few different choices, while a 245/40/18 has just about any choice you want.

That being said, I'm going to do a 255/40/18 in the front when I get new tires. The S-03 and a few other great tires are available in that size, so that works for me.

 

Forgot to mention: a 255 shouldn't rub in the front as long as you use a proper rim offset. I have the Nismo rims (8.5" wide with 25mm offset), and I'm confident there will be zero problems putting a 255 up front.

 

Glad to know but I’m still concerned about my wheels rubbing.

My offset will be:

Front 19x9.5 +25
Rear 19x10.5 +35

Is there anyone that knows for sure that this setup will not rub with stock suspension?

 

Current setup Michelin Pilot Sport PS2

Front: 18 X 9.0 with 245/40/18
Rear: 18 X 9.0 with 265/40/18

 

Yeah, that front offset could make it close. My Nismo rims are 8.5" with a 25mm offset, and they are only slightly pulled in from the fender. A 9.5" with a 25mm offset would be 1" further out, so that'd be close. With the stock suspension you'd probably be okay unless you bottomed out the suspension while the wheel was turned.

 

Here are the results:

My new Silverstone Z with 19'' Axis Hiro wheels

 

I have a base model and im about to put 245/35/19F and 285/35/19R. I am getting 19x8's for the front and 19x10" rims for the rear. All i know about the offset is that its 4"in the rear and 2 1/2 in front. Should that tire setup be fine. Also, what website is that from, i want to calculate the stagger on that tire setup

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but Base models don't have VDC, so you don't need to worry as much about your stagger ratio.

Here is the website: 1010Tires.com TIRE SIZE CALCULATOR

 

Just use the TIRE SIZE CALCULATOR link above and perform the following calculation:

(Rear Overall Diameter) - (Front Overall Diameter) = Stagger difference

The Stagger difference Nissan wants for VDC cars is +.5'' to +.75''

 

no vdc on base model

 

I have 255/35/19 up front with a 9" wide wheel with a 31mm offset. No rubbing @ stock height.

JET

 

What about putting 255/40/18 F and 275/40/18 R on Nismo LGTR's and S-tume suspension? Think it will oversteer?

Also thinking of going from S03's to either Eagle DS3's or KDW 2's? Thoughts?

 

this statement is untrue. a 8.5" wheel & 9.5" wheel both having the same offset would have .5" or 1/2" more wheel sticking out since the other 1/2" is on the inside.

dewuser, your setup in question would sit almost exactly where my 19x8.5" front wheels with a 15mm offset would sit. your wheels would sit almost exactly .100 of an inch more outward than mine. my wheels/tires are pretty much exactly flush with the fender. do remember that the wheel cambers in when the suspension is loaded moving in an arched motion thus staying in uniform with the angle of the inner fender lip. only problem i can see is that your tire to wheel width ratio is slightly wider than mine. so i cant say for certain that you will not rub......

i do want to say that the stagger height is a tad more lenient than what we are led to believe. i have a touring model & when i purchased my car used someone had installed the same size tires front to rear before selling it. both f/r wearing 225/45/18's. i had no problems what-so-ever with this setup. i didnt have it long untill i went to 19's but they reacted the same as it does now with 245/35 & 275/35.........you are correct on your assumptions though with the stagger. you cant go wrong with the math you have been applying....best of luck!

-justin

 

sorry for the double post!

-justin

 

does the stagger really matter if i dont have vdc. With the setup i want the stagger is about 1.0 difference

 

i think the common approach, for the aggressive look, is to go as big as possible in the back without affecting the vdc. the 245/275 stagger is prolly the biggest stagger you can get away with without fzuking with the vdc. but "common" and "optimal" are not always the same thing. i'm in your camp, dewy; i'm going with the 255/275 cuz of the math...but then again, there's math and there's reality, but i believe jetpilot has proved that this is a safe setup.

 

one more thing to note to both dewuser & zboy is this: the relation of tire width to wheel width is going to be off front to rear. this is another reason most go with the 254/35 & 275/35 combo. try to look beyond height stagger at this point. the 255 on the 9.5 in rim will have an even amost bulkier look than the 275 on the 10.5" rim, wich will look a bit stretched. also with this tire width arrangement & the offsets you mentioned above you will have the rear looking much more sucked in than the front. this will make you wish you went with a less aggressive front offset.....the tire tread to sidewall will end more inside the fender with a 275 tire on a 10.5" wheel while the tread end on the 255 tire on the 9.5" rim will be much further outward exaggerating the rear being pulled in more than the front. look at it like this, the difference in width between the 2 tire sizes you are interested in is.300 of an inch. the difference in wheel width is 1.0", so you can see how the tire will fit differently on each rim......this would not be so bad if the front offset were a little less aggressive........its not a huge issue but if your in anyway as **** as i am about the way your car & wheels/tires look this will make you nuts, lol!

best of luck!

-justin

 

Oops. Sorry, I misspoke my last statement. I did indeed mean to say that it would be .5" greater on each side. I must've skipped lunch that day.