You might wanna some bigger wheels to fit our wheel wells

 

A lot pple pick their wheels based on appearance. Wheels dramatically change the appearance of the car. When you are shopping for wheels just look around til you find the right one (based on your own opinion). I was planning on getting 18s until I saw the wheels I wanted which looked a lot better in 19s so I ordered them in 19s. $$$ is more but I was willing to spend extra cash. But I really really liked the way they the 5zigen hypers look in black chrome but it is out of my price range so I am content on my choice.
My point is wheels is such a personal choice and other pple's opinion shouldn't matter.

 

I agree! Some people like the stock look, some people like aftermarket 18s, some 19s, and some, like me, like 20s. I don't really care if other people don't like them b/c I am not trying to please the other people. Wheels are a personal opinion, this would explain why there are tens of thousands of different wheel styles, finishes, and looks. So if you like a certain wheel or certain size of wheel don't let others that don't have to look at the car everyday like the owner does talk you into buying something you don't really want. If you buy rims just to fit it that is just WRONG!

 

It really depends on the type of wheels.

Some look great in 18's and some you have to get in 19's or don't bother.

Take for example:

Volk GT-C's...
Have you ever seen these things in 18's? It's not even the same wheel anymore. The concavity is gone and the rim is pushed out in the center.

With that said, I still wouldn't mind a good pair of 18's though. Lighter, cheaper tires more wheel wall etc..

I had someone tell me once "you Z bastards are lucky, your wheel wells can swallow almost anything." I just took that as a blessing and went with what looked the best to me: 19's.

 

I have looked at an untold amount of Z's as I wanted to change out my stock 17's. Here's my opinion, even if you don't agree...

The stock car doesn't look terrible with 17's, but 18's look better.

If you have a front lip and side skirts, 18's can get swallowed up, and you might want to consider 19's, which will be big, but will look like 18's do on a stock car (as opposed to 17's).

If you have a bigger kit (such as the one I have), it can eat 20's and not look too big, but otherwise, 20's look too big to me. I've seen 20's on a stock car and it looks ridiculous to me, but obvisouly to the people who bought them, it looks fine.

 

Tell Me Why I should "NOT" Get 19's

Any ways!

I was debating same thing before so I decided to get 18"s to save money. Well now if you read my sig., I have 19"s. I changed to 19"s. If you have the money, get 19"s. 19"s look better. As for the ride quality, they are about the same. Don't make the mistake I made & loose money. I am in a process of selling my 18" SSR GT3 now.

 

Hahha, for some reason that last part of that statement had me rollin!

 

I went with 18s because I think there are more tire choices availabe, they are cheaper, the ride is better, and I don't see many performance cars with 19s+.

After I put my RS*R springs on last week the wheels look as big as 19s when rolling anyway.

 

Stock is seen on the streets everyday, aftermarket DRAMATICALLY alters looks of the vehicle to the point where people break their necks to catch a glimpse. Someone mentioned you get 'less tire w/ larger wheels?' how is that possible when i go from a stock 18x8 to a 19x10 in the rear and 245 to 285 rear tire?!?! More like ALOT more tire than stock!! Car handles ALOT better and has a much more aggressive stance. Wider is better and stock doesnt have a nice fat 3-4'' lip!!

 

Exellent points. Reason NOT to get 19's far outweigh the single reason to get them, which is looks. Of course you could also say looks are the only reason to get 18" over 17", unless youn are installing a BBK that requires 18". In fact, this is why the bigger wheel trend first started, then it took on a life of its own. Remember, rubber is lighter than metal so the smaller the wheel, the lighter the overall rotational mass is going to be. Of course there is a point where sidewall height begins to hinder handling performance but an aspect ratio below about 50 will not really improve the handling ability of the tire. So, it really comes down to a personal preference about the looks/performance trade-offs (weight issues & tire geometry), ride quality desired and brake clearance requirements. I went with 18" Nismo wheels and the 332mm Stoptech BBK for all the reasons I just mentioned.

 

you should downgrade to 17" and send me your 18" with this logic j/k
if your not into the looks and you drive your z hard its better to stick with 18"

 

also it's worth mentioning that more rubber transfers more heat away from the rotor vs the wheel which will retain a lot of heat for much longer.

there seems to be a lot more both tire and wheel choices in 18 instead of 17

a lot of people say 19's look better, to each his own. I think it looks kinda dumb having such a small tire tread around the wheel. Instead of giving the impression "I'm going to burn a lot of rubber" it gives off a vibe more along the lines of "I'm too wimpy to burn some rubber because I don't have much to burn, and it might dent up my huge wheels"

It's a trend. It's like prom dress vs a workout outfit. Don't want to get the car dirty or risk breaking a nail...

either the car is meant for looking at like a sculpture, or it's meant for driving the **** out of...IMHO

same can kinda be said for large lips - they're not fuctional. If you have a more conservative offset, the wheel isn't as close to the rotor and brake caliper so there's more room for the heat to disapate instead of building up in the wheel. That's not only good for cooling, but saves on your brakes, rotors, and wheel wear, not to mention it's better for aerodynamics. If you want the tire to come out further either get a hub adapter or get wider wheels/tires. It also puts the initial downforce and weight more out the outside of the wheel which is better for handling because it's pushed out wider

everyone wants to make their car look "pimp yo" but fewer seem to want to drive the car hard....again IMHO

i'm waiting for the next big cool trend to to be getting the Z raised, with tiny wheels and negative offsets with the wheels sticking out by 1ft on each side and a massive lip...

 

Never said I wasn't into looks at all. Plus I need 18's to clear my Stoptechs.

 

Yes, but your choice will have performance implications, one way or another.

 

This is a link to a car that has 19" NISMO LMGT4. IMHO the 19"s look much better than the 18"s.

http://liljerk.morpheus.net/350Z/nismo_lmgt4_19/

Let me elaborate: These 19" have a consistent look as opposed to the smaller 18"s. Although the 18" rears have that "dish/concave" look that many love, the 18" fronts don't. This IMO gives it a mismatching appearance, whereas in the 19", this does not happen.

Also, I have seen Nissan that uses 19” in auto shows when displaying NISMO S/R-Tune cars.

So, for these reasons, I'll go with the 19" myself.
Hope this helps.

 

I am getting 19" from my stock 18" and I don't care what anybody thinks. It's my money and me that has to drive the car everyday. My choice.

well, ok, I'll admit, there are just too many stock Z's in dubai and I want mine to look and handle differently (when the teins and sway bars arrive that is). hahahahahaahaha

 

hbenet,

I never liked the Nismos LM's because they look so bland to me.
The 19's... now those are nice wheels and to me they look much more fitting.



I think If I didn't REALLY care about the beautiful looks of the car I wouldn't have purchased a 350z in the first place.

I would have gotten something "performance" oriented like say: a saloon sedan rally car.

 

I completely agree with you ZephyR, the LMGT4s are too simplistic.

I personally have gotten MOMOs in the past. Nevertheless, for this one, I am building it ALL NISMO for now. That's my logic.
Cheers!

 

All things considered, I tend to agree. With the selection out there, I think I can find a good balance with 18's between Performance, and visual appeal. I like a deep lip though, and will definitely get staggered with some 275's in the rear. Plus, I can always get 19's later, and Maybe even keep both sets!