Driven

Here is the deal: I'm in the final days of my wheel purchase decision and the only wheel remaining in my portfolio of possiblities that I don't have enough information on to evaluate fairly are the RAYS Gram Light 57Pro's. I know I can get them in 18" and up to 10" wide...so I'm in good shape there. And they are in the right price range for me...but Mackin cannot stand behind the wheels because they haven't been "recommended" as of yet for the 350Z. I've found a reputable dealer who states they will stand behind them...so that shouldn't be a huge deal...but I still want to accomplish a certain look and am hoping someone has either seen them in person and can offer some impressions...or someone knows of a Z owner in Japan that may have intalled them already and has a picuture they can share??? Wishful thinking...but you never know unless you ask.



Can anyone help???

03Z33

iTrader: (49)

Looking at the sizes listed for the Gram lights 57Pro's you should be good with the 18x10 et 22 rears and 18x9 et 22 fronts, these are a cast wheel but very light weight.

If your budget allows you might also consider the Gram lights 57F in 18X9.5 et 20 rear or 18x10.5 et 22 rear and 18x8.5 front et 30 these are forged, lighter and stronger but do not have the polished lip. also the spoke design is a little different more angular/boxy.

In my oppinion the Gram Lights is not massive enough for the Z and will get lost in the wheel wells. For performance they are great but might leave something to be desired in the looks department. What other wheels are you considering? A great looking wheel for the Z is the SE37K and of course the TE37's, if you like the polished lip then there are the new speacial edition CE28's and also the LE37's HTH's Jeff

Driven

Jeff,

Wow...you threw a bunch of numbers at me didn't you??? I'll have to look up all those because I'm not familiar with all of them. I do like the look of the TE-37...but as you mentioned...no polished lip and the one that is there just isn't very deep...even with the 22+ offset. Do you have pics of each you mentioned??? Could I PM you with my email and ask you to forward if you do?

To answer your question: I am considering the HRE 445R and the Kinesis K59R. Both with the reversed lip, and both are 5spoke. What do you mean by the Gram Light's getting lost in the wheel well??? If I go with an offset that pushes the tire out and if it's a 285....all you will see is a quality wheel and massive rubber....that's exactly what I want. I like it when you can see through the wheel...don't even like too many 6 spokes and the spider web style wheels are definitely not my style. So do any of those you mention fit the bill?? Basically I'm looking at just over 3K in wheels alone on my other listed options...so the Gram Light was coming in on the other end of the spectrum...really wish I could see it inperson or photoshopped on a Silverstone at the very least....anyone???

Driven

Nope...don't like any of those, but don't know what "HTH's" are? Must be an abbreviation for something or else they aren't Volks.

?? ??

Back to the drawing board...why was it again I should reconsider the 57Pro's?? Who has a friend in Japan that can help???

03Z33

iTrader: (49)

I would take the Gram Lights over the Kinesis and HRE wheels for performance because they are lighter and cheaper. Kinesis and HRE wheels are Forged 3 piece wheels, but are also a bit heavier (around 20-24 pounds in your sizes). Did you also check out the Nismo LM GT-4 wheels? 5 spoke version of TE37 still no lip though.

Some other 5 spoke light weight wheels w/ lots of lip are the Racing Hart CP F-tune R's and the SSR Profesor SP-1 or SSR Type-C's (www.tirerack.com has those as SSR Competitions). These are all sick wheels and might fit your needs, I have never seen the SP-1's in person yet but I'm sure they will work great on the Z and are a true light weight 3 piece wheel for only about 500-650 each. check out www.speestar.co.jp and www.hartwheels.co.jp

Jeff

Driven

Thanks Jeff,

I will check all those out also...yes, I do kindof like the GT-4's...but again, not really the lip I like. The 57 Pro's have over a 4" lip with a 38+ offset...or nearly 4.5" if I were to be able to fit a 22+ in there! I just can't get a good feel for them and only have found a couple pictures of them....I really need to see them on a Z!

Loaded_Pistol

post pics of the rims you are talking about

Driven

I realize it is not a technically advanced task...but as you can see from my above attempt...I don't know how to. Thought I did...but I don't. Check the sight O3Z33 posted...the RAYS site...they have them all. It also seems there may be some others availabel come sometime in Feb. Jeff is leaving tomorrow to go to some auto show/exhibit in Japan and will certainly find some interesting info not available to the rest of us.....hopefully he is in a sharing kind of mood when he returns.

valuetl

Driven I'm going to the TAS in Japan next month and if I see any fairlady Z's with G/L on them I'll take pics for you.