Sial

I have a 2003 Touring, and front what I understand the OEM wheels are 8'' wide front and rear with a +30mm offset. Based on that and using http://marksink.com/tire_wheel_offset/offset.html as a guide, it's not possible to get a rim of a different width to match perfectly how the OEM ones do.

From what I've read so far VDC is only interested in the overall distance around the tires. As long as I stay within 3% of the OEM circumferance I should be OK. Do the other factors (clearance from strut housing and fenders) matter as much or is that simply for appearance's sake? Obviously I'd like to have the wheels line up properly, but as I said before it won't be possible to match dead on if the rim width changes.

As a couple examples, I've found the following:

18x8.5 +35mm (front), 18x9.5 +35mm (rear) - indicates that the front has a 2.5'' lip and the rear has a 3'' - does that matter as far as fitment is concerned?

18x8.5 +20mm (front), 18x9.5 +20mm (rear)

18x7.5 +45mm (front/rear)

Would a spacer help any of the above?

3FITTTY

iTrader: (3)

2nd option is the best set up.. +20 on front and rear...

+45 is out of the question..

and the +35 will work, but you should get 10-20mm spacers for it..

Sial

Thanks for the quick response.

Again, according to the calculator I was using that would mean -

On the front from an 18x8.0 +30mm to an 18x8.5 +20mm:
The clearance from stut housing to the inside of the wheel will be 4mm MORE
The outside edge of the wheel will EXTEND an extra 16mm

On the rear from an 18x8.0 +30mm to an 18x9.5 +20mm:
The clearance from stut housing to the inside of the wheel will be 9mm LESS
The outside edge of the wheel will EXTEND an extra 29mm

Seems like the rears won't fit at all. What am I missing?

Wired 24/7

iTrader: (2)

Maybe this will help, from the top 100 most asked questions thread

Q: What wheel sizes and offsets do I need?
A: Generally speaking, there are a LOT of different combinations that people are running on their Z or G.

Let's get the basics out of the way first: You need a lug pattern of 5x114.3, width between 8 and 11 inches, and diameter of 17", 18", 19", or 20".

Here are some of the more popular wheel and tire sizes (for good reason) that people put on their Z's. There is no "RIGHT" answer but there is a limit to how big or small you can go.

18" combination:
Front 18" x 8.5" , Offset +15 to +25, Tires 245/40/18
Rear 18" x 9.5" , Offset +15 to +25, Tires 275/40/18
(lower offset such as +10 in rear is possible but may require rolling)

Front 18" x 9.5" , Offset +25 to +30, Tires 255/40/18
Rear 18" x 10.5" , Offset +28 to +35, Tires 285/40/18 or 295/35/18
(lower offset such as +23 in the rear is possible but may require rolling)

19" combination:
Front 19" x 8.5" , Offset +15 to +25, Tires 245/35/19
Rear 19" x 9.5" , Offset +15 to +25, Tires 275/35/19
(lower offset such as +10 in rear is possible but may require rolling)

Front 19" x 9.5" , Offset +25 to +30, Tires 255/35/19 or 265/35/19
Rear 19" x 10.5" , Offset +23 to +32, Tires 285/35/19 or 295/35/19
(lower offset such as +23 or wider tires in the rear is possible but may require rolling)

From this, you get the idea of what is required to go with smaller wheels like 17's, (typically lighter, faster acceleration), or bigger wheels like 20's (bigger, heavier, usually makes you feel slower).

Certain combinations of LOW OFFSET and/or WIDE WHEELS will require what is known as "fender rolling" or "fender cutting".

If you are not familiar with the term "fender rolling", here is a quick but useful lesson you can learn in a couple of minutes: Go outside to wherever your Z is parked. Run your fingers along the inside edge of a REAR fender just above your tires. You will feel a sharp edge and a flap of metal sticking inward towards the car. Now, go up to the FRONT fender, and feel the inside of the fender again. You should notice that the flap of metal has been "rolled" upwards on the front fenders. This is exactly what fender rolling is all about. The rear fenders will need to be rolled to make room for wide wheels or low offsets, or else your tires may rub on the metal when you take hard corners or hit bumps. Any experienced wheel/tire shop should know how to roll a fender. If you go to a shop that does not seem like they know what they're doing, get out of there.

davidf

iTrader: (18)

Or you could can do what a lot of people do, you find a car on here with rims you really like and PM the guy for specs., problem solved.

Wired 24/7

iTrader: (2)

Or PM status, and tell them what kind of rims you like, and ask for ones that fit with tires etc.

Sial

Found some that I think (hope) are perfect:

Motegi Track Touge
18x9 (front) +25mm
18x10 (rear) +30mm

Tire Rack recommends 225/45-18 on the front and 245/45-18 on the rear. Although I'm sure those would work, I'm looking for something a little more aggressive. Would the 255/40/18 front and 285/40/18 rear work? And are those offsets OK? They seem to be close enough to the ranges given earlier in this post. Kinda falls right between the 8.5 and 9.5 fronts and 9 and 10 rears.

sfarrah

iTrader: (4)

You can easily fit a 275 on a 9 inch wheel and 295 on a 10 inch wheel if you want to get more rubber on the ground. A taller sidewall will give you a softer/smoother ride at the sacrafice of crisper turn in. I wouldn't use what Tire Rack recommended if I were you.

Volk350Z

iTrader: (65)

I had.. Volk Racing CE28N 18x9.5 +15 & 18x10.5 +18 with 255/275 series tires on my car and no problem...

Z BOY

iTrader: (41)

don't know what color/style you're looking for, but i'm looking to sell mine for stock ones +cash. volk gtn 9x18f, 10x18r w/ 255f, 275r. i think i'm the only one w/these wheels on this site.
ps: gold on ppw? quite impressive.

eddieclayton

iTrader: (2)

I was looking for some 19" SSR Professor SP-1's. Tire Rack has them but I think the offsets are a little off? 19x9 F +31, 19x10 R +37.