I just had my utec tuned for my TN kit and although I made good numbers, I cant put the power down on the highway. I'm running 18x8's (which is the main problem) with some Goodyear F1's. I need a wider rim, but would like one in SBC(black Chrome like my current ones) cuz it really looks nice on my black Z. Any suggestions? If I could get 17x10.5 or 18x10.5 in sbc that would rock.

-B

 

https://my350z.com/forum/wheels-and-tires/229610-11-5-wide-wheel-any-takers.html

 

beat me to it lol...

 

 

^^^^ Yeah what they said.

 

what #;s did you put down? what other mods do you have?

I would suggest some 18x9/5 all around with some slicks in the back. the 5zigen fno1r;s are a good price rim and very light weight. contact www.splparts.com kual always has a set in stock.

 

I could go to froogle, type 350Z wheels, the post photos here for you to see. But you are capable of doing that yourself.

 

Unfortunatly a wider wheel will not always get you more power to the ground... Some may feel that way when in all actuality the larger wheel is heavier and requires more force to turn it and using a larger tire size making it harder to spin, giving the illusion you are getting more power and less wheel spin...

if you want a car for straight line acceleration, invest in a camber kit and run 0 camber... expect to loose some cornering abilities...

you can run a 7" wide wheel with sticky tire and get more traction and better acceleration then a car with a 13" wheel and street tire w/ camber...

 

Here is an image of what I am talking about...

This is with 18x10.5 w/ 295/35/18 Kumho Ecsta MX tires with low tire pressure for better traction...



You can see how there is not much rubber actually on the ground.. and when under full throttle and the rear end sits down a little more, even less will be on the ground as the wheel cambers...

With lowered Z's there is less rubber on the ground... stock height or with less camber will have more of a footprint...

Corner Carving how ever the car rocks!

 

The reason I ask is because after we tuned the UTEC/TN kit on the car(~400hp - even more torque), we took it for a drive on a back road by the shop and found that I was breaking loose in 1st/2/3/and into fourth. I have the f1-gsd3's on the car now (18x8 in the rear w/a 265 on it), and something has to change. I wont be auto-x'ing with this car, but occasionally I meet someone on the street who enjoys a somewhat competitive spirited drive, and I would like to have the car actually show its potential.

-B

 

Honestly I think your traction problems will disappear with camber correction and better dry traction tires such as Falken 615's/Yokohama A048's/Nitto NT-01's/BFG KD's or something similar.

 

I did some research before I puth them on and thought that the f1-s and the proxy t1-r's were supposed to be pretty good tires. Would the Nitto or Yok's really make that much of a difference at the same size?

 

I know the nittos and advans are R-compound and it makes a lotta difference especially on a race track. If you are looking for just straight line traction then I would suggest the falkens, they are very meaty.

 

Also, I was pretty sure that I needed more surface area (wider rim) because I'm not lowered...so my camber is probably not that far off.

 

A wider rim will definitely help because you can fit a wider tire, especially if you have stock suspension.

You also have to remember, Z's come with negative camber in the rear in stock form so you don't actually have 0 camber if you aren't lowered.

 

True...didnt think about that...i'll get that zero'd soon. Now I just have to find some wide sbc rims that wont cost me an arm/leg/marriage.

 

LMAO Classic.

 

To get more power to the ground:

-Use Tires that are designed for your driving style.
-Adjust your alignment to your driving style and use a pyrometer to check.
-LSD do work!
-Look at your weight transfer rates - changing spings and/or shocks could be your answer.
- Look at your static weights, having more weight over the driven wheels w/o increasing the overall weight of the car will help. That is why people relocate the battery to the trunk.
- Look at your corner weights.

Finally, look at wider tires if these don't work.