I was just checking the size of my tires to begin the process of pricing a new set.. and when I look... I get very confused. I have always been told that the rear wheels are wider than the fronts and therefore I couldn't rotate my tires.. I have an 03' Touring.

Well I never looked before (original tires that came from the dealership) but I now see that they are 245/45RZ's on both front and rear... I always thought that the rears were 225?

Ummm what's going on here?

I never bothered rotating knowing what I 'thought' was that the tires were different sizes...

I mean... would a 245 tire fit on a normal front wheel? I honestly don't know alot about wheels/tires.

 

its fine. Some people do 245/45 all around, while others stay in factory spec which is 225/50/17 235/50/17 or 225/45/18 235/45/18 for the 03-05s

 

I, too, was wondering the same thing about rotating tires. Consensus seems to think it is ok. But I was a little skeptical at first as to whether or not the "non-stagger", "same size all around" set-up would affect the TCS/ABS, as I heard it may affect VDC, but if your tires are "factory-direct" and 245-45-18 all around, I am DEFINITELY convinced that you will have no problems rotating them!

 

350Z Wheels
Standard 17":
Alum Alloy
F-17x7.5
23.259lbs
R-17x8
24.140lbs

Touring 18":
Alum Alloy
F-18x8
R-18x8
26.565 lbs

Track 18":
Super-light Alum Alloy
F-18x8
18.188lbs
R-18x8.5
18.629lbs

 

I think a 245/45 will be squishy on the front. I'd rather sacrifice some mileage and speedo accuracy for better road feel and steering precision and go with 245/40 if you want to rotate. This is a sports car after all.

 

Wow, didnt know touring had same size rims.

Dave to the rescue.

 

So, I don't know if I have all the facts correct or what, but were the tires from your '03 Touring "factory," or "aftermarket" that somebody else just put on over the stock 18'' wheels? If they are indeed factory, I don't understand why some members here have argued against the "same size tire all around" concept. I mean if it comes factory that way, there is no way there should be any problems w/VDC, TCS, ABS, right? Unless Overall Tire/Wheel diameter (height) is the problem being considered.

Maybe those members have done some other kinds of mods to their vehicles leading them to believe their issues were due to the "rotating" tire set-up, but in reality not actually the case? Still unclear about this. Anybody with stock Touring Z's, please shed some light!

 

Tire size is all personal preference. I actually prefer to have the same size all the way around, but i mostly use this car for racing. The only thing you have to worry about is getting close to the same difference in dimensions front and rear to keep the VDC/Traction Control happy (or just defeat it then nothing to worry about). Also, please make sure that if you are going to be rotating your rims that you remove the bolt on the rotor that keeps you from mounting the rear wheels on the front.

 

how far can the factory tires stretch? im lookin 4 8.5 up front and 9-9.5 in the rear. im on stock 18's w/ 225/45/18 and 245/45/18. can it b done and look/perform halfway decent?

 

I was running 245/40/18 on track wheels all around; never ran into a problem with the VDC. I reccomend them to anyone, it is a better feel.

 

Usually people want to do that the other way around with bigger tires on smaller wheels. Any reason why you would want to do this? They will probably fit, but they are gonna look really funny all tucked in.

 

Yeah, I saw that post, too. But when changing tires my first time, I'll admit, I wasn't sure what the hell that bolt was... I guess "common sense" sort of just told me to remove them!

Anyways, now thinking my set-up of 265/40/18 all around should be fine. Hopefully I don't run into any issues w/install, besides maybe some fender rolling.

 

I'm running 265's all the way around. No rubbing at all. Running a staggered setup causes under steer and its much better to run the same size all the way around for handling and then you can rotate your tires. If you have a drag only car then a staggered setup with a small tire makes sense but this is at the expense of handling.

Also you get quicker steering response and better consistancy of traction loss with a stretched tire. It baffles me why so many people use 305's or larger on G35's and 350's at near stock hp. And then run a smaller wheel/tire up front. This kills handling and what is the reason for having that big of a tire. Also running a streched tire or proper fitting tire you will have a larger contact patch then you will by running a bulging tire. Unless you are making over 400hp to the wheels a 235 or 245 will have plenty of traction. Running a 265 is a perfect compromise. Wide enough to have great traction without the over kill of huge tires. Especially when you look at the weight a large tire adds. Reducing the rotating weight makes a huge difference. If you have a crazy built turbo charged car and need that traction I apploud you but for most of us that is just not needed.

 

It depends on the tire as well. A 45 Azenis with the very stiff sidewalls could flex less than some 40 tires of other brands. The 40 would have slightly less of a contact patch as well, but it would be lighter.

I run 225f and 235r on the daily driven tires, and I have some 255/40's all around on the Volks for the track. All 17's.

 

350Z Tire Sizing
Standard 17":
F-225/50WR17
R-235/50WR17

Touring 18":
F-225/45WR18
R-245/45WR18

Track 18":
F-225/45WR18
R-245/45WR18

 

The subject is discussed regularly. Be smart. Read: https://my350z.com/forum/wheels-and-tires/203755-will-these-tires-work-with-my-vdc-enabled-car-read-here.html

 

Thanks for the link davidv, I must have missed that one. But if you take a closer look, you will notice that the writer only references the track Z tire/wheel set-up in his example. The stock 17 set-up is actually a bit different and only has a 1.57% variation between front/rear tires. If this 3% max ECU tolerability change is true, then having the same size tires all around should pose no issues for those running, or wishing to run, such a set-up. I could even tolerate up to a 1.43% (-1.43) change in the other direction if desired (which I definitely don't).

But thanks for the info, though. I think it really helps us all understand how the Z thinks/works just that much more! I think this is a great thread, btw.