can someone point me to some reputable online dealers that would have winter tire packages available for the Z? i went to tirerack but they don't have wheel/winter packages available. weird since that was where my bro got his package for his G35 with performance wheel option, which i believe are the same wheel/tire size as on my 07 Z. that was a couple of years ago.

thanks for any help.

 

TireRack does not promote winter tire packages for several cars including the 350Z. Maybe its a liability issue.

The front Enthusiast wheel is 17 X 7 with a 225mm tire. 4 of those with snow tires should do you fine. Four 17 inch wheels are about $200. Check locally for take-offs.

 

Call tirerack and they will be able to help you. Sometimes certain things dont show up on their website. I have a copy of motor trend in front of me that lists a winter package for the Z from tire rack actually. Many people have ordered theirs from them. Also give discount tire a look.

 

Last year, when I still had my 04, I purchased some Blizzaks and some off-brand 17" wheels. The one issue I had with them is that the wheels were sent with hub centering rings. The hub centering rings did not fit. I ended up mounting the wheels without them, and although the center hole in the wheels were too big for a perfect fit, I did not experience any vibration while driving whatsoever. I haven't tried them on my 07 yet, but I am hoping I will have the same results.

 

front enthusiast wheels are 17x7.5, not 17x7

 

True. The Enthusiast model has 17x7.5” (front) and 17x8” (rear) wheels. But, I think you are missing David’s point. David suggests using 17x7” wheels and 225mm width tires (F-225/50-17 and R-225/55-17) all around when mounting snow tires for good reasons:

1) Since this is not an esthetic or track setup, why not go for a less costly solution?

2) Narrow tires (albeit 225mm is not narrow) perform better in snow.

3) Keeping your setup “all-square” (i.e., the same width tires front to back, 225mm in this example) reduces under-steer. Under-steer is exaggerated in slippery conditions (the tendency is to "plow" forward when you are trying to turn).

--Spike

 

what point did I miss exactly? I didn't make any mention of tire sizes etc. Also, oversteer in a slippery system is much worse than understeer, going narrower in this situation isn't to reduce understeer, it is simply to get more grip because skinnier tires cut through snow/rain better

 

You mention 17x7.5” wheels…
…as if that means anything when mounting snows. 17x7”, 17x7.5, or 17x8”… it makes no difference. I just didn’t understand why you felt it was important to point this out.

I’m not sure what your point about under-steer vs. over-steer is all about. Over-steer is obviously dangerous, but what does that have to do with anything I said. Where did I mention over-steer?

--Spike

 

will 225/50HR17 (17x7.5) on all 4 corners work on a Z?

 

Yes.

I ran these on my 2003 Performance Model (which has VDC) without any problems. 225/55-17" on the rears is a little closer to stock, but 225/50-17" works fine on my car. For sure keeping the widths (tires and wheels) the same and more narrow is the best for winter tires on the Z (Redlude97's posting above explains why).

--Spike

 

thanks for the reply Spike. this would be going on my 07 Touring, fwiw.

everyone else - thanks for your input.

 

I would run with 225/50/17 and 225/55/17 or 225/50/17 and 235/50/17. The latter setup will provide better dry handling for those that only get snow occasionally. A 235/50/17 on a 17x7 is quite bulgy though, so 17x7.5 or 17x8 all around is a better option for that size IMO

 

Your 07 Touring model has VDC (TCS is part of VDC) if it’s a MT, or just TCS if it’s an AT. Either way, you have at least TCS. TCS can make driving your Z in snow and ice a little tricky. If your rear wheels begin slipping (and TCS is on), TCS kills power to your rear wheels stopping forward momentum. In fact you may need to toggle TCS on or off, depending upon the road conditions.

Your 07 Touring model also has LSD. LSD is almost always useful in snow and ice. The only problem you may encounter is a sideways slip, and that only happens if you turn TCS off. LSD is always on (i.e., turning TCS off does not disable LSD).

Here is a scenario that hopefully explains this: You enter an upgrade that is slippery. TCS is on and your rear driving wheels begin slipping. The SLIP light illuminates, TCS kills power to your rear wheels, and you cannot go forward. What you should do? Turn TCS off (press the TCS or VDC button), and apply power. LSD will deliver power to both rear driving wheels, and your car (equipped with snow tires) will move forward. The only problem you might experience is a shift right or left on the rear, and you correct this by doing a gentle counter-steer while applying power.

The Z equipped with LSD and modern snow tires handles snow and ice exceptionally well and safely. The only thing that stops you is becoming high centered (when the snow depth is greater than the car’s ground clearance). That can happen since the Z has low ground clearance.

Please forgive me if I am repeating stuff you already know.


--Spike

 

Very good advice… Here in Frostbite Falls we get enough snow to justify doing all-square widths (225mm all around). Getting through snow drifts is more a consideration than better handling on dry roads (that do not happen often during our winter months here). Since we have ice and wet almost all the time during the winter, I follow the advice you posted on this thread in a previous message.
I did consider tires more narrow than 225’s to cut through the snow even better, but it looks so ugly on a Z I just couldn’t do it.

--Spike

 

Make sure if you go narrower than 225 also though that the load index is high enough for the weight of the Z/G.

 

^^ I won't go narrower than 225mmm. It's just too ugly.

But, I did check if this is viable,and it is. It's the load rating, and that has nothing to do with tire width.

--Spike

 

Its Load Index in most commonly referenced sources, such as tirerack.com. It does have to partly do with tire width, as tire widths go up, the load index of the tires usually trends upwards as well.

 

Ok let me get this straight. I need to get a winter tire/wheel setup and I've done my research. It looks like 225/50/17 on the fronts and 225/55/17 on the rears is the way to go since it's closest to the stock setup for me (F: 225/45/18, R: 245/45/18). If this doesn't look right let me know.

But another question, what's the recommended rim width? 7, 7.5, 8? thx spike for all your info.

 

Any of the rim width's you mention will work (17" wheels with anything from 7" to 8" widths is OK). I would buy whatever is the best price.

--Spike

 

Also, how important is offset? I noticed in the manual the stock fronts are 30 and the stock rears are 32 or 33. Most of the wheels I see are 30 and 35. Is this ok?