I've been considering this very thing.....the 18/19 combo.

 

just got myself a get of GT for my '04 of a wrecked '07. So wait I can put bigger than 245 in the front? Whats the best combo handling wise without going down to XXX/35/18 or xxx/30/19. I'm in NY and any pothole will eat a 30 profile in a heartbeat and i'm always concerned when I go over any with the rears now being 35 now. These Potenzas def won't last me all summer. 255 front / 275 Rear? 275 Front / 275 Rear? I have VDC, and want to stay under the 3% rule. I don't have spacers or anything and wouldn't want any.

 

i love my 18/19. its one of the reasons i bought a GT. We are lucky to have nice roads in phoenix though.

 

I just switched from the stock 04 18's to a set of the GT wheels 2 weeks ago. The ride is minimally rougher, but the handling overall feels much tighter. The other day I hit a pothole on the highway that I didn't even see coming on the front drivers side....felt like my head shattered, and my hand knocked me right out of gear....but the wheel/tire seem fine

 

For daily driving my GT's 18 and 19 set up is great and I've also been autoxing with them. But now I'm looking to get a set of 18s all around just for autoxing.

 

If you would of had your stock 18's on the car that pothole would have been much worse. Your running a 9" wide rim in the front now....I think thats 1" wider than stock....I think. But also a wider rim more importantly. So that means if you hit a bump in the road, it's less likely for the entire wheel to fall into the pothole because your wheel is now a little wider.

I hope your alignment is okay.

 

Thanks, I am going to do it, just will have to watch for potholes myself.

John

 

Sounds good. Mine is a daily driver only, so I think I will be happy as well.

John

 

18” wheels on the front and 19” wheels on the back is a great solution since it allows you to mount tires with nearly the same sidewall height (front and rear). That’s going to provide better handling and you won’t notice any difference in ride-comfort. The Z's staggered height as to wheels begs for this configuration. Why would you mount a tire with a taller sidewall on the *rear?

And... Mounting at least 245mm width in the front will give you nearly neutral handling, even if you go wider (such as 275mm) on the rears.

--Spike

EDIT: *Corrected comment for rear sidewall height (was "front").

 

anyone running a 295/30 on their 19" GT rim? i have noticed some tire calculators suggest you need a 10.5 wide tire and some suggest a 10 inch tire is wide enough. which is correct? i want to do a mail order and want to make sure the new tires will fit.

 

Well, it's certainly no lexus-like ride. But I consider it livable for a daily driver.

For those of you with an other than stock tire size, please post up pics and specs. Especially shots down the side to showcase how the sidewall looks on the rim, like this shot of my stockers:

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gr8scotto/350Z/photo#5008279780022501074"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/gr8scotto/RYD77MgDPtI/AAAAAAAAAYY/7gvr5QgOoHo/s800/Picture-1.jpg" /></a>

 

This weekend, I was able to fit 285/30/19 in the rear (with no fender rolling or cutting, but it's really close) and 255/35/18 in the front. My wheels are the oem forged rays that came on the car. 19x10 Offset +30mm rear, and 18x9 Offset +30mm front. I'm dropped on Hotchkis springs & sways.

 

Any chance of posting some pics?

 

255/4018 front and 285/35/19 rear

<a href="http://s105.photobucket.com/albums/m221/sandlapperhonda/?action=view&current=350z037.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m221/sandlapperhonda/350z037.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s105.photobucket.com/albums/m221/sandlapperhonda/?action=view&current=350z027.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m221/sandlapperhonda/350z027.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s105.photobucket.com/albums/m221/sandlapperhonda/?action=view&current=350z021.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m221/sandlapperhonda/350z021.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

^^ Nice!

 

Very nice, thanks for that. Beautiful stance. Anyone else? Gothchick, with your lower profile setup?

 

Does anyone has Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta tire with 255/40/18 front and 275/35/19 rear setup on their OEM GT Ray's wheel?
Can you post any pix of that setup?

Thanks.

 

Here ya go...

285/30/19 19x10 Offset +30mm , and 255/35/18 18x9 Offset +30mm. Hotchkis springs & sways.
Also have a stillen rear camber kit on the way, installing this weekend. Camber as it sits now, is just a little out of spec. :-(

 

I feel a little creepy, but... um... nice a$$

Seriously, looks great. I do think I like the lower profile. Any side shots? I promise I won't make any other allusions to body parts.

(and now I really hope your username is indicative of your gender)

 

That car looks perfect....OMG. I just wish those 19's in the rear weren't so dang heavy or I'd be after a set of these.