I have the 03 touring Z and am trying to find out the widest tire I can put on the stock 18 rear wheels without any modifications. Asked 3 stores and recieved 3 answers. Thanks

 

i vote 275s. They will fit fine and don't look funny.

 

WTF??? He's talking about an 8" wheel, not a 9½". The recommended max is 245.

I have 265's mounted on 8" OEM wheels for autocrossing and they are crammed onto those wheels. I've seen 275 and 285 R-comps forced onto 8" stock wheels and they are even worse.

 

I half apologize: I was thinking about my 18"s which are the track ones (8.5" wide) I had 275s that looked fine.

 

While you can fit 275's on 8½" wheels, it certainly isn't the recommended or optimal width, especially for street use.

 

For the 8" stock touring wheels the max would be 245's.

 

+1 unless your talking about autocross fitments

 

If you want wider tires how about wider wheels. That's a fourth answer.

 

Your wheels are 18x8” so you can go as wide as 255 on this wheel. 255 is sort of an “orphan” size for the correct overall diameter for the Z’s rear. Your best selection (cost and availability) is a 245/45-18” tire on your car’s rear.

When you change the fronts, you might want to consider 245/40-18” tires on the front. I run this size on the front and it provides better handling than the 225/45-18” stock recommendation. But, 225/45-18" do cost less.

A tire that is 275mm is too wide for your stock wheels. It will look like a “doughnut,” won’t lay its tread down optimally to the pavement (as it would on a wider wheel, such as a 9.5" wheel), and costs more with less traction than a less expensive 245 tire.

--Spike

 

i just went through this problem last year i bought rota P45R's 18x9.5 all the way around. I didnt want my fronts looking stretched so i did some research and saw that some people get some rubbing on the front with a 275/35/18 so i went with the 265s up front and the 285s in the rear. The fronts seem perfect i definately have not seen heard any rubbing whatsoever but i think thats pushing the limits of the fronts. Now in the rears I think there is more room to mess around with so i think next time im goin to go for a 295 in back because i like the extra rubber in the back. And the 285s dont look at all too wide in the back if anything they look almost stock in terms of stretch.

 

295/30 is pushing the limit up front , 275/35 is a breeze.

 

I have a question regarding this also...

I have a 2006 Enthusiast, and I was thinking about going just a bit wider front and rear. I don't have money for new rims... so this is my absolute only option. I have 18x8.0 with 225's on the front, and 18x8.5 with 245's on the rear. Hypothetically, could I go with a 245 front and 265 rear on these stock rims?

Also, would I lose a bunch of performance due the the inevitably higher weight? Obviously my drifting days will be out the window with the wider tires, but the extra handling will likely be worth it.

 

There are a couple 265/40's on the market, federal would be my suggestion especially for drifting. But since your into drifting and our cars plow the front badly with stock suspension/sways, i suggest 245/40 front and 245/45 rears.

 

I'm not 100% into drifting, I like ripping up the back roads too. I am just excited to have my first RWD car, and getting the **** end out a bit often is a bunch of fun. Didn't really think about changing to 245 all around though. that would definitely help me drift more accurately.

I have a buddy with an LS2 (new style) GTO, and that thing drifts so effortlessly... I would love for the Z to be able to do that. Of course the GTO has 100+ more hp...

Is Federal the tire brand? I know my buddy has Nexen's because they are a good drift tire. Do you think going a bit wider in the front, and staying stock in the rear would make it look kinda weird? I mean, the stock sizes almost look stretched as it is now, and going 20mm wider would make the stock look beefier, but not the rear. Opinion?

 

Yes federal is a tire brand, and great for drifting, they stick but hold up with some good spinning. The 245 combo i mentioned, well a few people run that, its a nice balanced ride and looks great.

 

hey guys, i sort of have the same questions.
i'm also running on the stock 18" 6 spoke rims. (04-05 i think)
so they are 18x8 and 18x8.5 right?
bcuz my potenza's are almost dead,
all i want to know is other than 225 front and 245 on the back,
do i have other choices? what is the maximum width i can put on the front and back?
say F 235 R 255 or F 245 R 245?
then of course without making it looking like a donut or sacrificing the performance on the tires.
thanks in advance

 

245 rear for you , your wheels are 18x8's front and rear.

 

i got 275s on 06 stock 18"rims for the rear....they don't look any funnier than those stock rear tires on a late model BMW 700 series.
Like i've mentioned before, tire width varies between tire brands. Michelins and some Bridgestones come narrower on average for the the same size tire. i've had to order one size up just to match oem stock width a couple of times.

 

^^ And... of course... the tire manufacturer has a chart for the tires specifying maximum and minimum wheel widths for specific tire sizes. It's an "exact science."

--Spike

 

275/40/18 General UHP