as the title of thread, what do you guys think? it's time for some new rubber so I'm definately getting the kdw2's. just trying to figure out what sizes I want to get. I want more grip out back so I can shift hard and not get sideways the whole time but I also want to maintain turning ability. are the size differences too much from front to back? the height of the tires should be close but I know that's a pretty big difference in the widths.

 

Is that on 8" fronts and 8.5" rears?

 

yes sir, stock

 

Lets see, first your car will handle worse with the extra stagger in width. Second the rear tire width you selected is to wide for the wheel, and will roll a little on the wheel, during a high corner load.
I suggest 245/40 front and 245/45 rear, if you have to have a wider rear tire, get a 255/40 rear tire.

 

The wheel is 215.8mm wide.
The tire is 275 mm wide.
Think about it.

 

I've got 255's on the back right now.

 

In my experience, 350Z's with STOCK suspension, handle best with a square setup. If you can't afford new wheels to get wider tires then get the stickiest tires you can afford.

Again, in my EXPERIENCE, the Kumho XS's are excellent tires. Given, I've only experienced a few tires. But, I've tracked 3 models, Nexen N3000, Kumho MX, and Kumho XS.

Nexen's: Great cheap tire actually. Highly recommend for a kick around street tire. My instructors at the track even commented on how good they were and said they felt better than the Yokahama AVS ES100's for comparison. But, they weren't driving.

MX's: First real tire. Much stickier than the Nexens. My straight away speeds increased a bit because my exit speeds were so much higher. My shift points on the track were earlier than before.

XS's: (given, I switched from 225's to 275's) Incredible difference! Much higher corner speeds.

 

For the stock 8.0/ 8.5" combo. The best size combination to maintain the stagger, and still fit your wheels is 245/40/18 front and 265/40/18 in back. With the 8.5" wheel, I would go no wider in back. IMHO, maintain the stock stagger in our vehicles.

Lou

 

245 or 255 front - max. 255 or 265 rear - max. Make sure you get the profiles correct though.

 

thanks guyz

 

Anyone know the offset of '03 Track rims?

 

front 8j18et30 ... rear 8,5j18et33

 

Same as '06+ rims -- +30F, +33R