I'm new to the forum. Just bought a 2004 Roadster and wanting to dress it up with new wheels and tires. It currently has stock 17" with brand new Hankook Ventus tires. Its black so looking to going to a 18" black painted wheels with polished aluminum lips. I don't want to go bigger because I don't want to drastically change the ride and handling, not to mention the added expense.

Here are my questions.

Should try and buy local or try and save $150 - 200 and buy them mounted and balanced from the internet like at Discount tires or Tire Rack.

What should I be looking at for rim width, 8.5, 9, 9.5 or combination of those in an 18". or does it matter. One set of rims I was looking at on-line comes in 9 but the local shop here said they would put 8.5 in front and 9.5 rear.

Looking at a few different tires, Falken 452, General Exclaim UHP's, or Nitto NT555s. These fall in the price range I'm looking to stay at.

Any advice would be appriciated.
Thanks

 

First of all theres alot of factors you need to look into, just because a wheel has the same bolt pattern and size doesn't mean it will look good on your car. Have you checked what kind of offset's you want on your wheels?

 

Local availability of wheels will be very limited. Most likely you will buy online.

Who will install wheels and tires? Ask for a shop recommendations in your regional forum.

The possibilities of size combinations is endless.

 

you may find what you're looking for on ebay

 

If your plan is replacing the wheels and the tires, I would suggest going to an 18” wheel.

• 18” wheels still provide a comfortable ride, especially if you go with wider tires.
• You have a slightly more secure feeling when cornering on 18” wheels (the shorter sidewall feels stiffer).
• There is a greater selection of performance tires for 18” wheels.
• The weight difference between 17” and 18” wheels is not great (comparing similar wheels).

Here is a conservative setup that doesn’t require fender–rolling, provides the comfortable ride you mention, looks good, and provides a wide selection of tires and wheels:

• 18x8.5” front wheels with 18x9.5” rear wheels
• 245/40-18” front tires and 275/40-18” rear tires

I present this setup because you mention that economy and ride comfort are important factors in your decision.

BTW: I like your preference for wheels with black spokes and a polished rim. That will look great on your black Z (and also looks terrific on redline and grey Z’s).

And… when you make your purchase, take some pics and post them here.

--Spike

 

Thanks,

Here are some of the options I'm looking at.

ACE Matrix 18X9 40 os
Privat Netz 18X8 40 os
Menzari MS Sport Black 18X8.5 F 18X9.5 R 35 os

They all look very similar. I'm not sure how much of a difference rim widths would make in look, ride or performance.

The Tires I'm looking at are Nitto nt 555
225/45ZR-18 front
245/45ZR-18 rear

Not sure how this compares to the 245/40-18” front tires and 275/40-18” rear tires that were suggested. I guessing lower side wall ? Also considering Falken 452s or General Exclaims UHPS

 

I highly suggest you reconsider your tire sizes. General Exclaims shouldn't be on your list of tire selection. The only Nitto I like is the new Invo. Buy from a trusted online vendor or from the used wheel/tire marketplace here.

245 front is sort of the "standard", although much larger can be fit without modification. 275 rear is also the "standard", and again - much larger can be fit without modification. I have never heard of any of the 3 wheels you suggested, and I play with wheels constantly.

Here are my black wheels on our roadster as an example - maybe you'll like them:

SSR Comps with black powdercoated centers. 295 rear on 18x10.5, 265 front on 18x9.

 

Those offsets are terrible. You will hate yourself for buying those. Do some research around the site and look at other people's cars. You will soon see if your wheels aren't close to flush your car will suffer in the looks department. I recommend you look like at Enkie or G games if your budget is low.

 

OK, so based on feedback and what seems to be the norm here is what I'm considering. It is really hard to find the suggested set-up (18X8.5 F 18X9.5 R) with the same off-set in the style and price point I was looking for. I'm still not sure what off-set I should be looking at but 35 seems to be the norm on most wheels that are out there. I'm assuming the off-sets need to be the same between the front and rear.

Falken FK-452 - 245/40ZR18 REINF 97 Y - BW 28-195-806
Falken FK-452 - 275/40ZR18 99 Y - BW 28-195-807
XXR 006 - Black - Black - 18" x 8.5" - 35 - 5/114.3 & 5/120
XXR 006 - Black - Black - 18" x 9.5" - 35 - 5/114.3 & 5/120

Is 1010tires a pretty good vendor ?

 

35 is horrible offset, you should be looking at around 22, give or take 5

 

"XXR 006 - Black - Black - 18" x 8.5" - 35 - 4/100 & 4/114.3 00688082
XXR 006 - Black - Black - 18" x 9.5" - 35 - 4/100 & 4/114.3 00689082 "

wrong bolt pattern

 

It seems almost impossible for find rims in those staggered sizes with around a 22 offset. Atleast not in the $250 to $150 per wheel price range. Almost everything seems to be between 35 to 45. There are a lot of Nismo wheels on cars that have a 30 offset and they don't look too bad. I want to change the look some from the stock 17" but don't want to change how the car drives that much, so don't want to go too crazy with tire and rim size. (I fixed the bolt pattern I had listed)

 

Look cita, you have to pay to play. A 30 offset is weaksauce. You can get a plethora of wheels at a 9 to 10 width with +22 or better offsets. Enkei is good start. There are plenty of vendors on the forums who can help you out. Don't settle on some cheap, chitty offset wheels, trust me.

 

Glad to see you have determined the correct bolt pattern. Now… you need to realize the correct offset.

As everyone who has posted on your thread states: 35-40 offset will look very bad on your Z-car. Five millimeters is a significant difference (i.e., 35 will look bad, and 40 will look just awful).

30 offset won’t be too ugly, but if you are buying new wheels, you should get wheels with at least a 22 offset. Of course you can use spacers, but that adds complexity and co$t. You need to evaluate the value when mounting inexpensive wheels and adding spacers. But, that is an option.

--Spike

 

At least you have not ordered a set of wheels that you will regret yet , research the wheels section on the forum and find a wheel and tire setup that you like and buy a
quality set that you will be happy with, if price is an issue I suggest you run the stock wheels save up and do it right the first time...................I wish I would have done that
b4 I got my first set. lol

 

Use a offset calculator to compare your current wheels to the new wheels. With the new dimensions, check the car with a tape. Do you clear the suspension, brakes calipers and fenders? Reference: http://www.1010tires.com/WheelOffsetCalculator.asp

 

If you like them that much, get four of these and four 15mm spacers.

 

Ok, Sorry, but I'm new to all this and just trying to get a handle on things.. Here are some other options in my price range. I understand the pay to play thing, but the wife was cool with me spending the money on the car. I don't want to push it by spending a few thousand on wheel and tires..

OPTION 1 Enkei PKR 18X8.5 F 24 os
Enkei PKR 18X9.5 R 25 os

OPTION 2 MB Weapons Gunmetel 18X9 all around 15 os

OPTION 3 TSW Sakata 5 or Luguna's 18X9 all around 20 os

So, would any of these off-sets be ok, would 9's all around work or do I need to try and stay with staggered sizes front to back.

Thanks for all the feedback..

 

Option 1 is decent.

Option 2, did not knwo they made such a wheel (also not a fan of MB motoring)

option 3- Not a fan of TSW wheels as they are heavy SOBS.

It looks like your budget is around $1600. There are vendors on here who can probably get you a good deal. Just the other day I saw a thread with the vendor Gruppe offering some good deals. Look in the marketplace and they will help you from there.

 

Pulled the trigger on some wheels and tires today.

ENKEI PKR 18x8.5F 18x9.5R +24/+25 Offset
FALKEN FK452 245/40F 275/40R

I'm sure this is a pretty conservative set-up for most but to me, this will make a big difference over the stock 17's that are on it now.

Should have them on the car some time next week. Here is a pic I found of the same wheels and tires on a redline. I think they should look good super black as well. I will post pics of mine when I get them on. Again, thanks for the feedback.