Is it me or do most of the wheels/tires seem to bow inward toward the top on the 350z's? I notice it more on the stock wheels but I also notice it on aftermarket wider rims too. Is it so or are the wheel fenders playing tricks on me?

Thanks!

 

It depends on the wheel. Certain wheel do this, for example the Volk Racing TE37's with a low offset.

It depends on the size of the mounting pad and offset.

 

Really Mike! I actually like those best. I see a lot of people with the offset of +22 front and rear and I don't seem to notice it with that offset. Are you meaning a lower offset than that?

I guess when I decide what rim I want I'll have to make sure on the offset. In your opinion what wheels fit most flush front and back. I like the GT-7's but everybody's car I see with those I think the fronts need to be more flush. Thanks for your response!

 

It also depends on the camber setting. Most, if not all, performance cars will have some negative camber setting for better cornering purposes.

 

are you talking about the spokes of the wheel bowing inward, or the way the tire/wheel angles inward at the top as you look at it from the rear....

The latter is the negative camber in the back. This is a good thing as it helps the car handle better. I don't know the OEM spec for rear camber, but it looks like about -1 degree. Camber is a suspension setting and wheels have no effect on it at all other than to accentuate the look (wider wheels tend to make the camber more noticable).

The fronts have about -.4 degree of negative camber, so it's not as noticable as the rear.

To push the wheels out closer to the edge of the fender, you want a smaller number for offset. But, too small (like 22 or less) can adversely affect your cars handling and suspension parts. There's a million posts elsewhere on the topic of "what is the best offset".

Offset of the wheels does not change the camber setting of the suspension, so whether you have ET22 or ET40 your suspension will still have the same camber setting, and it will look tilted in at the top.


PeteH

 

Frank and Pete...Thanks!

Would the negative degree camber cause abnormal tire wear too?

Thanks again!

 

Given same tires, driving conditions, and driving style, a set up with more negative camber will have faster wear than one with less negative camber; in exchange for better handling.

 

Thanks!

 

when pushing it to the limit the tires will bow out to meet fully with the road. for performance its rather to have your most contact at the brink of handling rather than when your sitting nuetral.

camber however will not help you in a straight line, it will hurt you.

 

Thanks for the answers guys!