Well, one of my first mods/personal touches is usually 'Rims & Tires'! And I have run 'custom' setups (rims, tires, suspension) on many of my previous cars, not to mention my 19in. 'custom-chrome' MODA R6 on my Lexus GS400. But I have something truly special in store for my 350Z!!! I will have to wait until my shop and I can evaluate the current suspension setup, but by the time my car arrives, my 19's will be awaiting! I may not need to lower/stiffen the suspension at all. But I am wanting to run a 'staggered' setup like I am currently with my GS. It just gives a more 'aggressive' stance/appearance, and more spirited handling! In any case, I will definitely wrap my wheels in TOYO Proxes T1-S. I have gone thru a many sets of high-performance rubber, (Michellin, Goodyear, BF-Goodrich, Nitto, and Dunlop) and nothing compares to "over-all" wet & dry grip, road noise, wear and price! I would however reccommend the only other tire out there in it's league & price range: S-03 Pole Position from BRIDGESTONE.
Here are the TOYOS...

 

Hmmmmmmmmmm? So many of you I take it, will be keeping the 'stock' tire/rim setup?

 

I'm leaving them stock, but I might buy a set of crappy rims and winter tires for December-March.

Ethan

 

With as much of a premium that they are charging for the Track model and the lightness of the wheels, I'm sticking with the Rays. 18s are big enough for me!

 

Haven't decided how to change the wheels and tires yet. Those proxeys sound great. I feel 18's are big enough for me. As for wheels ,there are so many choices I will just have to ponder that awhile.

 

You know... I believe aftermarket wheels to be one of the most value depreciating investments you can make with your dollars...

The minute you buy them, their value is already down by a good amount. The only dividends you receive are from the joy of looking at the everyday.

I got the Enthusiast so I'll get the 17 inch wheels. I may upgrade to 18" aftermarket (ones that look different, I dont' like the 6 spoke) if I wish to change the look of the car later on.

 

I asked this in the old forum but got deleted during the change, so here I go again

How do we determine the size of a snow tire ?
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Would you put a 16" or 17" rim ? what about the width of the tire ?

 

i'll be changin out my rims prolly next year..19s here i come

 

I was also thinking about 19’s. My only problem with those is lack of tire choices and the costs. I’m getting an enthusiast, so I’ll be getting the 17’s. I will defiantly get 18’s at minimum, and see what’s available for 19’s when the time comes.

 

My earlier post was confusing, I'm keeping the 18" for my non-winter tires, but I'm not sure about the size I need to select for winter.
My in-exprienced mind tells me that I'll need wide tires like the 245s for winter but friends tell me that I need to get narrower tires. What about you guys, what will do in winter ?
I live in new england, so I'm kind of worried about driving the Z in winter inspite of VDC and TC.

ebs350z, a 19" wheel that leaves you with about 3.8" of rubber, wow!!, How much improvement is there in handling when you switch from an 18 to a 19, or are you going for the looks ?

 

That’s kind of my point. There will probably be a decrease because of wheel weight. But then again19’s would probably look awesome. Guess I gotta see it. I want wider tires so I figured to maintain the same overall diameter I would need something like 275/35-19’s on the rear. I just want my wheels to be different. I’m leaning towards 18’s unless I find a combo of 19’s that I like, can afford, and don’t weigh 30 tons.

On snow tires: The object of a narrower tire in the snow is to gain a greater contact patch length wise along the travel direction of the car. Snow tires are designed to provide grip this way. Also a wide tire will want to ride up on top of the snow where a narrower one will cut through to the pavement. That’s my understanding. As for driving in winter, with snow tires I wouldn’t even worry. I know people with two-wheel drive s-10’s that can fly through the snow. I’d be more worried about the people around you slamming into you. That’s why I might get a winter beater for the days the snow flies. Once the roads are plowed, I’ll probably use the Z again.

 

hey u should check out the RH m5s in 19s

 

i wonder how 20's or "dubs" would look?

Can anyone out photoshop some 20's on the car. I could careless the style. I just want to see how it looks.

 

The tires could use replacing, but the stock rims on the track model are good enough as they are.

 

oh yeah, which shop is yours TXSTYLE?

 

Dvlad,

The last concept, fairly close to production styling, had 20" wheels. At the bottom of the page. This one is especially good for visualizing it.

 

I use 2 out here: JOTECH & TOP SPEED! You're in Dallas, so we definitely gots to hook up! I have some "Big" plans for the Z!

 

Awesome. I have been to Jotech several times. I haven't heard of TopSpeed though. Right now my favorite place is the new ATS shop. A few of the guys I know from the MR2 scene run it. Its just too bad Steve Messaro moved back to Colorado, after the things he's done with MR2s, I really wanted him to work on my next car. Oh well, plenty of good people out there.

 

Tirerack.com has the 350Z listed on their site, but when you select a model, it says that they don't currently carry wheels to fit the car. I would expect that they should have some on there soon. When they do, there is a pretty cool feature where you can preview what they will look like on the car. They do have tires listed on there now though.

As for me, I think I'll be staying with the stock wheels and tires for a while.

 

I doubt you will get more spirated driving with 19" wheels. Unsprung weight on a typical 19" wheel will kill handling. Those Rays wheels are probably the same as the Rays Volk Racing TE-37's which are well known for their light weight design, and they ain't cheap, even in the smaller sizes. If you want spirated handling, get, and stick with the Rays 18's.