davidv
Thanks for the link, so I tried Ataru074's specs
He used 17*9.5 offset +18 (I am guessing all around)
The stock specs for Nismo are
18x9.0 +30 (Fr)
19x10.0 +30 (Rr)

The link says
The clearance from strut housing to the inside of the wheel will be 6mm MORE
The outside edge of the wheel will EXTEND an extra 18mm


I have no idea what that means and how that will be helpful ... can someone explain me this

Ataru074
Thanks for those links man, they are definitely comforting.
Now, are you running the same specs -- 17*9.5 offset +18 all around?

I know you said ...
I got 255/40F and 275/40R in this set.. but I can fit 275/40 all around or 275/40F 285/40R.


.. and that you went with that as you had front camber arms. However, I don't have any of that do you think the same sizes would be the right fit for me?

Often at the track people talk about getting a wider tire for more grip in the rear for RWD cars. Do you think 255/40F and 285/40R would be a good idea?

 

deepu i hate you and the gobs of money you apparently have to afford all this

 

I don't know how it will fit without camber arms. I don't know how it will fit at stock height. I try to keep some staggering between front and rear because as now, for my suspension and differential setup (both non stock) it's what gives me the most neutral handling... but in most cases a square setup works better. no, I don't think 255/40, 285/40 would be a better idea.. you'll have even more understeer. BUT you just need to try... you'll go through tires quick enough to understand what you like and what works better.

think about the front camber arm for a very simple reason... in the "not so long run" you'll save money on front tires because with the front stock camber (about 1 degree negative) you'll destroy the shoulder of the tires pretty fast... spl makes a good one... 350evo the one I have.

 

What will not fit, the wheel or are you referring to the tire sizes I mentioned?

So a square setup is when you run same sizes in front and rear, Correct? I am guessing that will also be beneficial in rotating the wheel.

Hmm ... my current tires (after 6 track days) have an outer patch thats wearing faster than the rest of the tire. Is this what you are referring to?

I have seen an STI at the track that had some kind of adjustments under the bonnet where he could change the camber. Will the camber arm you mentioned have similar kind of access. Because all he has to do is raise the car on jack, then adjust the camber under the hood by using a screwdriver.

I checked SPL camber arm it is priced around 250$. Is the install something you did yourself or did you have a service shop do it for you? What is the labor for this?

Rob
....LOL. Just trying to save some on the tires and its leading to a load of crap that I need to buy. But I am guessing instead of buying one more set of RE-11's for stock wheels I can use the same amount and get all of this done.

 

Not sure what your perspective is on "gobs of money", but track wheels and tires can be had for ~$1k with good shopping in the used wheels/tires area. Personally, I wouldn't (and haven't) bought new wheels for tracking purposes.

Mekatoka - there are a lot of 17" wheels that you can use safely. Tire Rack isn't giving you any options because they are figuring you will keep your 18/19 stagger. I ran many 17" combos over both the stock Brembos and currently a StopTech 332mm big brake kit. As Ataru showed you, his Enkeis also fit over the Brembos on the Nismo (just be careful to make sure the offset is kept the same, as the RPF1s have an "inner lip" which made for tricky fitment over my StopTechs but mine were a higher offset (17x9.5 +38)).

Here are a few more pics of 17s all around with 275/40/17 tires.

These FN01R-Cs are 17x10 +25 all around:









These are SSR Competitions, 17x9.5 (+30 I believe)







The attached pic is on 17x9.5 CCWs with a custom (unconfirmed) offset, but I speculate they were about +35, as they fit the Z33 with a 5mm front spacer and fit my Z32TT without issue.

 

^ 5Zigen FN01R-C's...another fantastic choice for track wheels. Great price, great quality, and proven track performance. My buddy is running them on his Supra.

 

* Are you telling me to keep the same offset as Ataru074 OR the stock Nismo wheels (30)?
* As I understand an offset is useful to push the wheel out (flush) or in (sink), Correct? And further if the offset on the wheel does not suit your needs you can add a spacer to add a positive offset (push the wheel out)?
* The offset for stock Nismo wheels is +30, so why did Ataru074 have a lower offset? Is it because his car was lowered?

 

Deepu, I think you should just follow what ataru did exactly and you'll be set.

One reason for the lower offset is if you run a wider tire you'll want to create more space (by pushing the wheel outward) so that the wider tire won't rub on susp. components. The other is obviously flushness.

Still, just get the same setup as Ataru cuz he tracks his Nismo just as much as you do without any issues.

Scott I was just giving him a hard time. I know you can get a good set of track wheels/tires a little over 1K.

Btw, offtopic but what material is your front bumper? I was thinking of getting a V2 Front but afraid that it will crack when I start wacking cones in autox.

 

Yes, offset "controls" how much the wheel is off from the centerline of the wheel:



But remember that the inner and outer portion of the wheel is also governed by the wheel width. Do the math with comparing a 9" wheel with "X" offset to a 10" wheel with "X" offset.

Nissan is generally conservative with their wheel offsets. If you made a post in this forum about buying aftermarket wheels that were +30, you would get flamed to death. Personally, I like them because I like to run a big tire. Lowering the car does add some static camber, which allows you to "push" the wheel out further (lower positive offset). Most of the track guys run said "higher" offset for this reason, which differs from making the wheel "flush" with the fender which some people seem to like for street applications.

I don't know if you could run a 17x9.5 +18 front wheel with a 275 tire without some light rubbing. I'll venture to guess one would need some camber either with a control arm, lowering springs, or a combination of both. Also remember that some tires - especially race tires - run wider than other brands or their non-race counterparts. Hoosiers, for example, are a good 1/2" wider in 275 than a similar street tire.

To answer your question if you could run the 17x9.5 +30 RPF1s over your Brembos - it's actually yes with a little help. Here is our ZR with 275/40 tires and 17x9.5 +30 RPF1s:



We run a 15mm spacer for our street wheels, so it was still on there when I put the RPF1s on it. It may or may not have fit without the spacer:





The front did NEED a 7mm spacer (you can see how the barrell gets smaller in this picture):



You could see it was still close after the spacer was added:



When I put these wheels on my coupe with the front Stoptechs, I ran into the issue with the barrell of the wheel hitting the top part of the caliper. I would have needed a large 15 or 20mm spacer to make them work with the StopTechs.

One more pic I found of my wife and me at a Buttonwillow track day. Woopsie.

 

Thank you scotts300 that gives me a better idea.

* I do not want to add spacer because I do not want to deal with removing that when I put my nismo wheels back on if/when I drive the car on street.
* I do not want to run staggered sizes and want to run the same size all around so that I can rotate the wheels. Stock Nismo wheels are 245 (fr) / 265 (rr). And you said I can't run 275's in front without some adjustments.
* I will consider adding a front camber arm sometime in the future, I still need an answer to one of my questions in post 24
Is the -1 stock camber on the front causing the outer patch of my tires to wear out sooner?

Thanks for all the replies, they have helped me alot.

So my dilema is if I should buy a size that I can use without any changes (will 265 fit) OR also invest in a front camber arm and go with 275 all around

 

FYI: Your NISMO wheels would likely still fit with the spacers I mentioned given the conservativeness of the wheels from Nissan. . . Some people run 25mm spacers all around on stock wheels for more flush fitment.

Again, it depends on what wheel size and offset you purchase. You can fit a 275 front with everything else staying stock. That's how we are in all the pictures with the Roadster. I purchased SPL control arms for our coupe as well, but have yet to install them. I've been taking tire temps and it appears that my insides are still hotter than the outsides, so I have opted against adding more camber at this time.

 

This is tire – strut housing clearance. Looks good.

 

Not to knock any of the others mentioned, because they are all great suggestions, however for the price point you cant beat A-tech's (sold as MB's from discount tire . com)

I would suggest the MB Weapon's and MB Competitions wheels!

Offered in 17x9 and 18x9 sizes with great offsets. Either +17 or +15 respectively.

They do offer 27, but thats only nice with a 20mm spacer, so stick with the +17 or +15.

LIGHT WEIGHT:
Another great point is these wheels are LIGHT! yup, they are very light weight and i love my MB's for this when at a drift event/autoX events, cause changing tires bites! and when your swapping MB's its very very much noticeable how much lighter they are!

On my crappy scale it says my 17x9 +17's are 19-20 lbs. Could be off a pound, but they are significantly lighter than oem touring stockers, but have the offsets and width needed for tracking with bigger tires....275, etc.......

They are very similar if not the same in weight as oem track model wheels. since i have compared the two and cant tell which is lighter/heavier.

This pic is with 275/40/17 all four corners:



PRICE:
The price new is hard to beat - and if your lucky enough to find them on craigslist or ebay they sell usually for no more than $400 for a set of four usually with tires of some sort on them.



MB COMPETITIONS - Room for longer studs:
Also, take a good look at the pic below - those are MB Competitions.

If you notice, they have holes for longer studs in between the lug nut mounting holes if you need, thus those wheels can get mounted with out you having to remove your spacers. Just an option as I have seen some people buy the +27 offset ones and use their 20mm spacers with them at events because they already have the spacers installed.
They roll with stockers with spacers daily kinda thing....... just some FYI...



I purchased my HANKOOK VENTUS C50's from John Berget - they are the ones pictured above and were used - take off's with tons of track time still on them. I got them SHIPPED to my door for $280

So i highly recommend John Berget - he is a great guy with great customer service and he kept me in mind when he found what i wanted and called me up when he had some available.......I consider his business top notch so far in my dealings with him.

Also, I recommend the C50 for autoX over the C70, even though the C70 is softer and meant for autoX.
Mainly because I suggest the C50 due to the heavy weight of the Z and longer lasting C50 compound over the C70....if i had a light weight miata, then i would defiantly run C70........

Thats my own assessment, but i know you were asking on suggestions on tires too..

UPDATE:
I added coupon information on page 3 of this thread.......

-J

 

We compared these with my track rims and they are the same weight. Ive swapped out the MB's and was surprised that they were so light and you certainly cannot beat the price. Great rim for a great price..

 

NEAT !!

Now I was all decided on Enkei's and you gave me another option
Enkei's are 17 lbs but are about 1K for all 4. Hmm .... saving 400$ seems very tempting
Stock Nismos wheels are 21.4 (fr) / 29.9 (rr)

 

Well, I followed Ataru074's advice (thanks bud ) and went with RPF1's 17x9.5. They weigh 16.5 lbs, which is incredibly light. I love 'em!!!!!

 

The only reason i would suggest the Enkei's over the MB's is slight weight diff, but more importantly, structural integrity of the wheel. The Enkei's have a forged center i believe, making them that much stronger and safer.

I know nothing of the MB's, but i do know JasonZya is def a heavy track user, so if they held up with him i would say go for it and save yourself 4 bills.

 

I agree.......the enkei's are awesome at that weight and 9.5 width, but i got 6 MB weapons used for 300 bucks so i couldnt pass up the deal and i knew of many that used them and were very happy with their strength, etc for tracking........

I beat the royal crap outta mine drifting/autoX'n and they have held up great.

g/L on finding your track wheels op....


-J

 

Today had a track day at a local track (Waterford Hills, Michigan) and had a blast. I was talking a service shop guy and he felt that 265 might not fit in the front and that 255 should fit ok.

I want to buy Enkei's and call it a day .... but MB's price is very tempting. I dunno, at this point I am leaning towards Enkei's because I feel that I am not going to be buying wheels everyday so may be I need to take it easy and spend those extra 4 bills. We'll see.

I cannot thank you guys enough, everyone has been very helpful. I will also update this thread with what I buy.

Following are two of my pictures from recent track days
Before anyone says anything, I know the tape looks bad. I am getting some more clear bra on the sides soon.

Waterford HPDE (WHRRI-OTD) (1Aug2009)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tokameka/3819525838/
Grattan HPDE (3BallsRacing) (26July2009)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tokameka/3818718585/

 

Blue tape shouldn't bother anyone! We always tape up.

I love the black NISMO - very slick. Now - onto tires!