I forsee disappointment in your future.

There is not a huge difference in ride quality since the Z's sport-tuned suspension is the where the harshness lies.

 

I finally got some G35 coupe 17s with 245 rear and 225 fronts in a 50 series. The size is extremely close to stock. The car rides much smoother over train tracks, potholes etc. I am running the same PSI. The front 17s weighed 7 pounds less each (15%) and the rears were 6 pounds lighter (10%)so maybe that is helping as well. The car does feel quicker in 1st gear but that might just be in my mind. The 18s will be in the basement if I ever change my mind.

 

I drove with 17 inch wheels for years. No shame. If you like it you like it. Glad this worked out for you.

 

Thank you for the update. I think you made a wise decision (see my message, #5, posted to your thread back in February). Your tire setup for 17” wheels is excellent.

Since I run both 17” wheels and 18” wheels I know exactly what you mean when you say: “The car rides much smoother over train tracks, potholes etc. I am running the same PSI.”

I hope your recovery from your recent surgery continues to progress well.

--Spike

 

Pete - how is the recovery coming?

Good to hear about the wheels and tires.

 

I throw my 17s on whenever the dealer is servicing my car. I agree, it's night and day between 18s and 19s (I have A/S tires on the 17s). I dont care for the look, but I love the ride. Glad that worked out for ya. Hope the medical stuff also went well.

 

^^ Glad to hear someone else mention this...

My 17" wheels with snow tires (studless snow tires yet!) are so much more quiet and comfortable than my 18" wheels with hard compound summer performance tires.

Of course the driving and handling on the 18" wheels with summer performance tires is much better than the snows on 17" wheels. But, I hate the noise and harsh ride.

Life is just a series of compromises.

--Spike

 

To the OP, glad it is working out for you.

I just took off and tossed a set of Federal 595 Summer performance tires and put some Yokohama AVID W4S tires on those rims. The Yokohama (same size as the Federals) are so much quieter and comfortable.

However, the Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08 that I put on my other wheels are also very comfortable and quiet, even though they are on 18x9 front/19x10 rear as opposed to the 18x8/18x8.5 wheels that the AVIDs are on.

 

Pics of the 17 setup. Feelin much better these days, thanks to those who asked/commented. I can drive the Z mostly pain free lately, and am finally able to open it up a bit. Life is great.

 

very nice. I think I remember that grin that I couldnt make go away when I got my car.

I got my car back from the dealer and my 19s are begging to get put back on... but my wife is 9 months pregnant and she's feeling every bump in the road. So, I think I'm going to leave the 17s with AS tires on alittle longer.

btw, the G 17's have an awesome design... if they were 18, they'd be prefect (proportionally). If I keep mine on any longer, I probably will get spacers, I dont like the offsets much at all.

 

The front wheels appear as a darker shade than the rears.

Dust from the front brake pads? That would be an extreme example for sure.

--Spike

 

yeah, odd thing about those 17's, I go weeks without needing to wash my 19s but just a few days with these 17s. The paint is just a dust magnet. Then again, I regularly wax my 2pc Rays wheels and generally neglect my 17s. But anyway, thats definitely dust.