I'm clueless when it comes to wheels...
 

Hey guys! I have an 04 350z that has the stock rims on it. I currently put winter tires on in the winter(duh!) and put my summers back on in the summer. Well, my winter tires are on now and I'm thinking about getting rims and putting my summer tires on those so I can just swap em out on my own each season instead of having to take it in and have the tires taken off and put back on the same rims. It's a pain and it costs quite a bit of money after a few seasons.
Anyways, I'm clueless about wheels. Can someone break it down barney style for me? As far as what size I should look for, etc? I have no clue what offset or spacers are/mean. I have stock suspension. I really don't want to have to worry about my tires rubbing when I turn or go over bumps. I'll probably stick with the same size as I want to put the tires(bridgestones) I already have on the new rims. But I don't even know what size to look for.
Another question I have. I've been to tirerack and checked out rims from there. Some rims are like 150 bucks and others are over a grand. What's the difference? I mean I just don't want to end up buying rims that break obviously, but why such a huge difference? There are great looking rims for a lot less than 1000 dollars.

I guess what I'm really looking for is the basics. Where do I start and what do I need to know?

Thanks for your help

That will depend on what size your current tires are. For stock size sizes you probably don't want to get any wheel wider than 9.5 or you'll be stretching the stock 225f 245r widths.

Offset is the distance from the mounting surface of the hub to the centerline of the wheel. Spacers are used to push out the wheels for a more "flush" look.

If you don't plan on lowering your car, I would probably just stay with your stock wheels. Or get better OEM looking wheels.

If your tires are stock sizes then 18x8.5 to 18x9.5 with 15-20mm offsets :) If they're a different size, post them up.

You usually get what you pay for. If you're on a budget, look at Rota wheels (www.wheeldude.com). Some may give you a hard time because they tend to copy a lot of the popular designs by other manufacturers but if you don't want to spend more money on wheels/tires then at least they fit good (good offsets) and look decent compared to a lot of other stuff out there.

Look through the wheel picture threads and search is your best friend ;)

You're welcome.

Thanks for the reply man, I'm seriously impressed. Didn't expect that as a first response. Thanks.

I'm still confused on offset. I understand spacers a little bit, basically they're used to make the offset "larger" but obviously you can only go one direction... am I on the right track here? I'll double check, but I'm almost positive my rims are 17s. Don't know the width.

Why do you reccomend staying with stock wheels if I'm not going to adjust my suspension?

I would definately want my wheels to be flush and straight ie no crazy camber(I've seen some pics that scare me). What do I need to do to ensure this?

I'll do a little more research and post up some wheels and maybe you(and whoever else) can give me some advice.

I've also thought about just picking up another set of stock rims and putting my tires on those. If I would have done it a couple years ago they would be on the way to paying for themselves already. It usually ends up costing me over a hundred bucks to get my tires swapped each season. I'll do this if I have to, but I figure if I'm going to spend 600 on that I can spend a little bit more and get something nicer as long as the tires I have now fit. That was my idea here:icon38:

Back to this whole offset thing. I saw a diagram on tirerack. Couple questions. What is the offset of a stock wheel... zero? The more offset on a wheel of the same width means?? The wheel will be more "sunk in" ie not flush but inside the wheel well?

The wheels are turning(in my brain) lulz

No problem :)

Spacers will give you more negative offset.

I say that because a lot of aftermarket wheels look like butt on a stock suspension Z (too much wheel gap). If you have factory 17s, I would look at getting the 06+ factory 18s, Track model wheels or Nismo/GT 18-19 setup. Looks much better and cleaner than aftermarket wheels on a stock Z (this is my opinion BTW, others will differ :D )

Good offset and good alignment (camber kit if lowering)

Stock offset is +30mm on the 17s and some 18 models. Yes, the more offset on the same width/size means the wheel will be sunken in more. The less offset, the more the wheel will be out towards the fenders. Z's typically look good with +10 to +20mm offset depending on your tire size.

BTW, what are your current tire sizes?

225 50/17 and 235 50/17.

The offset on stock rims at +30mm looks fine to me. Wouldn't the width of a wheel determine what offset you would want as well? I think I'm too tired to think about this right now:icon8:

Yes it does. Post some pics and sizes of wheels you want, though I warn you, opinions from others may be harsh :icon38:

This kids wheels look SICK. Seriously great looking Z. Extremely clean. I wish and hope to get my paint looking that spectacular this spring as well.

I'm 99% sure those are Prodrive wheels on that black Z. Hard to find. They were discontinued at one time but I think they are making them again. They are forged and only available in 18". I think Adam @ Z1 Performance can give you more info.

http://www.speedalliance.com/catalog/images/P/redir.jpg

damn those wheels sick

Hey Larry, good to see you back around. I hope all is well. Evidently these wheels aren't the Prodrives. They also look a little Enkei RP03 ish...

He is looking for 17 inch wheels.

That correct M in a Z?

-J

Im suprised you took on such a broad question, very noble, indeed. :)

OP, there is MUCH to wheels/tires that one would suggest you know before you pull the trigger on a new set.

What Farmer, as nice as he is, has supplied you with is only the tip of the iceberg. If an easy solution is what you seek, I would suggest finding a member's setup that you really like, and duplicating it.

PS: As DavidV would always say, "Pick out a wheel first then tires to go with that wheel, not the opposite."

LOL, I just quoted davidv in another thread as well. It's like forum scripture. :icon18:

LoL i know i saw it. I thought you had read this thread first and consequently had a DavidV quote on the head when you responded to the other thread.

:icon17:

Ive seen his reponses so many times that he's prob the only guy i could quote off the top of my head on this forum.

His psychological "learn through repetition" method is taking its toll on us.

I still can't get over how sick that car is. I look at it and think to myself- I can't even believe that's the car I drive in that picture:bowrofl: I have a SB as well. I've always told myself if I get rims I will get at least 18's. They look so much better than 17"s so now I'm looking at quite a bit of money for rims/tires and possibly springs/coilovers. And to be honest, it would be cool, but I just don't know if it would be worth it. I'm 28 now and I just don't get off on that type of thing as much anymore. If I fell into some more money I might.. Nevertheless I'm still thinking about it and I appreciate everyones input. It always surprises me when I come back to this site for help on something and I actually get it. This has been a very informative/cool website at times over the years.

I think you are on the right track in looking for a separate set of wheels for summer and winter.

The trick is to do what you like obviously. You are asking the right questions, imo. If I can paraphrase, it sounds like: "Is the setup that I like the look of, worth the expense and does it fit with my personal priorities?"

First, take a look at this page. It will give you the basic information on the stock wheels for the Z and G. Note that your wheels are 17x7.5 front and 17x8.0 rear. Fronts have 30mm offset and rear have 33mm offset.

Winter tires on your stock wheels is a pretty good setup (if you have to drive the Z in winter). Even better would be 4 stock front wheels as the narrower the wheel the better for snow.

As you have found, you can spend a lot of money on wheels. I would suggest that you start looking for a set of stock Z wheels in a style that you like. I think the Touring v.2 wheels look good and if you spend some time looking you can find a set for sale that already have usable rubber on them. You will spend a lot less than new wheels and tires and can get lots of use out of the tires before you need to replace them.

For a bit more money, you could find a set of used Track v.1 or v.2 wheels. I think both look great (I have both) and are relatively lightweight. You would still be spending less than new wheels and tires. I bought a set of good v.1 Track wheels with almost new tires (unfortunately Federal SS595s) for about $650 from a soldier who was being transferred. I'll get probably 20k miles out of the tires (and can't wait to get rid of them).

Another option is to look at a set of used G35 Wheels. The 19" G wheels are pretty nice wheels and look good on the Z.

For the price of a couple decent wheels bought new, you could get yourself setup with good stock wheels and decent tires. If you want a more flush look, add a set of spacers, 20mm front and 25mm rear. Buy those used or buy a hubcentric set off of ebay for relatively cheap. The nice thing there is you can buy a set of stockers and then buy spacers later if you like. Just something to consider...