For the 20's guys: Comfort?
 

Hey guys, I fell upon some pretty nice wheels, they're Forgestar F10 and they're only available in 20's. I've always told myself i'd get 19's but as i saw them i wondered if it would be possible and wise. I've been searching the forums and net for a place to answer the question: Are 20's comfortable on the road for a 350z?

The may be quite a few people asking themselves the same question and never finding quite the answer they're looking for. So i thought "Let's get this done once and for all, in this forum.". There was debates on the threads but from i saw, alot of people that answered didn't have 20's on their ride!

Let's do this from a common 350z owner's situation: 1 or 1,5 inch lowered and tires around 30 and 35 sidewall.

So i'm asking the Z owners with 20's on: What do you think of the ride with the 20's on?

Well this is going to be subjective, it really depends on the individual person so it's pretty much all relative. As far as I am concerned, are they more comfortable than my stock 18's? Nope, not at all. But are they uncomfortable? I don't necessarily think so. A lot depends on the kinds of roads you drive on, overall I don't find them particularly uncomfortable. You do feel the road a load as the tires are really low profile, but for me, that's half the fun of owning a sports car to begin with. If I wanted comfort, I would have got a minivan (hell no) but just saying.

i'm totally in agreement with you, that's why i really wanted the opinion of the people running 20's on their Z. If i wanted comfort i would have got a boring car but as i'm a car freak from when i was 2 years old, i got a car like i always wanted.

Anyway thanks for your opinion, let's keep 'em coming.

100% agree well said..

You ask about comfort, so that is what I'll attempt answering.

I understand why you ask people with 20” wheels for an opinion, but consider this:

• If you buy an expen$ive wheel/tire setup, you are vested in this setup, and are very likely biased, justifying your purchase.
  
• Another point that you need to consider in your comparison is the fact that different tires (with the correct profile for the prospective wheel) on the same sized wheels can result in very different results in comfort, road noise, ride, and handling.
  
• The longer you drive on a tire/wheel setup, the most accustomed you become to its characteristics. For example, if you only drive on a 20” wheel, you get used to it and any deficiency is noticed less the longer you use the setup.
  
• The Z’s suspension (and the aftermarket components) is very stiff. The design is for performance and handling, and meant to keep the tires’ tread in contact with the roadway.

The best comparison is driving different diameter wheels with identical tires. That way your perception is fresh with each test. I’ve done this (but not with the exactly same tire, but close to the same), and here is what I noticed:

• The higher the sidewall height, the more comfortable is the ride. 17” and 18” wheels provide a reasonable comfortable ride with a Z.
  
• 19” wheels with the same tires (but of course less sidewall height than 17-18” wheels) are noticeably more harsh. You pay a price for beauty. ;)
  
• 20” wheels can feel like “covered wagon wheels.”

The best way to mitigate the jarring you feel with 20” wheels is mounting a tire with softer sidewalls. 20” wheels on the Z use a 30 profile tire. A 30 profile tire has a short sidewall height so that even when the tire has a soft sidewall, it does not affect handling (lateral force) as significantly as a taller sidewall on a wheel with lesser diameter.

--Spike

My personal opinion is that 20's look oversized on the Z. I've driven in a Z with 20's and I can feel the power drain from the heavier wheels.

The ride comfort didn't seem that much different to my 19's though.

Ride comfort is well okay, much better than many other cars with 18". My uncle even said it's quite comfortable and he owns brand new volvo. It doesn't look weard with big lip :) if you wanna know how they look, take a look at 20" wheels thread.

Here's pic of 20*10,5" rims on 350Z

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...nolimit001.jpg

for my opinion it looks nice but it is not comfortable, it feels like your ridding on a carriage. and definitely brakes has to upgraded.

20-inch rims equals baller status. Comfort is for commoners.

ordinaryme, what size tires are you rolling?

20's sometimes look odd on z's, but i think it has alot to do with the style, color, etc. i've seen 20's look great on z's, so like stated above, its subjective

http://i35.tinypic.com/316p2sp.jpg

http://i25.tinypic.com/1z1xzxk.jpg

255/30/20 & 295/25/20

that's a hot Z i have lemans sunset also. 25 and 30 sidewall must be pretty harsh right? I won't be doing any track or drift so that's the reason i was considering 20's especially if it meant getting those Forgestars

^^^there it is!!! i knew it would be here.

That looks good but 20's is still pushing my taste.

the choices for 19's is more limited and in my area and 19" tires are more expensive than 20's because they're rare. There are very few Rays, SSR, Work and Advan vendors also, and because they're few, their prices are even higher. I will have to shop in the States to get a decent price for 19's.

In front 245/30 and rear 275/30 car is dropped with eibach prokit

not harsh at all, it actually feels smoother and ride way better than the stock 18" imho, but I do feel the weight difference

the only reason I did these WORK wheels in 20's was because on a steplip setup the actual face of the rim is 19" and they don't appear as big as a 20" wheel with a reverse lip

http://i54.tinypic.com/1ymr8p.jpg
http://i54.tinypic.com/24o6qo0.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/2u9sr40.jpg

My boy has 19" on his white Z and look at mine next to his
http://i56.tinypic.com/2j5b21x.jpg

I had 20's on my G35, no complaints about the rear, but the front was like rubber bands and you could reallllly feel the bumps, I am rolling 18's on my 350z and I am pretty happy with them and the cheaper tires is a huge plus!

These pics are old and a lot has been done to the car since then but this is how the 20's Axis Angles Look on my car.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/karanaujla/z9.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/karanaujla/z7.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/karanaujla/z2.jpg

My boy has 19" on his white Z and look at mine next to his
http://i56.tinypic.com/2j5b21x.jpg[/QUOTE]

Those dont look bad either, only personally, I wouldn't go more than 18's. Thats just me tho.

never any problems scraping your wheel wells???