BYBYCOP

I'm in the midst of purchasing the XXR 522's and I have no clue what I'm doing. I'm fine with mechanical work, but wheels are apparently a little more difficult that i had initially planned. I figured I'd just pick out what I like, make sure the lug pattern was correct, order, and wait for them to arrive. I was mistaken. So, I've read and read and read some more, and I'm we todd did. I just don't get it. But I did find an offset calculator on discounttiredirect.com. So, the following is what the calculator spit out:

"The clearance from stut housing to the inside of the wheel will be 11mm LESS
The outside edge of the wheel will EXTEND an extra 27mm"

The following are the new and old offsets for the

REAR:
Current Offset: +33mm
New Offset: +25mm

FRONT:
Current: +30mm
New: +30mm

So, will the Rears be okay? Will I need to roll the fenders? I have a full stock set up with the exception of front and rear sway bars. It looks like the front is the same as stock so I'll assume that's okay. Anyways, any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

calin

iTrader: (39)

What's the diameter and width of your current wheels and the ones you're planning on getting?

AroundMyHorn

iTrader: (9)

We need your widths to give you a fair assessment. Something tells me there going to to be unsubstantial.

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

Just get the 18x9.5 front and rear in +25 , simple and easy.With those sizes you will not come close to rubbing.

calin

iTrader: (39)

Or looking good

davidv

iTrader: (2)

This means 11 mm closed to the strut AND brake calliper. Do not like.

EDIT: I changed my mind about this. Without seeing your current wheel-tire, I think you have 11 mm to spare.

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

Its the most aggresive they have in that wheel, for looks he would also need a spacer for the rear (prob 10mm) but i would just buy a different wheel.

BYBYCOP

It's either these or the MB Weapons - Not trying to go cheap, I'm simply poor i.e. Sallie Mae is raping me. So, any suggestions to Volk TE37's ain't going to do. So, I'm running my stock 2005 Enthusiast edition wheels - They're the 7 spokes and their factory specs are this:

Front
Size: 17x7.5
Offset: +30mm
Weight: 23.26lbs
Tire: 225/50/17
Rear
Size: 17x8.0
Offset: +33mm
Weight: 24.14lbs
Tire: 235/50/17

Hopefully this is all the info needed to figure it out, but if you guys need anything else, just let me know. The weapon MB's are the other ones that I'm looking at, and their specs are below. Would the Weapon wheels work better or worse?

Weapon MB Wheels
Front:
18X8.0 5-114.3 30mm
Rear:
18X9.0 5-114.3 38mm

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

Look at MB Drifters or Battle in 18x9.5 +15 , still cheap and a much better option. XXR wheels also have a couple of much better options.

BYBYCOP

Oh, and the width's of the XXR 522's are as follows:

Front: 18x8.5
Rear: 18x9.5

Thank you very much guys - I definitely appreciate all of your help. I never thought that purchasing any type of wheel would be such a daunting task.

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

What is wrong with running the 9.5's front and rear. I wouldnt put anything less than a 9 on the front , and actually i wouldn't run less than a 10 out back

BYBYCOP

I'm not opposed to running 9.5's in the front too - I just assumed that they were supposed to be staggered? because that's how they are factory but if you think it'd be best to do both, then I will certainly do that. I really have my heart set on the thick 7 spoke wheels - and these two manufacterers are the only ones Ive been able to find other than Volk or the LMGT wheels. Let me ask you, does the wider wheel make a difference in your handling?

Judging by the widths and offsets between the XXR and the MB's - What do you think would be better?

BYBYCOP

Davidv,

I just saw your edit - so, it would be fine with a 10mm spacer is what it comes down to?

I think I'm starting to understand how this whole offset thing works, to a certain degree. So with a stock wheel that's 7.5 inches wide, there is 7.5 inches from where the lug nuts attach to where the wheel meets the inside of the fender. So, a wheel that is 9.5 inches wide is going to go deeper into the wheel well, and hence this is the reason for a spacer. The spacer will push the wheel back out towards the fender - I'm assuming that's the other reason why some people in similar situations will need to roll the fender; because the spacer pushes the wheel further out from the fender? Again, this is only my theory based off of what I've read here. So, please don't hate me for being wrong, if I am in fact wrong. Where would one purchase a spacer? I know Eibach makes them in a few sizes, otherwise, no clue.

AroundMyHorn

iTrader: (9)

Dude, don't fk with spacers unless you absolutely have to. You are starting from scratch so there is no reason you should be buying wheels that require spacers. What's your budget homie, we'll point you in the right direction.

BYBYCOP

Hey, thanks man. I'm working with about $675 tops - but ya know you start looking around online, and you get the idea that you can get nice wheels...correction...decent wheels for around $500, which doesn't appear true, but we'll see.

davidv

iTrader: (2)

I think you are getting this. Kind off. Offset is the distance between wheel mounting surface and 1/2 the wheel width. The position of the wheel changes with width and offset.

Generally you do not want to move the wheel closer to the strut. The tire will hit the strut.

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

Look in the used section, $1200 can usually get some nice Enkei wheels with tires, or your stuck with XXR's.

BYBYCOP

Davidv,

Okay, that makes sense. I suppose 11mm is way too close given that I know see what's going on. I mean, all it takes is to hit a dip in the road, and I'd be scrapping rubber. Obviously, I want it fairly far away from the strut, but how many milimeters is a safe distance? like 20?

If I knew that information, I could probably just punch the digits into that nifty little offset calculator and get it within whatever the sweet spot range is for wheels. I noticed a lot of you guys were discussing whether or not it would look good even if it fit fine...I mean, I'm sure you guys know from experience, is there a rule of thumb for any of this? (Example: the perfect offset is 15mm and you want to be within 12mm and 18mm) something of that nature.

Terrasmak,

Yeah, I was thinking of waiting until something came through the forums, but who knows. I suppose if anyone is reading this who is trying to get rid of some wheels, let me know.

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

Easy way to use the calculator. We will go off what used to be the common wheel for the Z. 9.5 wide +22 up front and 10.5 +22 out back. Then when your looking at new wheels and running the numbers, use the combo I just listed as the current wheel specs in http://www.1010tires.com/wheeloffsetcalculator.asp then you want to stay within 7mm in either direction of the outer clearance and you will be good.
Some people will like less aggressive for wider tires, some will like more aggressive, all in all, if you do what i say your car will look pretty good.

Just as another example my car in this pic is running 9.5 +17 up front and 10.5 +10 out back.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61208532@N05/5636241480/

https://my350z.com/forum/wheels-tire...-20-tires.html This would be a great combo for you. and these https://my350z.com/forum/wheels-tire...es-new-bl.html and ..... just post a URL and ask . PM me if you want, just ask before you buy.

sry110

iTrader: (17)

I think davidv and terrasmak have given some pretty good guidance here, so I won't rehash any of it.

In case it helps as a reference point, here is a setup with 19x9.5 +22 offset front wheels, and 19x10.5 +12 net offset rear wheels. The front tires are 255/35/19 and the rears are 285/35/19.

Now the reason I said the rear wheels are +12 net offset is because the wheel itself is +22 offset, but I installed a 10mm spacer behind the wheel which has the net effect of making the offset 10mm more negative (i.e. pushes the wheels farther out).

I had to roll my rear fenders to fit +22 offset with a 285/35/19 tire (so of course with +12 offset you definitely need to roll the fenders). I would guess that if you run a 275/35/19 tire on a 10.5 wide wheel with +22 offset, you will not have any problems with tires rubbing fenders.

Here's another thing to keep in mind: regardless of wheel width, the offset determines where the centerline of the wheel sits in space, i.e. whether you have a 7" wide wheel with +30mm offset or a 10" wide wheel with +30mm offset, the centerline of the wheel is 30mm away from the wheel mounting surface in either case. The tire will mount on the wheel such that the centerline of the tire aligns with the centerline of the wheel, so that means in both cases the centerline of the tire is also 30mm away from the wheel mounting surface. For a given offset, any difference in wheel and/or tire width only changes the amount of wheel and/or tire extended equally from each side of the wheel/tire centerline.