neal@tirerack

That will work out fine! Same set-up I had on my 03 G35. Enjoy

marine in a Z

Thanks man, I tried calling your number, but it was too late in the day and I got your voicemail. I was in a hurry so I just ordered online. I'll try to hit you up for summers this spring as I'm going to need them too.

Do you have any recommendations on summer tires? I've always had the stock Potenzas but they're too darn expensive. I want to try something else...

Also, Will the tires I bought fit on stock rims? I ordered a set of sport edition rims that the WS70s will be mounted on by Tirerack, so I'm thinking about putting summers on those and then putting the WS70s on my stock rims. Reason: I want to use my old crappy stock rims for winter if possible. It's really not that big of a deal if I can't; I'm just curious.

I just looked now and the rims I got are 17x7.5 so I'm guessing I probably won't be able to do this. I'm not even sure I'm going to like the rims that much. I just went with what showed up as recommended and was cheap.

What size are the stock rims on a 04 Enthusiast?

neal@tirerack

No worries! PM me your order number or billing phone number and I'll look it over to make sure they will work properly. The oem 17's were 7.5 and 8.0" wide, so the 225/50 and 55 will fit those fine.

Check out the Yoko S-Drive and Conti DW for summer options. Both work really well and come in much lower price wise.

royblackwood

I have ws70 blizzack winter tires rated #1 by tire rack. Just loving driving this winter and the soft tire gives such a smooth ride. Here in the north with 0 temps half of the year these tires rock.Grew up driving 2wd and just love this car even though 4wd is a better choice,this suits me better.. any body else enjoying winter driving?

freddys 350z

lived in michigan for one year. winter driving, just dealing with the whole ordeal, sucks. brush snow off the car, scrap off the ice, warm up the engine for a long time all whist freezing your ***. ...no thanks.

royblackwood

from texas I would be watching that safari rally or something I'm envious!!

l2iceman

iTrader: (8)

OP, how did this turn out for you? I calculated variance for the rear is a bit over 3%(3.11% compared to stock 18s 245/45/18 rears), the fronts are within 3%. Did you end up with 225/50/17 all around?

VQdriver

iTrader: (1)

Hello. I actually ended up getting 215/55-17 all around of the Federal Himalaya WS2. The miata tire calculator said they're on the money with stock 19" rears, but I think this tire is slightly smaller than actual size printed on the sidewall. Maybe 2mph slower according to those side street radar indicators lol. They're value priced tires, but they do the job. After a 1,000+mi on them they are driving better during wet and dry driving. These skinny tires still are occasionally set the VDC during hard accel. Patience is key to driving on these. Still no snow to test them however we're supposed to get an inch or 2 tomorrow afternoon. I'll keep you posted.

l2iceman

iTrader: (8)

ah ok thx for the update! I'm putting on 225/50/17 winters all around this weekend. I don't plan on driving in the snow much(I only drive on Saturday/Sundays), I was just worried about the slip light turning on as the rear tires are 3.11% variance from the stock 18s. I've been told by another member here that when they had the same size tires, no slip light came on. So crossing my fingers! lol

VQdriver

iTrader: (1)

Yea I believe that 3% rule pertains to a staggered setup. As long as they fit properly under the fenders they should be fine. Obviously you wanna keep the diameter as close to stock as possible to retain the speedometer accuracy. We're getting a little snow tonight. Fun stuff.

Spike100

Hi l2iceman, I read you post and would like to add some info.

Mounting 225/55-17” all-square is better than 225/50/17. I’ve experimented with both sizes.

You can “get away with” the 225/50/17 sizing if your car is not VDC-equipped, but your best choice is 225/55-17 on all corners.

--Spike

l2iceman

iTrader: (8)

Hi Spike, I do have vdc...when you had 225/50/17 all around did it cause issues?

Someone had told me through pm that they were fine with that set up on their vdc equipped z.

Spike100

I did have issues with 225/50/17 all around and my VDC-equipped Z (unwanted VDC, TCS, and SLIP activation). That is why I went to 225/55/17 all-square (which was much better... avoiding the problem). --Spike

l2iceman

iTrader: (8)

Hi Spike,

Ok thanks for the info! I'll be picking up 225/55/17 all around tomorrow, Goodyear nordics!

VQdriver

iTrader: (1)

Just a quick update. We had about an inch of snow the other night and temps remain below freezing. Nevermind my narrow tire sizes. My Federal Himalayas worked as well in the snow as my blizzak LM-20s did when they were newer. The tread was very compliant and made my car as manageable as possible. I noticed some rwd SUVs probably with all seasons slipping all over the place from a standing start.

l2iceman

iTrader: (8)

Happy to report that my 225/55/17 all around set up is working great, no slip light!

Thanks Spike!

VQdriver

iTrader: (1)

F*** I realize I installed the wrong size 215/55-17. It works out to 1.5% smaller so that explains the speedo reading about 2mph slower. Yes, the slip activates from time to time, but it's not really that bad. In fact, it may further help prevent accidents due to the oversteer happy nature of this vehicle Maybe I'll try to sell or burn these tires on the drift car after this year lol.

Spike100

Thanks for feedback; I appreciate you taking the time to do that for me. Glad to hear it's working for you. --Spike

Spike100

if you go all square (same width and diameter, front to rear)… 215/55-17” is very close to the correct diameter size, and better than 225/50-17”, but not quite as good as 225/55-17” (diameter-wise).

Actually, 215 is a good width for winter driving since it grips better than 225’s in snow and can work better on ice. A lot of Z owners here who drive in snow and on ice prefer 215’s.

About the SLIP light… Running 215/55-17” and seeing the SLIP light is probably due more to slippery conditions than tire size.

--Spike

VQdriver

iTrader: (1)

Yes, all in all I believe the 215s will work out for me. It works just fine in the snow. I'm a little older now so absolute handling limit in the dry pavement isn't so important. If anything it teaches me how to drive smoother and apply throttle more meaningfully. It will improve my karting experiences lol. I agree, the Northeast enthusiast who doesn't see so much ice and snow will benefit most from the wider 225/55-17 which is pretty much on the money with the stock oem rear wheel size and still allow tire rotation. Cheers everyone. Good luck this winter!