sicilianoNYC

OK so i really really want the LE37T's in gold with a polished lip for 18" but i talked to evolutionautosports today and they said volk only makes them in 19". Problem is I really wanted an 18" wheel because of potholes in ATL and because the tires for 19"s are so much more money and even lower profile (30 in rear). Im going to buy volks most likely, i apparently cant get the SF challenges in 18" either? I am guessing i will go for the LE37T's in 18" in gunmetal with a polished lip or perhaps the TE37's in gold (no polished lip)...BTW i have a PPW and am really in love with gold volks, how do you guys think gunmetal LE37T's will look on PPW? suggestions? iforged aeros are nice but too much money.

sicilianoNYC

almost forgot the other part of my thread, will i notice a big performance difference in say acceleration and speedometer throwoff from getting a 19" wheel instead of 18" (which i DOUBT i will do)...

sicilianoNYC

anyone wanna give me opinions/suggestions?

havabooz

get 19 with 35 series tires...it works fine...and volks are light enough that you wont notice a performance loss

plus you will be happier with the look of 19"s..i promise

sometimes i wish i got 20's...but then i remember where i live....nothing worse than NYC potholes ..NOTHING

sometimes i get a heart attack when i hit a hole...but the wheels are stronger than you think

tire size for 19' wheels will be 245 in front (with a 8 to 9 width) AND 275 or 285 in the back (275 for 9.5 and 10) and 285 for 10.5

18' wheels use the same size tires exept go with a 40 series

havabooz

o yeh....the gold le37 and the gunmetal would be equally nice...gold is pretty cool though..especially since white cars can pull it off

how come your name is sicilianonyc...i thought u were a new yorker

sicilianoNYC

Is the treadwear on a 19" tire (especially a 30 series in the rear) the same as a 40 series 18 inch tire, main reason being i want a good amount of longevity out of the tires (at least around 15000 miles....) and not only that but i just feel a 30 series tire is ridiculously small...

lowrider

iTrader: (3)

OK my .02 cents.

1. You will not want 30 series rear tires with a 19" wheel. The correct sizes are 240/35/19 and 275/35/19 on 8.5" and 9.5" wide wheels.

2. I personally don't like the look of 19s, and I know there is a performance tradeoff, 18s perform & handle better. I can only tell you what I have done. I have a "G", and I put on a set of LMGT4 Nismos (18s, 8.5" and 9.5") with Dunlop SP9000s (245/40/18 and 275/40/18) on my coupe. I went from 18s to 18s. The difference in handling is amazing. Not much difference in ride (since my tires are the same height as my old ones). A little more noise however, but not so much as to make a difference.

On my Coupe, everyone seems to think I should lower the car (I wont do that) and/or the wheels look to small. I don't think they do. The "G" has a longer wheelbase than the "Z", and thus wheels tend to look smaller. Also, the Nismos have a small polished lip, not a full length spoke like the stock wheels, which also makes them look smaller. However, when the lip sparkles under sun or a light at nite, it's great.

So, all that aside, I am very happy with my decision. 18s are right for me. I gave up nothing in handling for the 19" "Style", and IMO, the car looks great with the 18s, and handles like it's on rails. The understeer is gone, it always goes where I point it. I made the right decision for me, and I wouldn't change a thing.

Just my opinion.

Lou

Audito350Z

iTrader: (1)

19" may make the car accelerate a tad slower, since more of the weight of the wheels is farther from the center of the wheel... the whole moment of inertia and all that physics stuff. Probably nothing you would notice on daily driving.

19" will require using a shorter sidewall tire, so your chances of scratching or bending the wheel are greater.

The shorter sidewall tire may also diminish ride quality... the Z is already a stiff-riding car, the shorter tires may make the ride even more stiff.

The speedo will not be off unelss you use the wrong size tires.

There's not a lot of 19" tires out there... sometimes you have to wait for them to be available. No fun having shiny new wheels sitting in the boxes and no tires to put on them.

19" can improve the looks of the car.

18" tires are everywhere, no wait for those new tires to go on your shiny new wheels

18" wheels use a tire with a slightly taller sidewall, so there's a little more protection for the wheel and the ride quality may not suffer as much as with the larger wheels

18" wheels still look really good on the car

The dark bronze color looks good on PPW and I've seen a brighter gold color on a PPW that looked really good. It's an unusual combination, but it works.

Hope this helps!

PeteH

lowrider

iTrader: (3)

The treadwear ratings are the same on 18s and 19s, however the 18s will have more load range carrrying capacity (more air in the tire means more load range) As an example: 275/35/19s are rated to carry a Max Load of 1565 lbs and have a load rating of 96. Compare that to a 275/40/18 that are rated to carry a Max Load of 1709 lbs. and have a load rating of 99.

For a cars having equal weight, the one having a higher load carrying capacity tire will wear it's tires longer.

Lou

jckolnturn

iTrader: (1)

unless you are tracking the car get 19's. I had the same issues when i was wheel shopping and once i saw the 19's i wanted in person i didn't care about the very slight loss from going with a bigger wheel. My new 19" GT-7's are actually lighter than my stock performance 18's but the weight is further out so it still probably affects performance somewhat but i can't tell. The car does handle better due to the extra width (8.5 and 9.5) Lowrider makes many valid points as well and you should consider them in your decision. I'm running with 245/35 and 275/35 tires and they are relatively close to stock tire height so therefore they do not affect the speedo. I'm not too concerned about the potholes because I drive pretty cautiously on secondary roads that may have them and i don't drive the z too much in the winter. Good Luck with your decision and take your time looking into it.

ZZtopp

iTrader: (1)

I moved up to 19's and the ride quality actually improved (probably because the Toyo's are so much better than the crappy Bridgestones). The car looks much better with the bigger wheel, and I noticed no loss of power whatsoever.

I'm waiting on some LE37's in gunmetal, and I have a PPW. I thought about getting the gold, but I think it might have looked little cheap or too gaudy on the thick spokes of the LE37....that's A LOT of gold. With thinner spokes, I think gold might work better....just my opinion.

I've put about 1700 miles on my TE37's, and the wheels have been flawless. I've got no complaints about Volks. I should have the new wheels on Wednesday, and I'll post some pics after mounting next week.

Boostedon20s

deff get the bigger wheels brother. i have 20z maidogr5s. First off all 99% of the time you are just cruising you want the look. If you go tothe track then throw on those little 18z. Plus i would deff lower the car but only with coilovers (i have tein Adjustables)
car handles perfectly.Pot holes the diff between 30 35 is nothing if you hit a bad enough hole it will not matter

just my 2zentz

ares

iTrader: (2)

both are gonna be faster than what you got; so might be better to ask will the 19" volks be slower than the 18" volks. and yes they will; probably by a minute amount that you wont notice... youll notice more of a difference when your at the limit; youll find 19" are easier to just start sliding; while the 18s will give on the sidewall a bit more before they lose traction. a little more foregiving.

little_rod

Yeah, for a more drastic comparison, I recently switched back from my 19s to my stock 17s. I like how the 19s feel in a corner, they just feel more stable. Sidewall flex of the 17s take a little to get used to when coming from 19s. Of course, when you are talking 18s, there is less of a difference in feel, but it is still there.

I choose the 19s, but in retrospect, I have thought about one thing. If you decide that you want to go to some R-compound rubber on your car (if, for instance, you go FI), you can't do that with 19s cause they don't offer that size. If you have any real thoughts of tracking your car WITH your new rims, get the 18s. If I track my car, I will just put my stock wheels on, but that is your decision.

350G

iTrader: (4)

I chose 19s (10.5" rear ) and I swear my Volks are lighter than the stock 18s, not to mention, they stick to the road with my 285 Falkens on the rear . . .

Here's what I have noticed:

1) No real speedo issues
2) Ride is a bit harsher (expected)
3) I should've gone wider than 285! The edge of my TE37s are prone to curbing (no rubber protruding over the metal lip) and if you're a fan of automatic car washes, the wheel will rub on the metal (guiding) rails. Luckily, I hand wash mine, nevertheless, I figured I'd warn ya.
4) The 10.5" rear (+22 offset) lines up perfectly with the outmost portion of the wheel well, but looks a bit strange with the mud flaps . . .
5) Tires are a lot more expensive than 18s. I paid more for my rears (approx $600+) than I paid for a full set of my 17s on my eclipse.

BOTTOM LINE: I wouldn't trade my 19s . . . not even for 20s since potholes are more like swimming holes in KY. With 19s, the car looks great even without lowering.

G

Rizzness

iTrader: (2)

Hey 350G:
Did you roll your fenders??? Is the ride bouncier with the 19"s??
Thanks
ZZ