Hi, I was hoping to get some insight on what I can do for wheel fitment on my 350z. I am new to this site and after looking around and not finding out what I was looking for I figured I would just ask

So I have a few questions, but first I'll let you know where I am coming from, you can skip this part if you don't feel like reading and just want to answer the questions. I am looking to run 18" wheels and am trying to go for a "flush" setup with my wheels, what I mean by flush is placing a yard stick, either vertically or horizontally, over any mid-line of the wheel, on the fender, and the outermost part of the wheel is touching said yard stick. Now, obviously with the natural camber, the wheel from top to bottom won't be at exactly the same offset, but as long as the top of the wheel is flush, or as flush as it can be, then that is all I am looking for. I love an aggressive look, wide tires, but am trying to find the balance between practicality and looking good since I daily drive my 350z, and the roads around where I live would make you question whether or not anybody is paying taxes in the region. I am not looking to run any camber, although I am willing to run a little stretch if it means allowing to fit a more aggressive setup. I don't have over-fenders or a wide-body kit. I am also on stock coils, and I am not sure if I will want to lower the car(yes, I want to lower it, but for the practicality of it, do I? Is what I mean), so I would appreciate if you shared the information with the thought of the car being able to be lowered on the setup, and if you want to, what you needed to do to fit the wheels on the lowered car. As for the tires, I would prefer close to stock specs for the wall of the tire, so as to be practical for daily driving.

Without further ado, the questions(I am looking to run 18" wheels if you didn't read the section above):

Firstly, is it unrealistic to try and get a flush setup(refer to sentence 2 of my paragraph above) on stock coils? i.e. will I end up destroying a fender through natural movement, big shocks like potholes or uneven roads, or will I be fine?
To branch from this question, if this setup needs new coils, and you happen to run the same or similar setup, is it worth it in terms of ride-ability(comfort of the drive, and things like cornering, where the suspension will need to "flex")?
And also, what is a realistic setup, in terms of where the outside of the wheel lies, when running "stock" suspension.

With all that in mind, I know I am asking for a lot, I just don't want to be surprised when I order in some wheels. What is the most amount of width I can get away with on the front and back, without having to remove fender liners on the front(I am fine with buying aftermarket liners that give more space, if that is a thing), and without having rubbing of the tire? I am open to square or staggered.

And lastly, what offset will I need to get it to line up flush, or with whatever compromised flush it may need to be?

As a last note, if you run 19's or 20's I would love to hear your input as well, preferably with some images so as to possibly sway me over.

Thanks! :3

 

Hey there - welcome to the forum!

You came to the right place. It sounds like you are primarily asking about 18" wheel fitment. Wrapping one's head around the concept of offsets can be kind of like mental gymnastics, but once you understand the basics, you should get it.

You mentioned 18" as the diameter, but you did not mention the desired width of the wheel. However, you also said you want the most amount of width without having to make further modifications like removing fender liners, rolling fenders, stuff like that. It also sounds like you want to stay at stock height, but you wouldn't mind some more low in the future. So, I'll assume that you're staying stock height or possibly a modest drop (1") in the future.

Assuming the above is correct, there are a few other variables to consider. Are you staying with a staggered setup or going with a square setup? Do you have a particular wheel in mind?

If you want to maintain the OEM staggered configuration and you're currently stock height but you might want a little drop in the future, then 18 x 9.5 +22 in the front with 255/40/18 tires and 18 x 10.5 +22 in the rear with 285/40/18 shouldn't give you any issues. Alternatively, you could also do F/R 245/275, but you mentioned that you want the most tire.

If you don't lower it in the future and stay at stock height, you might be able to run a lower offset wheel like +15. I think it all depends on whether you want the wheel face to sit more flush or how much more tire you want wrapped around it.

F: 18 x 9.5 +15 255/40/18
R: 18 x 10.5 +22 275/40/18

For reference, check out this thread. LOTS of 18" setups. https://my350z.com/forum/wheels-and-...on-thread.html

Our resident wheel/tire guru and expert @MicVelo will correct me if any of the above is wrong

 

Thank you for responding Heel Til I Die!

Yeah, like you have stated, I haven't specified a specific width as I wanted to see what the most is I can get away with, I love lips on a wheel.

In terms of the square or staggered, it all comes down to what I can get away with. To go along with the 10.5 you gave me for the width of the rear wheels just as an example, if I could get away with 10.5 on the front, I totally would. So as to say, I am fine with a square or staggered look, what matters to me is being able to get the most amount of width for as much lip as I can get.

With that being said, I wanted to correct that I have my fenders rolled, which is my bad as I believe I forgot to mention that. I don't know if that will amount to being able to add to any of the measurements you already gave me, but I thought it was worth a mentioning if it would play a role.

Also, thank you for that link, I will definitely check it out!

Edit: Oh also, I forgot to mention that the wheels I am looking at are the XXR 521, BBS LM reps.
Edit 2: I might be scrapping those wheels as they aren't made in the specs I would want.

 

***Mod. note: this post has been merged into essentially the same thread.***

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After looking around I see mostly:

F: 18x9.5+15/22 245(55)/40/18
R: 18x10.5+22 275/40/18

For context, the car setup has no overfenders, wide body, camber, or pulled fenders, but it does have rolled fenders and a 1" drop.
I am also looking for no rubbing.

With that in mind, I have seen a +15 all around recommended, although without any information on what setups it will fit in. Will an offset of +15 work for my setup on front and rear?

My second question is of the width of the front wheels. Has anyone ran wider, and would I be able to fit anything wider on my setup without rubbing?

Thanks! :3

 

Based on your setup, I think you could run a 18x10.5 in the front with an offset of around +20 on a 255/40/18 and 18x10.5 +15 285/40/18 in the rear.

I think the wheel design is going to affect your selection/preference. Some wheels will have the deep dish look and wide lip that it seems like you're looking for.

 

Thanks for replying again! ^-^

Alright, that's good to hear. Now I just need to run through, what seems like, an endless amount of reference images to see what exact offset look I want (ᵕ —ᴗ—)

 

I have to ask - is there a particular reason why you're looking for the widest wheel/tire possible? I understand the flush fitment look for aesthetics, but you're not going to see a lot of "performance" gains or improvements from running a wider wheel and tire up front. You're going to be affecting the scrub radius and alter the handling/steering response. I understand the wider wheel/tire in the rear for traction purposes and getting a wider contact patch. The OEM staggered setup is meant to reduce understeer which is beneficial on a RWD vehicle. Typically, people will go to a square setup if they autocross.

One important aspect which has not been addressed is the trim of your Z. If it has VDC/TCS, you want to stay within a 3% difference or less with respect to the overall diameter.

This is a good calculator to see how the potential setups will change everything: https://www.wheel-size.com/calc/

Just enter in the OEM specs for the first column of wheel/tire and then the second column is the wheel/tire that you're looking to run.

 

Queue the monologue.

Just kidding, kind of. I just like the look of a wider wheel. The only performance I really care about is the car functioning healthily and properly.

In terms of the scrub radius, the offset of +20 you stated would be closer to the stock offset of +30, rather than the +15 of the 9.5's no? After doing some math, solely focused on keeping the face of the wheel close to where the 9.5+15's would sit, and if my math is correct, 10.5+30 would have a distance from the hub of 103.35mm vs the 105.65mm that the 9.5+15 would have. Now, I didn't account for the backspacing or clearance on the inside of the wheel, so you can let me know if the +30 just wouldn't work at all. I was also inclined to find a different offset for the 10.5's than +20 since, again, if my math is correct, the 10.5+20 has a difference equal to -7.7mm offset than the 9.5+15. And from what I could find/see from the images I have been going through, 9.5+15 has a little bit of poke? So to have, effectively, 9.5+7.3 seemed like it would be a lot of poke would it not?

Although, yes, I can understand the wider fronts affecting the handling/steering, but how much of a tactile difference would this actually make? If you, or anyone, knows how it will affect the feel of things, I would totally love if you shared that information with me. I'm not totally needing the 10.5's in the front, but if I can without great sacrifice, then why not take the extra lip real estate? At least that's how I look at it. If I can broaden my options now, then narrow them down as I go, I figure that will make things a lot easier.

As for the trim, I have an 04 Touring, so I have VDC. I probably didn't need to as you have probably already taken VDC into account, but I ran your tire specs by a calculator already.

I guess the biggest deciding factors for running 10.5's in the front for me now are, how it will affect handling and steering. Will steering become harder/more rigid? And will 10.5s even fit with an offset of +30?

 

I ran 18x9.5 +22 front with 255/40 tire, 18x9.5 +15 with 275/50 tire. Lowered an inch on eibach profit

(Sorry for sidewys pic, posting from phone)

 

Picture just to set the stage. Factory ride height, factory Track wheels, 18x8 +30F 18x8.5 +33R with stock size tires- Not an aggressive fitment of course but an amazing stock set up. These wheels are forged, light and stiff. Only "downside" (but hardly) is the widths, which keep you - practically - at stock tire widths. (Although others here have run upsized tires - 275/40s even I think - with no ill effects.)

heel tagged me earlier so thought I'd chime in because I'm tired of packing (to move) and needed a distraction.

Summing up thread so far: Technically and accurately, all of heel's and Travlee's comments are on the money.

Couple things I'd add/ask....

Performance or looks? Be honest (with yourself), we don't care; but in order to make accurate recommendations, important to know this for yourself.

If for looks, anything will do. You mentioned XXR, these fall into this category - looks with a modest improvement in performance due to the fact that cast wheels are not as much of an improvement over stock Touring wheels. (But at the same time, going with wider, bigguh, does help the performance in terms of grip, obviously more dependent on tire selection.)

If for performance, go light and strong. That said, best bang is on roll forged (AKA "flow formed") wheels like Enkei (with "their" MAT tech, e.g., RPF1, NT03+M) or Konig "Gram" series (all of their wheels ending in "gram" plus others in the lineup.) Enkei's tech is based on Konig's roll forging technology so they're essentially constructed the same way, yielding lighter and stronger wheels than cast and still "reasonably" priced (relative). As an example, you'll save some SIX pounds per corner by simply going from stock Touring wheels to a set of larger but lighter RPF1s as a good example. SIX lbs is a HUGE drop and combined with the commensurately bigger and stickier set of tires, this is the way to truly impressive and noticeable performance gains, more than any other modification. (Suspension, turning, etc are topics of a different conversation.)

Most common upgraded wheel sets on Z33 are 18x9.5F / 18x10.5R with offsets from +15mm to +23mm (see examples and notes with pics below)
Sure, there's other scenarios (like 8.5"/9.5", 9"/10" as examples) - all work but you wanted "big is better" so just focused this post to that preference.

Important note: if you do opt for 19s, pay very close attention to weight! Obviously, a 19" wheel is going to be heavier but as you'll see below, some of the higher end forged 19s weigh LESS than cast 18s. This is key.

That all said, on to tire sizing. I can't emphasize MY OPINION enough on traction controlled cars. Stick with stock HEIGHT/DIAMETER tires as heel said, maintaining proper stagger diameters. This keeps the speed sensors happy at required 3% delta +/-0.5%, hence no effect on traction/VDC. End of story.

Should also note - seconding heel's comment. You do NOT need square tires for the street. Wheels, fine; but tire sizes, not so much.

Rules of thumb:
For stock width 18" wheels (up to 8.5" width): 225/45-18 & 245/45-18

For upsized wheels (like those above and shown below) - 245/40-18 (or 255) & 275/40-18 (or 285)
Or if you choose 19s, 245/35 and 275/35

Note: the Z33 in everyday and hills/canyon run use, do NOT need larger sizes (unless going for "the look"). I found, through use of pyrometer usage testing that in these applications, they NEVER got up to maximum grip temperatures (dependent on the tire) in the hills (and even after many miles on the freeway to get to said hills!) But suit yourself on this sizing. Competition, school, track days have their own demands so if you do any of those, consider alternate compounding and sizing specific to the discipline.

Pics below are all of a couple of my cars. Note that most (unless noted) are on 19" wheels. Dimensions (width and diameters) are essentially the same as stock. a 235/50-17 nearly equals 245/45-18 nearly equals 245/35-19 so overall grip is similar and all comments are relative and inconsequentially different. My preference is sharp reflexes with quick turn-in response, hence 19s with their lower sidewalls to minimize flex.

Stock ride height. Volk GT-C (forged centers) 19x9.5 / 19x10.5 with closer to stock offsets around +27 and 245/35, 275/35-19 (These were my first aftermarkets on this car so, conservative)


Remaining pics are post lowering - very conservative drop of -19mm (only -15 when on Bilsteins but -19 with my Koni Sports)

Enkei RPF1 - 18x9.5 +15 square with 245 & 275/40-18 (roll forged) - this was the lowest offset I put on the car originally but despite narrower width, the lower offset necessitated rolling and sealing of the guards (fender lip). Pretty whack but that 5-7mm was enough to give me interference. You mentioned your guards were already rolled so you can pretty much not worry about this.


Nismo LMZ5 S-Tune wheels (forged) - for Z34 so the offsets had to be manipulated with spacers on the rear. 19x9 +23F and 19x10 +40 rear but spaced down to +20 Tires: 245 & 275/35

Just a note here, these were my favorite Z wheels of alll time. They are forged and despite 19" sizing, only 20F-20.5R lbs each! Coupled with the lightest, Max Perf grade tires I could find, this was the most amazing set up I had (of the over 20+ sets) on any of my Z33s. Super responsive! If I remember correctly, these were sub-45# total per corner.

Also ran a couple of sets of Nismo V1s from Z34. 19x9.5" +23F, 19x10.5 +40R (spaced down to +20R) with 255/35 & 285/35 tires. Nice wheels but not nearly as light (~20# and 23# F&R respective) as the S-Tunes. Included here for size consideration.


Next 2 pics: These were probably the most aggressive natural (no-spacers) fitment I had. AME TM02 (an Enkei company) 19x9.5 and 19x10.5 - all +22 with 255/35 and 285/35-19. These would NOT clear without rolled guards. But since they were rolled before this, hey.



These were my "forever favorite" wheels after the LMZ5s - Volk Two Pc. (forgot actual name) 19x9.5 +25 & 19x10.5 +28 but spaced down to +8 in this pic. 245/275 tires.


So, the point of all this pic whoring (there's more but I'll spare everyone) was to just give you some visual idea of what to expect (and make me miss my 33s ) when going with different offsets and widths.

But to summarize, if you're set on 18s, I'd say 18x9.5 and 10.5 with +20 will suit you now at stock height and won't be much of a hassle if you do lower it.

 

Holy hell....mic is going to have carpal tunnel after typing that out.....

 

Dictated to AI engine.

Hey, if one's gonna try to help, might as well do it right. Besides, I only come on here when I'm tagged and, to see what the homies are up to. So wuttup, homes? Ha!

 

Ha! I wasn't lying when I called the man our resident wheel/tire guru and expert! Let us not forget this amazing thread.

I love how the passion for the Z33 can be expressed through pictures alone. C'mon old man - get your azz back in one! You know you want to

 

I ran 255/40-18 on 9.5 +20 for street , then swapped to 285/35-18 on 10.5 +20 up front

 

Laff...

After I finish moving, sell the Benz (and maybe the roadster), get cut open and have my spine zip tied then maybe another Z34N. If I can find one that has a manual trans!!! Oy, everytime I see something promising.... "AT". Yeah, no.

Only other way for that is I go for, ahem, an R35 like someone I know?

 

I didn't realize I had two birthdays.

In terms of performance vs aesthetics, I am aesthetics all the way. Well, I wouldn't want to have a welded box on wheels, but looks are my main focus.

Thank you for the in-depth reply! (ᵔᗜᵔ)
I find it really inspiring, seeing true passion in any form reinvigorates my own. I can at least say for myself that there is no need to spare me any pic whoring, not to say that you should or need to do more.

Also, I hope your move is going well, thanks again for the reply!

 

You're welcome. Wheel/tire fitment isn't black art but it can be confusing and imagination challenging. Haha. Pictures. Thousand words and all that.

Possibly the first thing you need to decide is "to lower or not to lower". The Z33 doesn't really *need* lowering but, IMO, is at least aesthetically pleasing. But there are trade-offs of course. If you decide not to lower it, going lower offset (+15) is easy but I still think +20 to +25 is fine.

You be the judge (or...."How much difference do you discer?" Ha!)



Post pics of your car when done!

 

https://my350z.com/forum/wheels-and-...hread-12.html#
.
https://my350z.com/forum/wheels-and-...ml#post9513000

 

I am almost certain I will lower the car in the future, but I am just going to get the wheels for now.

I am trying not to pull my hair out right now though. Because I had browsed the wheel I want before figuring out what setup I would want. It took me so long to decide on the wheel too, the look of the XXR 521's is just so perfect. The black spokes with the polished lip is the definition of ecstasy, the black to create a break or contrast on my light silver car, but even more so to accentuate the lip of the wheel. The color of the lip to match the car and stop the wheels from becoming a void alongside the tires. The lip real estate, the multi-layered design to avoid stagnation, the multi-layered design to help conform a "would-be" barrel into the curves of the 350z. The spoke pattern, a busy yet simple pattern, straight lines broken up by the form of slight curves. The slight convexity in the spokes to break up a boring image of a flat surface.

All that for them to just sell 8.5+25/35 and 10+25 \(ᗒᗩᗕ)/

Deep breaths, deep breaths.

Alright, where was I. I will definitely send images of my car once I get them in, and thank you and everyone in this thread for helping me out! (ˆᗜˆ)

 

It's a pretty timeless wheel design for sure. You might be able to find a similar wheel design by a different manufacturer with the proper sizing if you're committed to that particular look.