Hi All,

has anyone here ran wider rubber on the stock 18 inch rims?

I am thinking of running some wider and lower profile tires, I am aware of the speedometer change and so on. I am going to keep close to the front to back ratio so the VDC won't be an issue.

What's the widest anyone has ran on the 8 inch rims?

I am thinking of running 245-35s up front and 265-35s in the rear.

Might run a little narrowe if I have too...

These are slightly beyond what the tire manufacturers reccomend for rim width.

I know it's doable, I have seen guys in autoX nationals run 225s on 5 inch rims. Anything is doable. I want to hear if anyone else has tried though before I take the plunge.

Thanks
Sev

 

I'd say 265 is too wide for an 8" wheel.... you CAN install the tire, but a tire that wide really needs a wider wheel.

Using the Bridgestone SO3 as an example, the specs for a 265/35-18 call for a minimum 9" wide wheel and up to a 10.5" wide at the max. I suspect most other manufacturers will be in the same range.

Hope that helps.

PeteH

 

You are right. I am aware of the manufacturer reccomendations.

Just want to know if someone has been crazy enough to try some wide rubber and how wide.

 

I've seen wider tires on narrower wheels!

There's been posts here in the past of people who put a 275/40-18 on the Track model 8.5" rear wheel. It doesn't look too bad. Not sure how it effects handling.

And, I think there's someone running 265/35-18 track tires front and rear on 8" wide wheels.

Maybe those who have done it/are doing it will chime in.

Cheers,

PeteH

 

actually, i have plans on doing this and know of 2 other people who have done it. Running 275's on an 8inch rim seems crazy and is not within recommendations but i have 2 friends with 8inch wide rims and 275 drag radials. both are on their second pair (over 20,000 miles) and neither has EVER had a problem.

 

Is 255/45/17 is okay on 17x8?

 

im going 275/40/17 on 17x8

 

Every time I post this I get a "rash" about how it won't work.

Since I got my Z (11/02) I changed to 275/45/17 rears and 235/45/17 fronts. I've been to more than 6 HPDE's with this setup and have not had one incident with this combo. It works very well for me. There is no buldging sidewall. I have posted pics and they can be seen if you search under my name.

 

Thanks guys.

I am going to see what I can do. Wider and lower profile rubber would be great.

I have to think about it though.

Anyone else?

 

I have 275/40/18 on the rear...kinda looks funny, but the front looks good with 245/40/18. Looking for new wheels that fit better.

 

Do you think 265-35-18 will work?

Are there any abonormal handling characteristics?

 

I have a Track model. I'm running BFG g-force KDs w/265/40-18s on the 8.5" rear rims, and 245/40-18s on the 8.0" front rims. Only change I noticed was much better grip. Car balance was the same. Adding a 22mm rear sway bar improved balance by reducing tendency to push.

The 265s are slightly larger than BFGs recommendation, but from what I can figure out the theoretical min rim width is about 8.65", so they have to bump to the next highest at 9". Notice that a 275 has the same 9" recommended min rim width, so there's more cushion with a 265 on a 8.5" rim. I've run one track event, checked very closely for any issues (unusual wear or hot spots), and haven't noticed anything. But I'll continue to be vigilant at this. The front tires on the Z seem to get stressed much more than the rears under track conditions, so I would hesitate at doing the same up front.

 

Thanks guys. I will see what I am going to do soon.

Sev

 

I'm one of the crazies.

I'm running 265/35-18 all around on 8" wide wheels. These are my race tires, but I do drive 50+ miles each way to events with VDC on and I have not yet had issues. Not sure if I trust the VDC to work properly though, so I drive extra careful when I'm "streeting" the race tires.

I AutoX with VDC off, so don't care what happens there.

So far they work great.

-D'oh!

 

How does it look, does the tire sit prperly on the rims?

Do they bulge?

Thanks
Sev

 

I've also got 275/40/18's on the rear & 245/40/18's on the front with stock 18"(8"wide) Touring wheels. I grabbed some Nitto 555 Extremes, and i think they look sweet as hell. Handles like a champ with more rubber on the pavement. They would look even sweeter with wider wheels, but they already look better than with the stock size Potenza's. Check out the rear, it looks meaner than hell. The fronts look perfect, but the profile on the rears aren't exactly flush(flat) up against the wheel rims. Doesn't bother me much at all. I like the stock wheels, and to me it ain't worth forkin' over another $1200+ for a new fancy-smancy set so i can say "Hey everybody, look at ME!".: I'm a "stock" kinda guy(excl rubber) and always will be.

 

Got some pictures?

Thanks
Sev

 

I'll take 'em this weekend, and i'll post back here either Sat or Sun.....

 

Here's a shot of them brand new:

-D'oh!

 

its called a "Rim Protector"