zdrifting

I have 20's and stock brakes. It still brakes good. I have not noticed any problems with the braking. Like bignate7
said before different strokes for different folks. It's all about what you want. It's your money so do with it as you please.

NOZ4U

I don't think the misconception is the people relate 20's with better performace. It's the exact opposite that people assume 20's will DECREASE your performance and this is false. My whole point was that you can have both looks without getting hammered by loss of performace (all things considered). There is miminal difference between the contact paths of the sizes you mentioned. However most people will agree that larger tires will give you a larger contact path (going from stock 17 to 20's). For myself, I have a 285/30 in the back so my tread width is 10.5 (http://www.bridgestonetire.com/dpp/). That's up from 8.1 on stockers. That is definately a larger contact path. You do have a point though that is does not directly increase performace but the more rubber on the road is always better no matter how significant. Not necessarily for racing but for all weather driving. But as I stated earlier, I don't think the consensus is that it adds performance but if done correctly, it doesn't reduce from it either. You then get the look you want while maintain the asthetics of the car. Let's not forget that not too long ago before big wheels were all the rage.....18 or 19 in tires would've been held in the same regards as 20's are now. Next thing you know we'll all be arguing why we can't put a set of 22's on a 350Z. On a side note....I believe OZ supplies some 20in Superleggera III Forged wheels for the ALMS on some Lola1 cars. Also on the new Carrera GT a 20in tire is used in the rear......granted the car hauls azz.

dczoner

iTrader: (1)

Just to drop my $0.02, larger rims are generally designed to allow for larger brakes. For people with the stock 17", that can be a pretty big deal.

I'm personally about to setup a set of 19" ro_ja with some b!tchin summer tires, and keep my 17" rims with some all-seasons for my winter tire (not like we get much winter in SoCal, but whatever). . . My biggest reason for not going with 20"s (and why I almost went with 18") is tire prices... Looking @ 17" tires I can pickup a set of decent tires for $500. At 18"s your talking minimum $700. At 19's its about $800-1000. 20's just get even more out of hand (1k - 2k)... Too much money on rubber IMO. And for hard summer driving on Z rated tires, expect only to get about 12k miles out of your thousand bucks...

mysilverz33

NOZ...I'm getting that same wheel setup...what kind of springs are you running...looks great

NOZ4U

Tein S-Tech. Here's a couple of better pics.

NOZ4U

2

NOZ4U

3

NOZ4U

Last one....

ALong

iTrader: (12)

Not to beat a dead horse but you are still missing the point. First you do not get a larger contact patch with a 20" wheel/tire. A 17/18/19/20 wheel with the same width tire and same overall diameter is going to have the same contact patch, please re-read the previous post above that listed the tire size comparison.

In the past., yes 18" or 19" were the range among those who wanted bling. For people wanting performance, 18" was the max. It was enough to clear big brakes but still remain lightweight.

The ALMS Lolas use 18" wheels. Yes the Carrera GT has a 20" wheel, but it is a superlightweight magnesium wheel and they went with the 20" wheel for looks.

Yes 20" wheels affect the performance, they do reduce acceleration, braking and corning to a degree. The only way a 20" wheel would not lower performance is if you found a wheel and tire as light, if not lighter than a lightweight 18" wheel.

Bottom line is if you want 20" wheels get them for the looks, but dont think you are increasing the performance of the car with 20" wheels.

moog

iTrader: (14)

I don't think anyone on this board really thinks 20's will increase performance. In fact I wouldn't even look at aftermarket wheels for performance gains. Engine mods is what most people really look to for performance gains.

I myself am getting 20's for the looks. The G35 is fast enough for me, and if I ever track the car on a road course I would buy some 17s.

maxipad96

iTrader: (5)

seeing those pics makes me want to sell my 19's and get 20's

NOZ4U

You hit the nail right on the head.

NOZ4U

This is not meant to be any type of flame to anyone, I'm just trying to give my opinon on 20's which keep getting a bad rap.


Also on a side note.... the same factor holds true when it comes to big brake kits. Everyone wants to get big brake kits for "looks" but seem to forget that it's considered unsprung weight. A heavier/larger rotor will require more power to turn. However at the point in which I would technically need a big brake kit (not needed for daily driving) weight would be an issue i.e. tracking the car. ALong, as stated before, you do have very valid points and if my car was a straight up track car, weight would be my biggest concern. But most cars are daily drivers with the occasional blast between red lights. If we put it in perspective......someone who has a straight-up track car could come to someone who owns a 350Z and question why the car(which some take to the track) has air conditioning, plush leather/cloth seats, a radio, sound dampening materials, a dashboard, BODY KITS, carpeting......airbags (for christ sake why would a race car have airbags?). The reasoning is because it's not a race car. We need some creature comforts to make it driveable and thus we begin a compromise. Unless you have a 350Z that spends every minute of it's life on a race track, it's still a sports car.....and such a beautiful one at that.

I'm not quite sure how you're saying it's not a larger tread width because the specs from Bridgestone's site says that it is.....But I'm not really concerned with it. If everything else is compensated to work with a 20in wheel, handling can be improved or maintained. By just slapping on a 20in wheel and thinking everything is just as stock is retarted and I don't think anyone has that perception. But if you wanted the wheel, other changes can be made to accomodate the larger wheel and it's adverse affects on performance. Besides if at some point someone's running some type of TT or SC, the addtional weight of a 20in wheel won't amount to anything. When I replaced my wheels, the stock wheels (without tires) weighed 23lbs FR and 24lbs RR. My new wheels weighed 25lbs FR and 26.5lbs RR. That's not that big of a difference. The tire were 4lbs heavier but that can all be compensated for and it has been. Granted, if I was putting 300hp to the wheels with 20's, I realize I could be getting better times with 18's 19's or why not 17's or 16's but I like the look of the 20's. Besides.....there's always ALWAYS someone faster. This is not meant to be any type of flame, I'm just trying to give my opinon on 20's

ALong

iTrader: (12)

NOZ4U,
I know you are not trying to flame and I am not either. What I am trying to do is use my experience to educate you guys and correct some misconceptions when it comes to wheels and tires. Please look at my previous post where I listed tire diameters and section widths. The section width info shows that a 20" tire compared to the same size tire in 17/18/19 has the same section width (ie: tread width) so you get no more tread width on a 20" than you do on a "smaller" tire. It is a very common misconception that "going bigger is better" and that a 20" tire is somehow wider than a smaller tire. This is just not true.

Personally, if I had a strict "street" only car, I would put 19" on it for the looks (personally I think 20" are too big looking for the 350Z). If I owned a G35 Coupe, I would put 20" on that, I think the larger wheelbase on the G35 and bigger overall shape make the 20" wheels the way to go visually on that car.

Everybody has their own wants, needs and opinions. Nothing wrong with a 20" if thats what you want.

I just hope everyone has read the technical information that I have provided and maybe has learned something about upsprung weight, tire section width and overall diameter.

GY-Z

very agreed what along said.
the tire width is the key when cornering.
not the "siz" of the rims.
and from reading all the post in the thread, i think along is just trying to say that a lightweight 20" rims won't have a advantage over a lightweight 19" or lightweight 18" in from a performance point of view.(no to say adding other mods)

NOZ4U

I think there might have been some misunderstanding somewhere in these posts. I'm aware that a 275 tire with a rim diameter of 20in is the same as a 275 tire with a rim diamter of 17, 18, or 19in. It's 275mm or 10.82in. My point of contention was I wanted a wider tire than the 235/50 and with out making the car look gawdy with a 285/40/17, I would need to go with a lower aspect ratio thus compensating with a bigger wheel. So as it stands now, I do have a larger contact path than my stock tires, the car doesn't have a huge sidewall and I got a kick ***
20in wheel to boot. Is performace increased....no, but I do have a larger tire that sticks better and corners better than stock. Like I previously stated, my only enemy is weight which can and is being overcome by engine mods and drivetrain mods....or by purchasing the Axis Seven modular lightweight 3 piece$$$$$ Well maybe just for the rears

ALong

iTrader: (12)

NOZ4U,
I see what you are now saying, yes the 20" wheels/tires are bigger than your stock wheels. As far as the look of the 17" they do actually look good on a lowered Z, take a look at pictures of the 350EVO and Performance Racing 350Z race cars, both have 17" front/rear wheel/tires.

GYZ, what suspension did you decide to get? Are you going with the Ohlins? I am still waiting for my JRZ's to arrive.....

NOZ4U

All this talk has got me thinking....The S03's weigh a ton (31FR 33RR) compared to stock(28FR-29RR). I think I'm going to sell the S03's and get some Toyo's T1-S. The Toyo's weigh in at 24FR and 26RR in 20's. That's less than stock tires. These weights are with a 245/35/20 and 275/30/20. Toyo doesn't make a 285/30 that I currently have so I might get the 245's in the front and put a 275 in the back. Of course this would put the overall diameter in the front over the 3%. I wonder if this will matter when it's not the drive wheel? By going with the Toyo's, I reduce the unsprung weight significantly and put the front wheels at 49lbs with the 20's compared to stock 51lbs. Stock in the rear is 53lbs and the new setup would yield 52.5lbs. This will allow me to get better performance while keeping the large wheels. As it is now, I'm at 55lbs per tire in the front and 59.5lbs per tire in the back with the S03's. That's a pretty big difference. Now if I can only find the weights for Nitto's.

GY-Z

not yet.
my local shop has ask zeal/endless to custome made few setz of coilovers.hopefully they'll try the prototype on my car, or i will rid in the car with the custome made coilover.
itz just too hard to decide if u didn't seat in the car !

insane350z

Have ordered a set of R1-RS4 (20" x 9" front & 20" x 11" rear) wheels and Michelin PS-2 (275-30-20 front & 295-25-20 rear) set to be installed by mid July. The weights on the 20" rims were less than the weight of the 18" stock wheels that came with the car (28lbs vs 25lbs although rears may be 30lbs). Not sure what the weight difference is on the tires. Anxious to see how they work with the Tein flex racing suspension that is on the car now.