abnorm

I have stock 15" wheels on my GXE right now. I am deciding whether I should upgrade 16" or 17". I don't want to change my stock springs or shocks to keep the soft ride. I know 17" look better, but would the gap be less visible with 16"??? Please help me decide! I am concidering Borbet Type Es with 7.5 width.

dch95

When I put 235/45/17s on, I had a huge gap that looked 4x4. I ended up lowering the car to get rid of it. 16s probably won,t look as bad. Perhaps you could do 17s and use H&R springs. They have a soft ride compared the others available.

abnorm

I've read a lot good things about H&R springs, but that means eventually I'd have to replace my shocks as well. The combination would mean a stiff ride. So I'd like to know how bad would it look with 16x7.5. Would the gap be more visible then with 17x8?
Thanks.

dsmercado

I went from my stock 15 inch GLE wheels to the 17 inch AE wheels...Even though the diamater of the wheel and tire was virtually the same (meaning: same gap size), it LOOKED like the gap got bigger...

I eventually lowered the car as well...to get rid of the 4X4 look...

The ride is definitely harsher with my Eibach/Tokico combination, but I have better handling, cornering and a much smaller gap...

hope this helps and good luck!

fast97maxse

on what the wheel AND tire combo is...

in other words, you can go with a 15, 16, 17,
or whatever size wheel you want

but the outer dimension of the rubber should be the same
as stock [so you don't throw your speedo and odo off]
so your gap will not change.

What changes is the width of your sidewall.
[distance between the outside of the tire and the wheel rim]
It is possible to run a stock [or other] wheel and a lower-than-stock profile tire.
It depends on what you go with but it will only add a 2% error or so
- but this would increase the gap...

personally, I like a smaller profile tire
- I just think they look more aggresive.

Lower profile means less sidewall flex and improved steering response.
It can also make the ride a little harder.

Large wheels cost more - as do the tires.
Large wheels weigh more = more mass and can hurt your acceleration.
Large wheels and low profile tires look sweet.

abnorm

OK, so would it be a good idea to go with 16x7.5 wheels and 235/55x16 tires, since I am not planning on upgrading the suspension and I don't want that 4x4 LOOK with 17s?

fast97maxse

some info I've pulled off maxima.org and a couple of other places:
[so when it says "I recommend" it isn't me, just whoever posted the info]

- '97 SE stock wheel 16 x 6.5" rim with 215/55/16 tires
- Weight: '97 SE stock wheel - about 21 lbs. / with tire - about 41lbs
- 5 x 114.3mm bolt pattern
- 66.1mm center bore
- Offset: Anything between 35mm - 40 [or 43?]mm should fit fine.

- In 15", the stock tire sizes are 205/65-15 and 215/60-15.
I recommend the 215s to get higher performance.

- In 16", the stock size is 215/55-16 There are not a lot of choices in this size, however. Many folks have used 225/50-16 instead. These are a 0.45" smaller in diameter, so will result in a speedometer error of 2 percent high.

- Recommended 17" size is a 17x8" rim with 235/45 tires to maintain correct rolling diameter.

- Recommended 18" size is a 18x8" rim with 235/40 tires. Do not buy any 18" rim narrower than 7.5"-- you will not find tires that will fit and still maintain correct rolling diameter.
Rims can be from 7" to 8" wide, however, anything less than 7.5" is not recommended. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this recommendation. 7" may work, but whether or not it will work safely with a 235/45 tire is at your own risk.
----------------------------------------
Also check out:
http://www.tirerack.com
lots of good info
pretty good prices
and you can put yer max up - in the color of yer choice -
and then see how it would look with different wheels on it.
----------------------------------------
However
none of this really answers your question…

The fact is that if you run
a 15 x rim with 205/65-15 tires
a 16 x 6.5" rim with 215/55/16 tires
a 17x8" rim with 235/45 tires or
a 18x8" rim with 235/40 tires

The outside dimension of the wheel / tire package remains the same
and therefore so will your gap
[unless you lower it with springs or coilovers]

the number after the first "/" is the profile measurement
ie. the 15s are /65, the 16s are /55, the 17s are /45, the 18s are /40…
the wheels are getting bigger,
the numbers are getting lower
and the sidewall is getting thinner,
BUT the overall size of the wheel/tire circle remains the same.
----------------------------------------
So get the wheels you want
based on whatever combination of looks/weight/price that you're working with

and then save for some springs.
most people recommend changing out the shocks
at the same time to save on labor charges
but others have just put in the springs
and then replaced the stock-shocks when they give out
[usually a bit sooner with lowering springs.

H&R springs reportedly have the "closest-to-stock" ride feel.
I'monna slap some on when funds permit…

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

One more thng to know about tire sizing is this;

if you have a 235/45/17 tire it means that your tire is;

235 mm wide
235*0.45=105.75 mm 'tall'
and will fit a 17" rim, of course.

When I say 'tall', it is the vertical height of the tire measuring from where the wheel touches the tire to where the tire touches the road. Better known as the profile of the tire.

The number in the middle (45) gives your profile as a percentage of the width of the tire.

DW

abnorm

Thanx for all the helpfull info, but what I am really trying to find out is whether it would be better to go with 16" rims since I will NOT be lowering my car. I heard that the gap will be more visible with larger rims like 17s, which do looke nicer. Thanks!

fast97maxse

the point is this:

It doesn't matter.

Whatever you run - a 15", 16", 17" or 18" wheel
will have exactly the same gap
[if you have the correct tires on the wheel].

It might be possible to run a larger than normal profile tire
[and thus close up the gap].
But I've never heard of it,
and it doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

It depends upon the wheel style I guess,
but I could see how a larger wheel would take up more
visual space in the wheel-well
and might make it look like the gap is smaller
- but it won't be in fact.

So
buy a larger wheel just cause you like the way it looks.

But if you want to close the gap,
you have to lower the car with springs
or
just ride around with a bunch of really big friends.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

I think I see what you're asking. Let's a assume that your are plus sizing, so the total diameter of your wheel/tire combo will be pretty much the same, plus or minus a few percentage points, like 3 or 4 at most. Given that, I think the gap will appear smaller as you go larger with the wheels because the larger wheels present more steel in the wheel well, and less rubber. The reason you would want less rubber is because the rubber is dark, like the gap between the tire and the car, so they blend in together, so to speak. So, a 15 " wheel will have so much steel and rubber when you look at it in the wheel well. In comparison, the 17 wheel will have more steel and less rubber, therefore giving the appearance of filling the wheel well more, therefore making the gap appear smaller, even though it really isn't smaller. An 18" rim would make that effect even more.

For this question, a picture would really be worth a thousand words, but I don't have any scans of my setup. I hope my explanantion helps, though.

DW

dch95

The gap on 17 inch rims APPEARS bigger and the 4x4 look will show up. I had 16s before the 17s and they did not look like I was in a 4x4. 17s give a 4x4 appearance. That is if you go with a 235/45/17. Also the further out the rim sticks out of the wheel well, the 4x4 look will rear it,s ugly head. I wouldn,t go wider than a 16/7 inch rim otherwise it will stick out and give you "the ugly look".

Best bet is to go to Discount Tire (or whoever will work with you) and have a rim and tire installed and see for yourself. Any one who see,s you are getting ready to drop some cash should surely be helpful to you. If not than they are not worth your time (IMO).

axionman

does anyone have a pic of a max with 17's on it that has not been lowered? because I am considering doing this too but i dont want a big nasty gap or anything ugly...my max is a 95 btw..

thanks

vmok

regarding speedo error and total diameter of wheels...

I use 225/50R16... but not all 225/50r16 are equal. If you goto TireRack, and do a search, then look at the spec of the tires, they will tell you the overall diameter of the tire. Certain 225/50r16 tires can actually be slightly larger than certain 215/55r16 tires.

I say go for the 16" wheels. You've already stated that you want to maintain a soft ride. 17" wheels will definitely give you more impact harshness when hitting bumps, the kind that makes your cd player skip when going over the bots dots. The weight of the wheel you get will also affect your suspension. If you get heavy 17" or 18" wheels, your unsprung weight will increase. Now if you don't increase the spring rate of your car or the dampening rate of the struts, they're not going to be able to stop the wheel from going up in it's travel when you hit a big bump and you'll find yourself bottoming out to the bump stops more.

Some wheels, like the BBS RK wheels are pretty light but very expensive. And you might not necessarily like the look. I think the 16's will give you the best compromise for what you're looking for, which is decent ride, better looks, and beter handling.

-V

btw, i noticed that nobody has mentioned rotational mass in this thread. by moving more of the spinning mass to the out edge of the wheel, it'll have more leverage against your brakes when you're braking (requiring higher pedal effort) and it'll possibly make your tires harder to spin up during acceleration (probably imperceptible.)