i recently bought and installed some 18 inch G35 wheels on my max, and i found that acceleration and gas mileage has somewhat decreased while traction and appearance have gotten better... i used to have the stock SE 16 inch star rims, does anyone have the same or any contrary results? or other pros and cons i should know of? is the extra weight worth it?

 

No matter what you do, Bigger wheels will slow the car down with accel. The reason is that the turning mass is larger and usually weight is an issue. OEM Style rims are usually heavier than aftermarket style rims. Traction seems better because the wheels are larger (more tire to contact the road in a single revolution) and the weight prevents them from turning at such a higher rate of speed as the smaller ones. Also since you upgraded from 16-18 you will have a 3% difference in speedo reading i belive.

 

Big wheels show off your tiny little brakes. Kinda like leaving your fly down.

Dave

 

I have resolved not to get a rim job until I can get a decent brake job to match.

 

yeah, plus bigger rims = worse gas mileage and makes your car look like a 4x4 without a drop to match.

 

quoted for

not true. light-weight racing rims, although possibly larger than stock rims, will be much lighter and will not have this negative effect.

i just put 18" Murano rims on my Max and i love how it looks. hardly noticed a difference in mileage or acceleration. definitely handles better, mostly because of the tires and reduced sidewall, and look great. it's a toss up, but since the max is never really a track star, you're better off making her look sexay

 

general pros of bigger wheels:
less sidewall flex = crisper handling
assuming they're wider you can get wider tires = more absolute grip
look better

general cons of bigger wheels:
make wheel gap more prominent if you retain the original rolling diameter
usually heavier = more unsprung weight = car must work harder to accelerate and decelerate, acceleration and mileage will be compromised
will dwarf stock brakes usually and make them look ridiculous
in general they will ride worse due to the lower profile tires
in general they will bend more easily, also because of the lower profile tires

did I miss anything?

 

cons:
worse gas mileage, worse ride quality, worse acceleration

pros:
big ***** size

 

the rims will definately slow u down... but the question u should pose urself is if u want looks over performance, or performance over looks, its all up to ur preference, most people get big rims is because they want to "pimp" their rides up and couldn't care less about the speed of the cars... but if u want speed, then stick with the OEMs

 

or just get 15 or 16 inch lightweigh rims. You'll have rims and the car will accelarate faster.

 

no don't get 15-16 inch rims, those just look plain tacky, stick with the OEMs, theres nothing worse than rims that look too small for the car.

 

What everyone has mentioned here is true.

Those 16" 5-star stock wheels look great IMO.

 

Get some Rota Subzeros.

17x7.5 weigh 16.5 lbs

They look good, and are inexpensive for a bigger wheel that weighs pretty dang light.

www.jaydm.com

 

You can go larger and almost miss the loss of acceleration and worse economy, but the price for that will be more money out of your pocket. If you drop a good amount of money on the right set of lightweight fully forged wheels, they will be light and nibble, but your wallet takes the hit.

Most of us want after market wheels and can probably get a decent looking set for a decent price but they will be on the heavy side.

 

Yeah... I can't believe no one has mentioned that tires start to become very expensive as you get bigger rims. Esspecially when you go over 17"

 

Generally, even with equal rim weights, the larger diameter wheel will have greater rotational inertia. And the rotational inertia is what affects acceleration.

Wheel weight affects unsprung weight, which matters for handling responsiveness. (Not that it's a factor with a FWD car that uses Macpherson front suspension, but anyway)

 

i think im going to go with a nice light weight forged rim mabe an 18 but preferably a 17. im going with a larger rim because i do autocross only (daily driver too), not drag.

i would only need to go in 2nd and 3rd gear's at most but cornering great with little sidewall is more prefered.

a problem with larger rims is that they weigh alot too! this is a problem but alot of manufactures have made strides to make them lighter weight... the smaller the rim tho, the faster you go and you can get them to be really light weight that way. i suggest no smaller than 15 to myself, and 18 is probably cutting it for me... unless i buy really expensive light weight rims

sidewall is what i fear

 

i only have to say one thing i put on my buddies cobra rims... they looked alright if you ask me but the car was a lot slower...

 

What if we went with a 17" wheel that is lighter than OEM 16". Will that affect acceleration and mileage? I want a larger wheel for better handling but I also want the same performance I had.

 

bigger rims gives you that pimp factor which = more sex

 

Since when is everybody so concernced about bigger wheels slowing you down dramatically? Unless your AutoXing a ton or drag racing every weekend, who really gives poop?? Wheels are for the look, performance is 2nd based usually.

Just get some lightweight 17s. I have 17s, with basic bolts ons, ypipe, ecu, exhaust, k&n filter, with massive 13" cobra brakes up front, and my car is still pretty dang quick. Even with the new brake rotors. My 17s weigh 21 lbs.

It will be alright people we're driving Maximas not Corvettes, Fbodys, or Ferraris or anything like that!!

And once again I show you back to Post #13 for some good looking, inexpensive, LIGHTWEIGHT 17x7.5 Rota Subzeros!!!! 16.5 LBS

 

I used to have the 2k Maxima 17" wheels, then I switched to the Rota Subzeros. The difference is night and day. Don't bother with heavy wheels, more unsprung weight will not do your car any good. It's bad for performance and bad for the suspension as well.

 

I just put G35 rims on mine and my car feels so sluggish. My mileage definately has decreased and I think my brakes are failing too... major squealing since I put them on.

 

Not always. OEM G35c rims are forged and weigh less than a good many aftermarket rims in that size...


Elaboration requested!

 

IMHO, if a car is Macpherson Strut / FWD, it's not designed for great cornering. So waxing poetic about unsprung weight, shorter sidewalls, wider contact patch is all kinda putting the cart before a horse that's actually a miniature pony.

Dave

 

As far as pros and cons go everyone has said it.

But the whole reason you get rims is to make the car look cooler.

I think it is a rare occasion that someone says to themself, "I need to get bigger rims so I have better handling." So regardless of weight, handling and all the other crap, who cares. Because even when people go with light weight wheels they still try and buy 17" or 18" wheels because they look better than 15" or 16" wheels.

So in conclusion, IMO, I think the trade off for a small amount of gas and acceleration for bigger wheels is worth it.

 

With performance in mind, lightweight 17" wheels would be the biggest I would go for.

 

Haven't decided whether I agree with you, but touché.

 

Counterpoint: Buying wheels for looks alone involves spending a lot of money and making very real, very tangible tradeoffs, all for the sake of something that isn't noticeable when you're in the car. I assume most people don't spend a lot of time staring at their cars from the outside while parked, so why spend the money?

Another counterpoint: It's silly to say that people who buy lightweight wheels try to go for 17" or 18" for the sake of looks. You can only do that if your budget is massive.

I seem to have done exactly the opposite of what you're describing: I bought 16.5lb 16" Enkei rims because at the time, those were the best combination of weight, durability, size, price, and ability to fit good, lightweight, inexpensive tires. I'm now at about 40 lbs per corner, which is not great but definitely better than stock, and I can run 225-section tires without issue. Looks were (and still are) distantly secondary.

If my situation somehow improved overnight and I got a real project car any time soon, the Max would be converted into a comfort cruiser and I would put featherweight 15" rims on there without hesitation.

 

You don't have to, it's all IMHO.

Dave

 

It's all about going slow and looking good

 

I agree with you that buying wheels for looks can be very costly and usually people will settle for less because they want something. And you're right most people don't just stare at their car but that still doesn't stop them from buying body kit, different lights, rims, fenders, spoilers, paint jobs, etc. So why not spend the money?

As for buying light weight wheels, I disagree with you because almost anyone would prefer to buy bigger wheels for the looks, you are right that it does cost so much more for bigger light weight wheels and that's a huge reason why people settle for what they can afford. It doesn't mean that they didn't want the bigger ones. In some cases you will find that a person will go with a smaller wheel because of the weight difference but more often than not most would prefer the bigger wheel as light as possible.

In your case which and others you seem to have bought your rims purely for performance orientation. I'm just saying the majority of people buy rims for looks, why do you think we have so many post on here that ask which rims look better?

And like you stated you would turn your car into a comfort cruiser which 15" wheels would be understandable almost expected. but many people if not the majority aren't looking for a comfort cruiser, they are looking to turn their car into a head turner. Even at the expensive of going a little slower or having more costly tires.

 

If by 'they' and 'people' you mean teenage kids, then your generalizations make sense. There are a great many people who don't want big wheels for looks. Like I said before, big wheel + stock brakes look damn stupid. The only thing worse is big wheels + civic drum brakes.

Dave

 

Can you tell me what the other reason for people getting big wheels is?

 

"Pimp My Ride" on MTV.........nuff said.

 

In the end we still drive Maximas. So it doesn't matter if the rims are performance oriented or are just for plain looks we still drive a "Quick" 4 door Nissan.

If you are truely performance oriented why not start with a car that is actually fast? Just my $.02.

I like lighter wheels as well, but at the end of the day its a FRONT wheel drive, four door sedan that is reasonably quick. Our handling will never be on par with say a RX8, S2K, Corvette, etc. Performance wise we have proven we can keep up with the big dogs, but still, so what?

It still comes down to if your die hard drag racer, or auto-x nut then yes lightweight wheels are for you. Mardigras, Ceaser, MaximaSE86, etc. These guys are proven race type guys. Mardigras, and Ceaser have backed up their times. And MaximaSE86 seems to autox often.

But if your just the daily driver, street racer, who really cares what wheels you get? If your street racing constantly your an idiot to begin with and should be putting 50 lb chrome wheels on your car.

In the end if your just a daily driver looking to turn some heads, but have a little performance, get a decent looking wheel that weighs in the low 20 LB range.

My wheels aren't the greatest IMO, but the chrome lip turns heads, and they only weigh 21 lbs. My tires in 235/45/17 weigh I believe just under 26 lbs. So at each corner I have 47 lbs. But then you add 20 to each side on the front ONLY and you get 67 lbs.

There was a slight decrease in performance, but my car still feels just about as quick when I first put the TS ECU in. I can still get the wheels till slip some when floored in first.

IMO just think about how you use your MAXIMA and then go from there.

 

does a y-pipe help with accel?

 

No save your pennies.

 

They cost many many MANY pennies.

 

I am by far a teenager, but i didnt buy my car to turn it into a motox, or drag car..i wanted a nice looken daily driver. and thats what i got.
i then put a 350 dollar wheel and some nice light weight tires at each corner, and now i have a nice set of 19's that look great on my car. Do i care if i loose a tenth of a second off the light...naw.. I have noticed my handling and ride has acutally gotten better IMO. I also have found this whole thread to be awsome reading material!
the car is my DD comfort cruiser plain and simple. i bought and made this..for somthing that is way better handler then the max could ever be..