Hey everyone, I wanted to ask for some opinions on rims size. Not exactly the appearance, but the comfort of them.

Right now I have my 19's ----

And I L O V E the way it looks, well almost, I can't afford coil overs right now and I saw an incredible deal on some stock 17's. The guy I talked to at a Kwicksilver said that O E M are always stronger, so this is why I want them, plus they have a bigger tire size.

The rims I bought in general were trash, I had one bent back into shape, now it won't hold air as long as it should, but the tires are ok. I have to swerve around little potholes and I feel the bumps. I understand that this comes with loving the appearance of a car with big rims ,but since its not a garage queen and a car I use everyday, It's hard going on new roads and being afraid of hitting potholes or bending a rim.

So tell me, when I get 17's, is it really that big of a difference between 19's?

I guess I'd just like some opinions and would love to hear what people think.

Thanks guys!

Edit- The max is in the shop and I'm having new brakes put on (Not sure if I need new rotors yet), my alignment fixed, and the wheels balanced. All of which went when I put the rims on (Brakes, alignments). I asked the guy if bigger rims on small OEM brakes are breaking them down and if I should put a larger set on, he said it really doesn't do as much damage as you think, so no.

 

There is a large difference in comfort between 17's and 19's. I used to have 19's, and after busting one wheel and bending another....Im now on 17's. I may go up to 18's..but def. wont be going back to 19's

 

Thanks for that response man! Yeah, I would think that 300 for a set of 4 rims and tires is a deal, right?

I love my car and I wanna be able to in a sense "Show it off" or have it a car that can go anywhere, despite not being a beater or a stock ride. The thing is, with 19's I'm afraid to drive on the highways because it shakes so violently.

 

in my experience on the topic 18's are the way to go..

now saying that i have driven on the majority of the sizes offered in todays market but only 2 or 3 on the max. on my max i went from 15's to 18's and the big thing i noticed that made a difference in comfort was the tires.

i had eagle f1's at first and coupled with my coilovers it wasn't pleasant in the least bit. the nankangs i have on here now are much more comfortable but aren't as sticky.. i also got 245/45's as opposed to 225/40... so more rubber more comfort is what it's looking like..

and yes OEM is much MUCH more reliable!

 

17's will ride better. They won't look any better though, especially at your ride height.

18's FTMFW. Get some, drop it, enjoy.

 

Personally, 17's are as big as I'd go, but without a drop, they don't "fill out" much. Still, perfect size IMO!

 

i rock stock sawblades in the winter and ssr gt1 integral 18s in the summer. being dropped on h&r/kyb adjustables, my max sits pretty low on the 16" sawblades. low enough that i cant go through a car wash because im too low to roll over the track.

the ssr 18s i have are like 18lbs with the tires (could be a little more but they are incredibly light) they dont make the gt1 integrals anymore, but i would highly recommend ssr for 18s. gas mileage is not noticeably affected.

i digress... apologies for the rant. anyways, id recommend a LIGHT set of clean 18s for the summer and clean stock sawblades for the winter! i hate when i have to switch back to my sawblades but there's nothing like a mint set of sawblades

the ride comfort will increase going smaller but it still depends in the integrity of the rim and the quality of the tire. if your rims or tires are shot, the ride will be horrible. if you dont feel safe driving your car on the highway, well i think you know what you need to do.

also, if you want to show off your ride, 17s might not do it for you unless you run some larger tires to fill more of the wheel well. i just test drove a 4th gen with 5th gen 17's, dropped with some larger tires. it filled the wheel well nicely but there was a lot of roll from the tires when cornering.

 

Awesome responses once again, very informative! Yea I am going to keep the 19's for more local driving but if I go on a long trip 17's it is! How much would something thick tires be?



These are the rims I'd buy if I got them but still, the tires seem really small and to be honest I still don't like it on 17's. A lot of my friends who don't have cars yet tell me "Nah man, low profile or nothing" and its so infuriating when trying to explain that after a while you won't think that way. I get jealous driving my moms accords because of how smooth it is lol. I look like a nut swerving from place to place on the road dodging stuff. So how much, and what size tires should I get to fill the gap?

 

Like others have stated, you'll feel the difference between 17's and 19's.

17's or 18's max for a daily driver. IMO, I feel 18's are the best compromise between looks, comfort, handling, and braking. If you get a style like the G35C rims where the design/spoke goes all the way to the edge of the rim, then they will naturally look bigger. People always think my G35C rims are 19's when they're really 18's.

 

For a 17, 225/50, for an 18, 235/40

 

I'd say 17's with 215/50-17 tires that would do. Otherwise I would go 18's yay!!!

 

Factory tire size for my car is 225-50. Plenty of tires to choose from in that size, from summer performance to your typical all-seasons.

 

oops nvm since my stock tires were 205/65-15. Thought they were the same. But that's what I would go for my tires next time I were to buy them or some thick tires for sure.

 

I dont think I would ever go over 17" wheels. THe 17" TSW's I have are wrapped in 235 wide rubber. I put them on for a wk just to test out the new handling and braking and the braking was nominally worse but it handled fine and wasn't uncomfortable. I guess its not a coincidence they dont make performance import wheels higher than 18". ITs not high performance after that lol

 

Being 17's shouldn't have had anything to do with the braking being worse. The type of tire would dictate that. A high performance summer tire will brake differently than an all season. Also, the compound of the tread makes a difference too. That's what the traction rating is on the sidewall. The traction letter tells you how well the tire performs in wet braking. The best is AA, then A, B, and C.

 

It depends on how much the wheels weigh, not so much the size of the wheels even though size factors in as well.

 

Yeah, that's true. There shouldn't be too much of a weight difference between a 17 and an 18, as long as the same wheel type is used. Unsprung weight is the enemy for sure.

 

I actually prefer the stock 4th gen wheels. I think they look great. I just went with the TSW's bc the TT calipers wouldnt fit on the stockers. I would of kept the stockers if I could have

 

That's what spacers are for.

Stock wheels are gay.

 

the TT calipers are made for 17in wheels. the stock 4th gens are 15" so no matter the spacer size it would not fit trust me I tried. Stock wheels are not gay how dare you

 

I'm in love with my new wheels.

 

As well you should be. Can't wait to see them at the big annual northeast meet. Yes, I've made the decision for you to go.

 

 

nah dude, they're pretty gay unless they're for a winter setup.

 

agreed.....


Stock sawblades are teh epic gayzers IMHO

The 5 spoke SE wheels are nice though IMHO

 

What? If you have TT calipers, and they wouldnt clear the stock 15" wheels, then WTF is going on in the pics you took for the Maxima picture game thread?




Looks like stock 15" wheels to me. So you DONT have the TT calipers then?

 

 

Saw blades FTMFL

 

I been on 20's for 6000 miles no problems if i wud ever down size id only do it for sum g35 wheels. Mines is smooth as glass at 120mph and still runnin 15.1 1/4 mile basicly stock small stuff and will still do a mean *** lsd burnout on the 225/35 falkens. But i did brake my tranny not long ago.im slammed btw 2 1/2 inch drop. Looks sick.

 

Looks okay.. I guess. You really need a lip kit to pull those off.

 

sig quotable right there

 

i had some is300 17s on my 3rd gen with 235/45 proxie 4s i believe. taller and wider wheel meant handling was greatly improved. definitely kicking myself in the a** for selling those.

 

lol, im kicking myself in the *** for reading this thread!

19" FTW!!! Go BIG or go home... And by big i mean 19's not 20+'s!!!

if your selling your wheels, get 18's at least... 17's might as well be stock... And if your going to go stock, well then source some 300zx wheels... Lighter and wider for faster acceleration and better handling!

 

 

If you are going to do 17" run 235/45 with a performance tire. I love mine, basically stock height, speedo almost perfect. Now I just need TEIN coilovers and it will look much better!

 

Springs can look good too

 

+1 for springs ahaha. Love my springs at least. But yeah the 235/45 are goig tires for that. If you want thicker tires you can can 215/50 which is what I probably will do

 

They aren't going on until early Summer. The 15" wheels I have have brand new Yokohama YK580 rubber so I put those on when I know i'm going to be taking long trips. For looks it will be either the 5th gens in my sig or the TSW's. Im debating on whether or not to get them acid dipped and repainted before summer when they will be on full time