I currently have 15's on my 2k gxe, but plan to soon buy 17's. Will this screw up my transmission in any way? Won't the RPM reading be off? Sorry if this has already been adressed. Any help will be much appreciated.

 

should be okay with the right tire size

 

Depends on the tire size you choose, try your combination here and see how much slower your MPH will be.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

RPM's are measured at the engine. It's engine revolutions per minute, not at the wheel. You should be fine as long as you select the right tire size and your speedo won't be too far off.

 

It's the overall outside diameter of the wheel/tire combo that you need to be thinking about...

 

oh man, i'm super confused. here's the info i've got for the new wheel.

wheel size: 17/8"
tire size: 235/45/17

thats all i know. will this effect the speedometer of my 2000 Maxima GXE?

 

Also, what is the significance of the "offset"? I'm sorry, this is probably a very basic question.

 

It depends on the specific brand of tire. The tire OD (outside diameter) is what you are looking for. You can find this info on www.tirerack.com (if the brand of tire you are using is sold there...). Also, I don't have a real good definition of what offset is, but I know what fits the 4th-5th Gen Maximas. For example, 17x8" with +35 - +38 mm offset should be fine (no rubbing, calipers clear...etc)

 

Read the stickies (red highlighted threads) under the Tire and Wheel forum. They will help you with tire size and offset questions

 

The offset of a wheel is the distance from its hub mounting surface to the centerline of the wheel. Lower the number, further wheels stick out.

 

IceY2K1,

Thats a nice little tool you got there. Thanks for sharing!

 

Correct. Also, the OEM 17"x7" rim has a 45 offset and on an 8" rim, a 45 offset will add .5" in toward the engine bay and .5" out toward the fender. Lower offsets will push the rim in our out. In the wheel and tire forum, there is a link to an offset calculator. For an 8" wide rim, you might conisder an 235 or a 245 tire.