I want to replace the crappy 15 inch wheels on my 2000 Maxima with 16 or 17 inch wheels. 4 Questions: 1) The owner's manual says not to change wheel sizes when replacing the wheels, if I change the wheel size would that hurt my warranty? 2) The 15 and 16 inch wheels have the same offset (according to the owner's manual) but the 17 inch is different, what would I need to do to put 17 inch wheels on? 3) Would changing the wheel size negatively effect handling? and 4) Is there anything I can do to make the speedometer/odometer accurate after changing wheel sizes? Thanks for any guidance anyone can provide me.

 

Are you replacing the stock size with the 17" SE rims or another? All recent (89+) Maxima wheels are interchangable, so if you are going to use those, they are a direct swap. As for tire sizes, use 235/45-17 tires, they put the odo and speedo within 1% of stock, less than 1 MPH off at 60 MPH. If you go larger, than in general, handling is improved. I know that my car feels better with the larger wheels, but others have stated that the car feels wobbily. A FSTB and RSB will take care of that. I couldn't tell you about the warranty, try calling Nissan at 1-800-nissan1 and ask them.

 

1. Changing to a tire size that is properly plus-sized will not affect the warranty. If a dealer gives you trouble over it, I would suggest you find another dealer. No one should give you trouble about aftermarket tires.

2. You can get rims with the correct offset. If you want the stock 17" SE rims, then nothing is needed to make them fit. They are redily interchangeble with all other Maxima wheels.

3. Going to larger diameter tires will help increase your handling performance and cornering ability.

4. Properly plus-sized tires will not need any speedo recalibration since they should be within 1 or 2% of the stock size.

I made this spreadsheet a while back in which you can enter your stock tire size and tire size you want to install. It will then give you overall error and tell you how much your speedo will be off at different speeds:

http://www.glue.umd.edu/~nauman/tire.xls

 

Thanks Medic and UMD, your replies were very helpful. BTW UMD, your tire spread sheet is pretty cool.

 

thanks

 

Thanks Medic and UMD, your replies were very helpful. BTW UMD, your tire spread sheet is pretty cool.

 

hey umd, i was just using ur spreadsheet, and the numbers i put in for stock were 215/50/17, and the closest speed ratin was 235/45/17 if i wanted to lower the profile of my tires... why does the width have nething ta do with the wheel speed???

 

Be careful when installing 235/45 tires on the stock OEM 17" rims. The OEM rims are only 7" wide. Most 235/45's require AT LEAST 7.5" wide rims. And while your auto warranty may not be affected if you install oversize tires on your OEM rims, your tire warranty may be.

 

damn, that sucks. 3 miles off at 90mph... hmm... 225/45/17.. but again, how does width affect speed?

 

Something interesting...in case you guys didn't know, the 17 inch se stocks actually throws the speedometer off by +2% compared to the 16 in se stocks. However, after upgrading to my 18's (235/40-18), they're back to the 16 inch speedo specs again, partially why I decided to upgrade.

Definitely make sure you weigh all the factors before deciding on which rims to go for. Have fun.

 

to get a larger width tire, you need to get a smaller sidewall. The second number in tire sizing is a percentage that determines the sidewall height. So, width does not affect the speed, it is the overall tire diameter.

 

Thanks for all the advice. I hate to show my ignorance, but I have one additional question. Assuming I go to the 17 inch wheels, can I use one of my fifteen inch wheels as a spare, and would it make a difference if I used it on the front--power driven--axle or on the back?

 

I don't see why not.....it can be used anywhere as a spare....it will work better than the donut you have for a spare now