y2kse

iTrader: (1)

OK. Truth or dare time. How many of you guys are running 235/45 tires on your stock 17" SE rims? How many miles do you have on them? Anything unpleasant to report as a result of running the tires on our narrow 7" wide rims? Do they look OK mounted on our rims (not too much sidewall bulge)? If you're planning to keep your stock rims when your 235/45s wear out, will you buy another set of 235/45s or go back to 225/50s instead?

doublea

iTrader: (7)

Hey y2kse, 235/45/17 fit well on stock 17", the tire bulge a little bit but at the same time it protect your wheel when rubbing sidewalk, original Potenza re92 sucks, so for me it 235/45/17 all the way, I have Kumho tire, best bang for the buck available at tirerack for 100$ each.

Cheers

Double A

y2kse

iTrader: (1)

I agree they'll fit, Double A. But 235/45s are not recommended by ANY tire manufacturer (including Kumho) for use on 7" wide rims. If I decide to keep my stock rims, I want more feedback before I run 235/45s on them.

Anyone else?

AznWontonboy

ok. my two major concerns about getting 235/45/17

1) safety... i dont want to find that my sidewall is collapsing on the freeway making me lose control and wipe out

2) tire wear.. i dont want to see cracks on the side walls or uneven tire wear..

so neone notice these two?? ne comments on 235/45/17 appreciated

MrBurner

upto 245 is fine on a 7" rim (although that is pushing it)...there is some math equation...i think phil (desertpearl) did it before...235/45 is fine on the stock 17" rim...i have had my tires for a few months and haven't seen any problems at all...if you are that worried, you can always go with 225/45 since they make a bunch of tires in that size (unlike 225/50)...but 235/45 works perfectly fine and doesn't even bulge on mine

y2kse

iTrader: (1)

Thanks MrBurner. 235/45s are a better speed match than 225/45s. So I'd prefer to use 235/45s if can get away with it.

You said your 235/45 Potenza RE730s don't bulge. That's a good sign. How do you like them from a handling and wear standpoint?

doublea

iTrader: (7)

Recently, I traded my 98 SE for a 2001 se 20 th, I had the 98 for 3 years and one of the first thing I did on it was replacing the stock 215-55-16, by 225/50/16. He he, let me tell you in term of safety it was the best moove I maded, going wider & lower gave the car a much better handling, braking and less slipping. I could defenitely felt more confident about the car reaction in many road situations.

My 2001 SE 20th originally came with 17" 225/50/17 Potenza Re 92, what a piece of s**t it's a shame to put that kind of tires on a car like this( I hope that some Nissan guys are reading this... ) Anyway, first thing I did again with my 2001, was to remove those pieces of crap and replace it with 235/45/17 Kumho, I am very happy now, the car is handling much better again.BTW the tires fit very well on the stock 17" rim, not saying about the look, euhm, sweet. I never had any problem with prematur wear out or side wall cracking or any of the concern that some of you have expressed here.


If some of you dont trust my comments, well next time, go by the book and use your commun sense, otherwise were all loosing are time arguing about others positive experiences.

Oh yah, for the skeptics, what about people installing CAI, Y-Pipe, S/C and Nitro on their car, these are totally not recommended by any Nissan dealer and void warranty if discover. Last time I went to my dealer they saw my new set of tires and they never made negative comments about it and my tech guys enjoyed the test run I let him do with the car.

If you dont trust these comments, well stick with you s**t Potenza Re 92 or buy a sets of 7.5" or 8" magwheel and that's it, end of story.

I hope my message does not sound to picky to anyone but I hope you understand that it's been at least 10 times that I honestly answered these questions to the best of my knowledge and experience.

Cheers

Double A

MrBurner

let me just say this...with my old re92's, i used to have fun in the rain...i learned how to drift and slide in the rain...now i cannot have any more fun because all they do is grip...i rarely hydroplane now whereas with the re92's i would hydroplane on any teaspoon size drop of water in the road

LoveSick

You are right on the track! Fitting out of spec tires onto a rim will cause safety problem, but this is only happens in the worst case.

The main concern is the tire wearing...you will have extremely uneven wear on tires if fitting 235 45 17 on a 17x7 wheels. 235/45 17 requires a minimal of 17x7.5 rims. 17x8 is the best fit.

y2kse

iTrader: (1)

Thanks Double A. For what it's worth, I don't have CAI, Y-pipe, S/C or Nitro on my car for the precise reasons you mentioned. And I'm not interested in arguing with anyone.

In an earlier e-mail, you indicated that your Kumhos bulge. That may be OK for you, but it's not for me. MrBurner said his Potenza RE730s don't bulge, so right now I'd like to hear more from MrBurner.

Specifically, MrBurner, how many months you had your RE730s? How many miles do you have on them? How often do you check your tires for unusual tread wear or other signs of stress? What tire pressure do you run? Do you have any other comments you'd like to share?

y2kse

iTrader: (1)

Tell me more LoveSick. Do you speak from personal experience? Have you installed oversized tires and run into a safety problem before? And what kind of uneven wear would oversized tires tend to create?

LoveSick

Ummm, DUDE, HELLO!

Nissan doesn't care what kind of tire you put there since tires are not within the warranty. But the tire manufacturer do not recommend the installation. Not that they could stop you from sticking stuff up uranus, but they are giving out suggestions for reasons.....I do not recommend people telling other people to risk their life just because the person is risking his own life......

MrBurner

nobody is risking anyones life...as i said, the tire company makes very conservative reccomendations...they are not going to say that 245 45 is the widest you can possibly fit on a 7" rim...they are going to say that 225 50 is the widest because they know for a fact that people will go a tiny bit wider...as i said in another post, i am a detailer for a ferrari/porsche/jaguar/bently/rolls royce/aston martin/audi/bmw/mercedes etc. dealership and if you go and look at a lot of the new porsches, the stock tires bulge out at least 1/2 inch...i was surprised the first time i saw this...i guess they use the same size rim on the front and back but usually the rear tires are about 30 or so wider and of course the sidewall is down about 10 from the front

i'll try to get some pics of my tires...i've had them for about 5k-6k miles so far and haven't noticed any unusual treadwear...i usually run them between 35-42 psi on the street and lower them to 22psi for the track...obviously, the higher the psi, the grippier they are on turns because of less sidewall flex, but they won't last as long...but i'd rather enjoy them for a short time rather than just somewhat enjoy them for a long time...isn't that the whole point of modding? you are going to sell your car eventually so you should enjoy things while you have them...don't settle...fun is worth the money it costs

y2kse

iTrader: (1)

Can you prove your point, LoveSick? I don't ask to challenge you. I ask because I want to know where you're getting your information from.

y2kse

iTrader: (1)

Now that's what I call USEFUL information. How much additional wear would running the tires between 35-42 psi cause? Perhaps a better way to phrase that question is, how long would the tires last compared to running them at a normal pressure rating?

MaxToolin

Y2KSe, I went through exactly the same thing you're going through right now and ended up with Nitto 555 Extreme
performance in 245/45-17 on the stock rim. These tires spec out for a 7" rim width as do the 235/45 555's. Decent summer tire, MUCH better than the crap RE-92's and a decent price. So far so good.

http://www.nittotire.com

Toolin....

y2kse

iTrader: (1)

Wow! You're absolutely right. The search is over. I didn't think anyone made a tire in 235/45/17 or 245/45/17 that spec'd out on 7" rims. And on top of that, the Nitto 555s seem to have an excellent reputation. (Check out http://www.carreview.com/reviews/tir...uct_1147.shtml.) Thanks for the heads up, MaxToolin.

Before I leave this thread, I have to ask Mr. Burner one more question.

I notice that most 245/45s have a minimum rim width of 7.5" just like most 235/45s. This includes the Potenza RE730s. But the 245/45s are closer in terms of overall diameter to the 225/50s. So my question to MrBurner is, why did you choose 235/45s instead of 245/45s when you bought your Potenzas?

UMD_MaxSE

iTrader: (1)

maxtoolin: Is there any sidewall bulge with the 245's you have? 235's I can understand, but 245's seem a bit too much for the stock rims. But if Nitto did spec them that way, then I guess they know what they are doing.....

y2kse

iTrader: (1)

From my perspective, 235/45/17 or 245/45/17 spec'd out for 7" wide rims has to be the holy grail of tires for us stock SE rim owners. If it's any comfort, I did managed to find another tire in 245/45/17 spec'd out for 7" wide rims . . . the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS EMT Run Flat. Tirerack sells them for $269.00 each. Check out http://www.tirerack.com/tires/goodyear/gy_f1_gs.jsp.

I'll live with my stock Potenza RE-92s through the summer. But I'll definitely buy a set of the Nitto 555s in 245/45/17s before the wet weather sets in again. And thanks again to MaxToolin for saving me the price of a new set of rims. Not bad for a Newbie, huh guys?

Hasoose

any of guys have experience with Michelin XGT H4 235/45 on stock 17" rims?..

Turbo95Max

iTrader: (25)

keep in mind a few things, Overall diameter smaller or larger then stock, throws your Speedometer/odometer and abs off, even if you barely notice it. Sidewall buldge can be an opinion thing, plus different tires will look differently. Remember alot of the high performance tires come with a sidewall protector, meaning it'll buldge out a lil bit over the rim to protect your rim if you hit curbs. This buldge doesnt mean the tire is too large for the rim. I would NOT recommend you put 235's on a 7" rim. When you work with many sizes of tires and rims you'll see what i mean. Im not saying it wont fit cause it will. I tell my customers this everyday, ill sell you the tires but i wont install them, because basically you COULD be liable for anything that might happen to them. same goes for speed ratings, cannot sell a lower speed rating.

Max_Gator

Does that include the Nittos? They appear to be spec'd for 7" rims - are they? Or is it just the way Nitto measures? I've heard that a 245 from one manuf. ain't always the same as 245 from another. Doesn't make sense to me but that's what I've heard - any truth? I'd love to go wider when I replace my re92s.

y2kse

iTrader: (1)

I understand why you react the way you do when someone asks you to mount tires on rims that are too narrow according to the manufacturer. I'd react exactly the same way if I were in your position. But if the rim width conforms to manufacturer specifications, you're covered. So what's your beef?

For what it's worth, I'm prepared to accept the manufacturer's specifications regarding rim width, period. I won't mount a tire that does not conform, but I have absolutely no hesitancy in mounting one that does. If the tire fails and the failure can be traced to insufficient rim width, I've always got the manufacturer to fall back on. And so, presumably, do you.

I have a few more questions for you, Turbo95Max. Have you ever mounted a set of Nitto 555s in 235/45/17 or 245/45/17 on 7" wide rims? If you have, what was your experience? If not, perhaps you'd be willing to give it a try and let us know what you think.

By the way, the difference in diameter between 245/45/17s and 225/50/17s is less than 3/16ths of an inch. This results in a speedometer reading with the 245/45/17s that is 0.685% too fast. That's an error of less than 1 mph at 140 mph. I'm sure you'd agree that this degree of error is negligible.

Finally, you indicated that using tires of a smaller or larger diameter than stock could throw the abs off. Precisely how so? And would the abs really be affected if the difference in diameter (plus or minus) is less than 3/16ths of a inch?

MaxToolin

Not as much as you'd think and I'm guessing that's why the tire is spec'd fro a 7" rim..I'd say about 1/2" which does help your rim if you get a little too close to a curb.

Toolin....

MaxToolin

y2kse,
Thanks for the URL. Good reviews. I was a little reluctant to go with the Nitto's because the only reviews I could find were in this forum. Some said the 555's were really good, others not so good in the rain, etc., etc. ALL said they were much better than the RE-92's so I went for the widest and closest to original spec as I could that Nitto spec'd for the 7" rim. I'm not disappointed.....

y2kse

iTrader: (1)

Right, MaxToolin. Once again, I'm prepared to accept the recommendations of the tire manufacturer regarding acceptable rim widths. So there doesn't appear to be anything preventing me from changing tire sizes provided I stay close to the original tire diameter. But then I'm still waiting for Turbo95Max to answer my questions. Perhaps he knows something the tire manufacturer doesn't know.

jjs

Who carries Nitto tires? I can find a couple of places to get the Kumho's from, but not Nitto's. Thanks!

MaxToolin

jjs,
I bought mine from Discount Tire Direct at
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/

No problems. Delivered in 4 days.

Toolin.....

DMan_2KMax

I am running 235/45/17s Nitto 555 Extremes on my stock 17" rims and they are great. Wet weather traction is awesome and they grip really well, however, there is a bit more road (tire) noise now. The guys at discount tires said they mounted up real well and look just fine on the stock 17" rims. We are only talking about 10 mm here guys which IMHO isn't really all that significant. Good luck.

y2kse

iTrader: (1)

Just out of curiosity, why didn't you go with 245/45/17s instead? They also spec out for 7" rims and they're a better speed match when compared to the stock 225/50s.

SWEETSOUND2001

iTrader: (30)

I know that Dave Lopez on here is running re730's 235/45/17 on his allesion 7" wide rims...so it shouldn't be that big a deal

y2kse

iTrader: (1)

Excellent. Perhaps Dave would be kind enough to weigh in here and answer the questions I posited at the beginning of this thread. I've also got a couple of other questions. Was Dave aware that his tires were out of spec when he bought them? Would he have chosen Nitto 555s over the re730s in either 235/45s or 245/45s had he known the Nittos were in spec for his 7" rims?

Turbo95Max

iTrader: (25)

Y2kse,

yea ive mounted 235's and 245's on a 7" rim, I wouldnt feel comfortable riding on them. They are too narrow for the rim. Juss cause the tire fits on the rim, doesnt mean its the right size, and doesnt mean you get increased contact patch, the rim simply is too small. If it were my car id use a minimun of 8" for a 235 or 245. yes using smaller or larger overall diameter does affect ABS ever so slightly, even if you cant notice it, its there. no one needs to take my advice, like i said, i work with this stuff all the time and i see so many idiots come in wanting a big tire and thinking its better, not always the case. (im not calling anyone here an idiot) People can buy a 285 and somehow mount it on a 7" rim and belive they get better handling, but do they?

y2kse

iTrader: (1)

The problem is that we have so few choices in 225/50/17 tires. Nobody's willing to settle for another set of RE92s and the only other alternatives appear to be either the Michelin Pilot XGT Z4 or the Michelin Pilot SX MXX3, both of which are decent but very expensive.

I happen to like my stock SE rims and have no desire to replace them. And I'm really not looking to run wider tires on my rims. I just want to have some other alternatives besides the RE92s and the Michelins when it comes time to replace my tires. I also insist on following manufacturer guidelines, both Nissan's and the tire maker's. So I won't consider a tire that has too small a diameter and isn't spec'd for 7" wide rims. That rules out every 225/45/17 and 235/45/17 made. The only other tire size that maintains the proper geometry is 245/45/17. But as we all know, practically every 245/45/17 manufactured requires at least 7.5" wide rims.

Enter the Nitto 555 in 245/45/17. Here's a tire that seems to have it all . . . proper geometry, excellent performance and reasonable cost. And best of all, it's spec'd for 7" wide rims. What more could I ask for? And why would I choose to doubt the manufacturer's guidelines regarding recommended rim widths?

I'm satisfied that I've found the tires of choice for my vehicle. And while I appreciate your comment regarding possible deletirious effects on the abs system by using 245/45/17s, you simply have not provided any data to support your contention. I'm therefore inclined to ignore it.

beaglemax

What about load rating???

Nitto lists the tire as P245/45ZR17 89W
That means that it has a load rating of 89!
However, the stock Potenzas are P225/50R17 93V.
89 --> 1279 lbs
93 --> 1433 lbs

Generally when replacing OE tires, the replacements should have at least the same load rating as the OE tire. This is not to say that tire won't work on a 5th gen Maxima. It is just something else to consider.

By the way, the Pirelli P7000 SUPERSPORT in the size P245/45ZR17 89W is also listed for a rim width range of 7.0" - 9.0". Unfortunately it has the same load rating as the Nitto tire.

y2kse

iTrader: (1)

Excellent point beaglemax. I wonder if lower profile tires generally have lower load ratings. Have you found a 235/45 or 245/45 with a 93 or higher load rating? Also, wouldn't a tire with an 89 load rating still offer plenty of cushion for a Maxima? A set of tires with an 89 load rating provides a total load capacity of over 5,000 lbs when properly inflated. (I guess if I get the Nittos I'll have to use my wife's car to take my pet elephant to the vet. )

By the way, I checked the user comments on the Pirelli P7000 Super Sport at Car Review.com (http://www.carreview.com/reviews/tir...ct_23739.shtml). They don't seem to be as highly rated as the Nitto 555s. They're also quite a bit more expensive than the Nittos.

beaglemax

The Potenza RE730 (which require at least a 7.5" rim width) have load ratings at least equal to 93:

245/45ZR17 --> 95 = 1521 lbs
235/45ZR17 --> 93 = 1433 lbs

I'm sure that there are more than that. A more appropriate question to ask is What is the lowest safe tire load rating for a 5th gen Maxima? A good place to start would be to find the load ratings all the OE tires that Nissan uses on the Maxima. The 15" Dunlop SP5000 on the GXE have a load rating of 92 --> 1389 lbs but Dunlop specs the max load as 1400 lbs. I don't know what it is for the 16" tires. Can someone else get this? All you have to do is read the sidewall of your car's tires.

Turbo95Max

iTrader: (25)

i see what your saying, its true there arent really any choices in the 225/50/17 size. on the Nitto website, 225/40/17 with width measuring 9.02 says min of 7.5" rim while a 245/45/17 width measuring 9.61 says min of 7" rim?? something sounds hokie pokie to me. Or maybe my training in this field was all wrong, i belive the first. Have you tried the NT555? what did you think of them? ive used them before and they suck in my opinion, wet traction espically, they are good for the money but if money was a concern id juss opt to get the Kumho Ecsta. I know you can ask Skimax his opinion of the NT555 or other enthusists that push their tires to the limits can give you some good opinions. The RE730's are a very good tire, im sure you can see some of their ratings at Tirerack. Im not good at explaining things in words espically over the net, i know i didnt give you any good evidence for the ABS, you dont have to belive me, but id juss want to warn you about it if any probs do arise. You prolly wont tho.

y2kse

iTrader: (1)

The 215/55/16 Toyo Proxes A05s on my wife's 2K GXE have a load rating of 91. And the original 205/55/16 Toyo Proxes A05s OEM'd for the Maxima have a load rating of 89. (Check out it out for yourself at http://www.toyocanada.com/products/Prod_OE_EN.asp.) Under the circumstances, I'd say we're safe running tires with a load rating of 89. But I appreciate the heads up, beaglemax. You definitely got my attention.

beaglemax

Turbo95Max

Do you know any internet sites where I can get more information on the abs issue you brought up? You got me interested and I would like to learn more so I can make my own determination.