David002

I was thinkin about getting a set of 18" wheels, but just wanted to check if anybody knew whether or not doing this will void any part of my warranty? this is on a SE btw so the stock size is 18 also.

Thanks in advance!

David

CanadianMoFo

It shouldn't. Especially if its just another set of 18's.

Why not go bigger? To a 19 at least? If you're going to spend the money anyways.

David002

i was hoping to "recycle" the tires and do not really want to go with a lower profile tire either.

jcton20s

the stock tires that you have should be p245/45/18 I am running 20 in rims with p245/40/20 with a 2 inch drop up front so you won't be losing much tire if you decide to get bigger rims which I would highly recommend.

04SEelite

But your speedometer is off??? What's up with that??

msoemax

If you buy bigger tires Kiss the drivetrain warranty goodbye! Most dealerships will put up a fight if you buy bigger tires. Several friends who owned other cars (not nissans) had issues trying to get bigger tires. When they got them the dealer put up a big stink and said they would void the warranty. Find out from your dealer how they will handle it. If they say ok, go for it. Otherwise find a friendly dealership and work with them in the future. Good luck.

IMHO the dealer and Nissan is correct when not wanting to keep the warranty valid. The car was not designed to have 20's on there. If it was then they would have offered it as an option. That size of tire puts more wear and tear on the car. Again, take my advice and find out how the dealer feels about it. If they say it's ok get it in writing and go buy the rims. Otherwise leave it alone or be prepared to pay for your actions.

6thGenMax

iTrader: (6)

i have a set of 4 brand new 18's stock 05 SE wheels, NEVER hit the pavement. brand new tires with the nipples sticking out. willing to sell for the right price. ill take some offers. when i say brand new. i mean NO DUST on them or anything. MINT

jcton20s

I have taken my car in for 3 times for multiple drivetrain warranty issues and my 20s have never been an issue. If the car wasn't meant for 20's then they wouldn't fit. Nissan doesn't put 20's on there becuase it will give the car a little less comfortable ride.

msoemax

They don't put 20's on there b/c of the $$$ for quality parts. At that size you really have to do a good job to make it all work well and hold up. The 20's take some work to fit on the car, but it can be done, obviously. It's good that you got a nice service department. A lot of places are not mod friendly, that was my point. Last, you will put more wear and tear on the car with 20's vs 18's. I also reccomend that you have the ecu adjusted to correct for the speedometer and odometer if you get bigger tires. If your dealer is truely mod friendly they should do that for you.

04RedOpMax

OK, I think this would be a good time to put a few myths and misconceptions about "bigger" tires and wheels to rest. As long as you follow one simple rule when purchasing "bigger" tires/wheels, you will not have any problems with your brakes, wear and tear on your car, your speedometer/computer or gearing. You will not effect the warranty and the dealer will have no reason to beef. Your tires will not wear out faster.

The rule is this: DO NOT change the height (radius/circumference) of the tire!
(There is a tolerance to this rule: Not more than 3% deviation.)

So, when poeple talk about "bigger" tires/wheels, it is only the wheel that should increase in diameter, the tire actually gets smaller (larger inside diameter = less rubber).

Now, let's look at some tire sizes to compare. A 245/45/18 tire (stock for the 04 SE Max) has a radius of 13.34". A 245/40/19 tire has a radius of 13.35". The difference in height is miniscule .010", which is the thickness of 2 sheets of standard notebook paper, in other words: Negligable. A 245/35/20 tire has a radius of 13.37", which is only .030'" difference. Again, well within the 3% tolerance. If you wanted to put 22" wheels on your car, you would have to go to 25 series tire.

If you want to get really technical, the only dimension that really matters is the "rolling radius", which is the dimension from the center of the spindle/axle to the road surface. A lot of things can effect this dimension (besides changing the height of the tire), air pressure, amount of load in the vehicle and tire wear are a few. Think about this: Your tires could change in height 3/8" to 1/2" , from when they are brand new to when you hit the wear bars.

So now that we understand what won't happen when you go to bigger wheels, let's see what will happen:

Handling should improve. When you change to a lower profile tire, you are reducing the sidewall height, which adds stiffness, reduces flex, and increases steering response. The bad news is, your cushy ride will suffer: You may think you are riding on granite donuts, especially if you decide to run Dubs.
But everbody will think you are really cool, because your tires look like black rubber bands and they can see right through your spokes to the other side of the car.

By the way, there is a tire size calculator here:
http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp

CanadianMoFo

Can the ECU settings be changed for different wheel size? I've never heard of that. Of course I may not be fast and furious enough to know about that kind of stuff.

04RedOpMax

Changing wheel size doesn't effect anything. Read post #10 where I explain why.

msoemax

04RedOpMax, You are correct with the sizing. This is a fun game to play when shopping for tires! I had to do it in the past. 1010tires.com is a great place to learn about tires. I would still call the dealer and see how they feel about tires. No need for headaches later on or surprises. I just want David002 to know what he's getting into. I was considering new wheels, but the car is looking more and more like a lemon so I am holding off on doing any future work.

CanadianMoFo

Oh I know all about keeping the rolling radius constant. I usually use the calculator at: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

I thought he meant that you could get some wacked out wheel and tire combo and reprogram the ECU to change the rolling radius parameter. Like in the old days where you could get a different gear to make the speedometer/odometer read properly.

msoemax

I don't know for a fact if you can do that with the Nissan ECU, but it should be doable b/c if the SL series can have 17's and the SE has the 18's I would imagine all you have to do is do some editing to the ECU. I am no Tech, but I think it can be done.

CanadianMoFo

The SL tire size 225/50/17 is nearly the same rolling raduis as the SE's 245/45/18 so there would be no change necessary.

04RedOpMax

Exactly. By not changing the height of the tire, the parameters already programmed into the computer can remain unchanged, therefore everthing is consistant. Proof that the factory engineers know what they are doing (most of the time).

04SEelite

But to go to a 20" wheel you would need 275/30ZR20 97YRD - (285's are OK too but couldn't find any off hand) and for a +2 fitment the 275's are good and closest to the original size - Toyo has one but not sure who else?? And I am sure huge $$$'s!

lightonthehill

04RedOpMax has been playing with his slide rule again.

I haven't been out to the tire dealer with my micrometer yet (haven't actually measured the tires under discussion), but I must say I agree with the thrust of 04RedOpMax's analysis. As long as the outer diameter of the tire is close to the OEM setup, and the width of the tires does not cause rubbing during turns, things should click.

I expected the major complaint from friends in my area running 22" wheels to be the very rough ride. That has not been the case. What they seem to be complaining about is:

1 - Good quality very low profile tires for 22" wheels can be very expensive.
2 - 22" tires do not usually last as long as 18 " tires.
2 - Very low profile 22" tires usually have no margin for error. Hitting a pothole with a very low profile tire can easily ruin the tire. This is understandable, as the face of the tread is only about an inch or two from the metal wheel. No room to 'give'.

EdRomo86

i have 22's with a 30 series tire and yeah the ride is stiffer but i drive about 80 to 100 miles per day and its not to bad. but when i hit potholes, it sure does hurt. why cant we have smooth roads?

mattattax

Back to the original question: Depending on the dealer, some may void aspects of your warranty. If your cd player breaks they may try to blame it on the new wheels. Yes, this sounds stupid to me too--but it happens. The dealerships legally can't say the warranty is voided unless they prove the aftermarket part (or lack of the OEM) caused the problem. However, many dealerships do it anyways because there is not much you can do once they decide your warranty is out the window. My fuel pump broke and they managed to blame it on my in dash DVD player so.........
BTW I ended up having to go to another dealership to get it fixed. And in some cases, that other dealership will not help. Good luck