Hey folks, new guy here.....just got my son his first car, 2014 SV. I have a dilemma I'm hoping you experts can help me with, and PLEASE don't skewer me if this topic has been discussed, I did a search but there's SOOOO much info here!


The car has the OEM 18x8 wheels with the OEM 245/45/18 size tire. Since this is my son's first car and I KNOW he's gonna nail some potholes/curbs, I had a thought about giving a little more sidewall by dropping the rim size to 17x8 with some 225/55/17 tires. I know its not much, maybe 1/2" more sidewall, but the car needs tires and he has saved some money for aftermarket wheels, so I can put a whole new setup on it.


The issue I seem to be running into is whether or not a 17" wheel will fit, most sites I looked at say no. But there has to be people running 17" wheels just based on some of the searches I've done here. My guess is the problem with a 17 is whether or not it clears the front brake calipers? I slid my hand between the top of the caliper and wheel and it stopped around the start of my palm, so I'm guessing there's around 3/4" clearance on the current setup?


Can someone verify this is why some wheel sites say a 17 won't fit? And if any of you are running 17's, are there only certain wheels that work? Is wheel width a factor or just diameter? Thanks in advance!!

 

Yeah just get tires not prone to sidewall bubbles. I run some coopers 2 sets over 100K miles and they are safe and give me no trouble. On sale at tire rack last week. RS3 all seasons.

 

Can you not keep the 18, go a bit bigger than 245 and get tyres with soft compound for a more comfortable ride? I would like to think the wheel wells are big enough to accommodate the sidewall increase. I do believe you can make a 17" fit but i'm not sure if you will like the tight setting at recommended psi along with a sports suspension.

 

I thought about keeping the 18's and adding a slightly bigger tire. There's a little room in there but not a whole lot! So is the issue the brake caliper and lack of clearance?

 

Just keep the 18s and get a bigger tire. I live in an area that’s infested with potholes. In the winter I put my oem 18s on and they are perfectly fine,even if I hit a pothole. Just get a larger sized tire. No need to go through the headache of trying tot see what fits,spending money on smaller wheels etc. You won’t have any trouble with a bigger 18inch tire

 

His first car a Maxima??? WOW, father of the year award! BUT know that this car can be a handful and can even get us older folks in trouble fast. A wider tire will make it MORE likely to curb than stock but if the pot holes are small enough, may help bridge the gap. My recommendation, outside getting him a Datsun B210 is to keep the stock tires and wheel. As you mention, you know it is going to happen so make it easier to repair by keeping it stock. We all have the best wishes for your boy and hope he has a safe and ticket free experience in a very nice ride provided by his very proud papa.

 

Yes, after a few hours of research I've decided keeping the 18's and putting a slightly larger tire is the way to go. Amy recommendations on what I could go with - 225/55, 235/50? I chatted with a few different Tire Rack guys online and they wouldn't budge from OEM size, probably afraid of getting sued 😂

 

Haha thanks, and believe me I remind him daily how lucky he is! My first car was an '81 Oldsmobile Cutlass, my wife's a '79 Chevy Chevette! But he's a good kid with great grades, but an only child and definitely spoiled!

I've been guiding him on the art of dodging potholes. But I really just find the ride a bit rough, and was looking for a little more cushion. Of course it could be the tires, it has some $60 Pep Boys specials on it, so maybe a quality tire will help smooth things a bit?

 

Definitely, higher quality tires will help but without knowing the area, climate and "how" he is driving, any recommendations are a shot in the dark. Your Tire Rack guys may give you the best indicator between "harshness" and whatever climate variables you deal with (just rain here in FL) without going to a premium tire.

 

You're not effecting a change with the alternate sizes you are considering. I think you're bias lies with not liking the ride and now you're on a mission to fix something that isn't broken with a solution that won't make a difference. Get him a Cadillac if the ride is too harsh.

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with the way the car is set up. One shouldn't buy a maxima and expect a Cadillac like ride. With the cheapo tires it had when I bought mine I was very uncomfortable with my trips to dallas from Austin regularly. Those who know will tell how how horrible this nearly 200 mile long stretch is. Things got better after i replaced all four. Coming back to the tire size however, i still favor keeping the oem size and going up on the sidewall. When i had the FX i did just that and thought the rims looked smaller all of a sudden but it was just me. As for the ride, there wasn't a 50% change but however subtle the change was there, I did notice that.

 

Do you mean you kept the OEM wheel size and used an alternate size tire? Can I ask what specific tire and size you went with?

And believe me I understand this particular car isn't supposed to feel like it's floating on air, I'm under no illusions there. But I can't help but think a higher quality tire with even a tad more sidewall has to make at least a little difference. I live in Rhode Island, and the roads in my town SUCK. Most are nothing but a patchwork quilt of badly done repairs!

 

That's pretty much my point as well. Very little difference. The thing that made me happy was the reduced overall feedback (read vibration) at the steering wheel. If i remember correctly it was the set of cooper discoverer i bought with the 18 inchers. But i eventually went with oem 20s and a used set from a fellow forum member.

 

I can tell you right now a slightly bigger tire or even the best tire on the market isn't going to change how these cars ride, I live in Massachusetts and these roads are horrible I commute to Rhode Island daily for work and I'm dodging pot holes on these crappy roads as well so believe me I know about the messed up roads, If your driving full speed and don't see that huge pot hole in front of you and you hit it believe it isn't going to matter what size tire you have your going to get a blow out! Leave the car with the factory spec tire size and just get new tires if needed and enjoy the car. These cars aren't going to ride much smoother imo even with the best tire, Now as User1 stated a Cadillac is built for that smooth cushion ride so there's an option for the future otherwise enjoy the Maxima for what it is and what it has to offer, I'll tell you this right now these Maxima's are built to last much longer than them smooth riding Cadillacs!