Yeah what I said in the subject.. I'm in the market for some 17" rims and some nice Z-rated performance tires (have to be all season since I live in NYC). I'm all about performance, don't care if they're the best looking (but ofcourse can't look like sh*t either). I don't really know much about the types of wheels available out there and what's considered good and what's not, but as for tires I've had Dunlop SP5000's in mind for a while. So all the know-it-all's out there, what would be the best 17" wheel/tire combo which'll give me the handling and grip that I'm looking for and make everyone go . $$ isn't really an object. All opinions and suggestions will be appreciated.

 

P.S. I have a '97 SE (automagic) with about 73k miles which is currently running on the SE 16's and some not-so-good continental tires.

 

I am new to the aftermarket rim and tire market myself and will be watching this post. I have rims and have yet to purchase tires. I bought 17x7.5 Konig Toxxins. They are not the lightest rims (17lbs) but look real good IMO. Right now I am on stock SE 16s with **** Toyo FZ4's. Konig rims are good looking and usually can be found for about 130-150/rim maybe even cheap. But there are better and lighter rims for the choosing depending on $
good luck

 

The best tires out there are Bridgestone Potenza's S0-3's Pole Position. I garuntee it. and go 18's.

 

I agree!! AWESOME tires! but if you want performance go with a set of light 17x8s like Volks, or SSR Competitions... they are sweet *** rims

 

Thanks for the replies, yea I definitely want 17x8s (wider is better ). And as you guys post your suggestions can you please also post some URLs of sites that might have the wheels that you're mentioning.

Str8ridin and carnal_c30, what makes those tires so good?

 

I believe the ultimate street setup would be the lightest 16 inch rims you could find, and put some S-03's on them. Myabe 17, but still get the lightest you can find.

 

They've been dominating tire technolgy fairs in auto shows and Road&Track did a review on them because of all the buzz and they ranked them as one of the best DRY/WET (not snow though) performance they have had in a long time. Check out tirerack.com for the reviews on it...

 

Pole Positions 245/45/17 on SSR Competitions 17x8. You can't get lighter 17x8's (that I know of) and those tires are highly rated.

Stereodude

 

you CANNOT get an all season tire and expect it to even be close to the high performance tire. Somebody recommended an 18" rim - that will slow you down also. Check out my group buy in the North East forum... I set up a deal for 17x7.5 rota wheels which weigh 16lbs. with kumbo 712s for $950 - you'll need to spend $2500 or more to match my deal on performance wheel and tire.

 

Yes I understand when going all season you lose a lot of performance. I can't get the pole positions because I need at least a semi-decent snow tire living in NY (don't want to get a performance only tire and be changing stuff around all the time).

Your deal is pretty good, but I need some wheels which will work with Stillen's big brake kit (I plan to get one later, gotta have braking power).

What determines whether a big brake kit can be cleared by a wheel or not? the offset? if yes what range of offsets am I looking at to make sure the big brake kit gets cleared?

Again thanks for all your help guys.

 

What size Kumho are you going to put on a 17x7.5 rim? A 245/45/17 (correct size for 5th gen SE) is not recommened for a 7.5" rim.

Stereodude

 

245 would be insane... you would want a 225 or 235.

If you are looking for the best all season then may I recommend what I use currently... the bridgestone potenza RE950. I was driving on a snow and slushy highway today and they gripped really well. I have also used them on dry pavement and they far exceed the stock toyos. They sell for about $100 on tirerack

as for the big brake fitting.. I don't know much about them so i can't really comment

 

Nice. How long is this going on for? I haev to check this out cause I really need lighter rims and tires and this sounds like a good deal.

SuDZ

 

you got a week and a half to decide.

 

Yes, that's why Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus & Lamborghini put 18's on their cars from the factory.

Just because the size is bigger doesn't mean that they are heavier. If you want the ultimate in performance AND handling for specifically a Maxima, I suggest light 18's with S0-3's.

 

Big Brake kit - I'd recommend 18x8s for them, 97MaxGurl fit hers on TSW 17x8s... there is no way they'll fit on a rim less than 8 wide... my big brake kit forced me to buy 18x8 rims... the rims should be without a lip (lip will screw your clearance, my Blitz 19x8.5s need spacers for the brakes cuza the huge lip) and the offset should be less than 40 and greater than 35... findins a rim like that is hard!! especially one that is light!!

btw you wana buy a big brake kit? *wink* If you offer me a good price I'll sell... its not on my car now, and stil on its first set of pads!!

 

Well that's Ferrari's and lambos that you're talking about there, they would tear apart any usual cars on the road no matter what size rims they're running. We're talking about a MAXIMA here, it is pretty fast but not the fastest car around and we need to do whatever possible to make sure we don't end up making it any slower than it already is. I'm sure you've read all the technical facts already as to why bigger rims=decreased acceleration, even if they're lighter. You don't see any real drag racers running 18's or even 17's for that matter, they try to go small in that area (some will be happy with stock 15's). So I'm just saying 17's offer the best compromise between handling/speed and looks of big rims. But hey, to each his own.

 

Kumhos are really really heavy tire wise. That is why they are so cheap. Some good lightweight rims are volks, SSR, Racing Hart.....you get the picture. My next set of tires will be Bridgstone S-03's. I have Toyo T1-S's now, I like them alot.

 

Tell me is the big brake kit really worth the price? What kind of braking power does it offer? I've drove my friend's 330i and two 740iL's and I think the brakes on those cars are just amazing. If the big brake kit even comes close to a bimmer's braking power I would get it.

 

its amazing compared to stock!! haha seriously, the only car that I've ever driven that brakes better is a Ferrari... It is a total transformation of the Maximas brakes which suck stock. just get clearence issues resolved with your rims and then have fun!

 

Are your wheels 17" SSR comp's? They look like it. What size are they (dia. and width)?

 

If the ultimute in performance is what you want, then stay with 16s and get wider tires, like 225s. with 17s and up, you lose acceleration but gain cornering. You gain cornering because of the wider tire you have to put on them, but lose acceleration because of the greater weight and weight distrubution associated with bigger wheels. There are those who say get a set of light 18s, but if the manufacturer who makes light 18s can make light 16s, the 16s will be lighter still.

Anyways, if you stick with 16s and get 225 rubber to fit on your 16s, you'll have the greatest cornering and acceleration.

DW

 

His rims are 18" Volk TE-37, I believe they are 18x7 but I'm not sure.

 

I was in a very similar dilemma a while ago. I settled with 17"s, because the Maxima comes with 15"-16" wheels stock, so 17" is a +1 size.
As for the guys talking about Lamborghinis and Ferraris, do you see them with 19" and 20" wheels? I didn't think so. And you should know those wheels are forged and extremely lightweight but a set of 17"s would be lighter (given its the same type of wheel). Less metal = less weight. Always.
If I were you I would go with a good brand, lightweight forged wheels as other adviseds. HRE, SSR, Racing Hart (), and Blitz are all excellent wheels. Yes, they are expensive, but I think they're worth it (and some may disagree).
As for the tires, it all matters what model you get. Yokohama makes some great tires, and some really cheap tires (). Pirelli, Dunlop, and all other names are the same - you pay for what you get. I honestly think my Yokohamas are any better that my Michelin MX-V4s (winter setup).
-Cyrus

 

why does MXV4 cost so much? compare to ohter performence tires like dunlop sp 5000 or avs db

 

They're aren't even that good I got them because they were basically free (we were leasing a Q45 which needed new tires so we put the Maxima ones on it and I got new ones )
-Cyrus

 

I think 18"'s are definitely overkill on a Maxima. I mean 3-piece forged rims with cost no object, what would be the point on a Max?

With Max, the rims are mostly for looks, and there's nothing wrong with that. Probably 17 X 8 in a 235 is best...

 

How much does the S-03 weigh? My Dunlop SP9000s are heavy *****.

 

BJJ answered it

His rims are 18" Volk TE-37, I believe they are 18x7.5

Mike: I am sure they weigh around what my tires weigh at....+ or - 23lbs. Kumhos are like bricks.

 

The absolute ultimate street legal wheel tire combo would probably be some 15" SSR Comps or TE-37s (both about 9.5 lbs in 15x7)with Yokohama A032R or Toyo RA1 or BFG g-Force R1 or R1A, Hoosier R3S03 or A3S03, Kumho Victoracer V700 and Ecsta V700 (brand new tire). None of these tires is acceptable for street use however, they would wear down to nothing in days. The ultimate street tire that will actually hold up is probably the Yokohama AVS Intermediate. These tires are SICK they are so sticky. Other awesome tires include S0-3s, S-02s, Toyo T1S, Yoko AVS Sport, among others.

 

Sure they are. At least the majority of 245/45/17's are (there are a few exceptions). I looked into this a while ago. Go to www.tirerack.com and search for that size tire and look at their Specs and see for yourself.

 

According to Kumho's datasheet for the 712's they say 8" wide rim.

Stereodude

 

Yes, I know that, but this in reference to theblue's group deal he's pimping. I was saying the rim and tire doesn't match for max's.

Stereodude

 

Damn, i love those GT3's


GC

 

Yeah but it hurts the wallet for 550 or so each.

SuDZ

 

That's how much mine cost a peice...but I got the hook-up for 50% off

 

Just because a manufacturer doesn't recommend something doesn't mean you can't do it. I've got 235-45s on my 17x7s. The sidewall height makes a difference in what width wheel they say you "should" put it on as well. Tires with the same section width but different sidewall heights are recommended for different width wheels.

 

Thats not a bad deal then. Not at all actually.

SuDZ

 

The issue with 235/45/17s on 17x7s is not so much the sidewall height, but more the width of the tire compared to the rim. If you autox, the extra width of the tire might cause it to separate from the rim. Of course this is only an issue in high G cornering moves you would experience in autoX.


DW