My '02 GLE
My '02 GLE (Updated Pics)
EDIT: I posted new pics of my ride with the new wheels...scroll down to the bottom of this page to see.
I bought the Maxima in June of '07, so I've had it almost a year now. I've spent a lot of time and money on it and it was worth it. I finally got my Stillen kit painted and installed so after a wash and wax I had a little picture shoot. Next step will most likely be 18" wheels. Let me know what you think!
I bought the Maxima in June of '07, so I've had it almost a year now. I've spent a lot of time and money on it and it was worth it. I finally got my Stillen kit painted and installed so after a wash and wax I had a little picture shoot. Next step will most likely be 18" wheels. Let me know what you think!
Last edited by sublime258; Jul 16, 2008 at 04:24 PM.
Thanks man. I'll be on vacation for the next 2 weeks...leaving tomorrow morning and won't be back until 6/30...so I won't be able to make it.
Thanks for the compliments guys! I painted the eyelids with a few coats of black spray paint and some clear coat, which was a mistake. They would definitely match/look better if I got them done professionally...but oh well too late for that. Oh and by the way...my vacation got cancelled (due to midwest flooding), which is why I'm posting on here right now.
Last edited by sublime258; Jun 18, 2008 at 02:24 PM.
But yea...go for it dude.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,043
From: Toronto, ONT
Since your ride is black a 3M or LaminX flim would be a good investment to put into your front lip...you will be surprised how fast stone chips will turn a nice black front lip ugly especially if you do a lot of highway driving..
damn...
what a clean black Max! I was just looking at mine today, wishing it was back to how it looked when it just left the factory...101k miles hasnt been too gentle to my paint. How much did that new paint run you?
I got the Stillen kit painted and installed for $350. After I washed it, I also did a touch-up job on a lot of the rock knicks on the front bumper and hood. I used some color-matched black paint, and used Langka to remove the paint blobs. It turned out very nicely. The Langka is pretty expensive, but will make it look like you didn't even touch up your paint. It looked almost new after a waxing. It's something cheap to try if you don't want to pay to get your whole hood/bumper painted.
Yea I've considered doing that...but then there's the chrome door handles (which I hate more than anything) that are still left...and from what I've read...they're a pain to swap out. I know you disagree...but I kind of like the way the clear sidemarkers look against the black.
Have you thought of going with spacers, and perhaps a wider tire?
A 5th gen should be using 245-45 on an 18. 235-40 is a little less than a 1/2 inch shorter than stock. Your speedometer might be a little off because of this, and your wheel well wont look a little empty / (4x4 look / larger looking wheel gap) because of this. Couple that with the fact that larger wheel /tires give the 'optical illusion' of more wheel gap too.
A 5th gen should be using 245-45 on an 18. 235-40 is a little less than a 1/2 inch shorter than stock. Your speedometer might be a little off because of this, and your wheel well wont look a little empty / (4x4 look / larger looking wheel gap) because of this. Couple that with the fact that larger wheel /tires give the 'optical illusion' of more wheel gap too.
Last edited by NmexMAX; Jun 25, 2008 at 07:24 AM.
Have you thought of going with spacers, and perhaps a wider tire?
A 5th gen should be using 245-45 on an 18. 235-40 is a little less than a 1/2 inch shorter than stock. Your speedometer might be a little off because of this, and your wheel well wont look a little empty / (4x4 look / larger looking wheel gap) because of this. Couple that with the fact that larger wheel /tires give the 'optical illusion' of more wheel gap too.
A 5th gen should be using 245-45 on an 18. 235-40 is a little less than a 1/2 inch shorter than stock. Your speedometer might be a little off because of this, and your wheel well wont look a little empty / (4x4 look / larger looking wheel gap) because of this. Couple that with the fact that larger wheel /tires give the 'optical illusion' of more wheel gap too.
. I just used the tire size calculator on miata.net...it looks like my speedometer will be 3.5% too fast...I can get this fixed right? Hopefully everything will look and fit well. I didn't realize that the new tires/wheels together would actually be smaller overall than the ones I have on now (215/55/17). Wish I wouldn't have read your post the night before I got the new wheels/tires 
, hopefully I won't be disappointed. I might be looking into wheel spacers if I think I need them. Thanks for the insight.EDIT: I just did a lot of research here on the .org, and it seems like a lot of people actually recommend 235/40/18. So I'm not sweating it so much anymore.
Last edited by sublime258; Jun 25, 2008 at 11:58 PM.
Well it's kind of late to change my mind on the tires...they will be arriving mounted on the wheels tomorrow. I guess I should have done a little more research about tire size before buying . I just used the tire size calculator on miata.net...it looks like my speedometer will be 3.5% too fast...I can get this fixed right? Hopefully everything will look and fit well. I didn't realize that the new tires/wheels together would actually be smaller overall than the ones I have on now (215/55/17). Wish I wouldn't have read your post the night before I got the new wheels/tires , hopefully I won't be disappointed. I might be looking into wheel spacers if I think I need them. Thanks for the insight.
EDIT: I just did a lot of research here on the .org, and it seems like a lot of people actually recommend 235/40/18. So I'm not sweating it so much anymore.
. I just used the tire size calculator on miata.net...it looks like my speedometer will be 3.5% too fast...I can get this fixed right? Hopefully everything will look and fit well. I didn't realize that the new tires/wheels together would actually be smaller overall than the ones I have on now (215/55/17). Wish I wouldn't have read your post the night before I got the new wheels/tires , hopefully I won't be disappointed. I might be looking into wheel spacers if I think I need them. Thanks for the insight.EDIT: I just did a lot of research here on the .org, and it seems like a lot of people actually recommend 235/40/18. So I'm not sweating it so much anymore.
You'll like it I'm sure.
Alright well I got the wheels this morning at 11:00 and had them installed by 11:40. Absolutely no problems installing them, fit like a champ. I am extremely happy with the way they look, and my ride is actually better. Switching to the Toyo Proxes 4 from the crap Hercules tires the dealer put on made a huge difference. They ride a lot quieter and smoother. I will post pics of these beauties after I wash my car tomorrow morning. 
