ptatohed

iTrader: (12)

I have been looking for wheels for 6 months now. It is not easy! I would like good-looking (subjective, I know), 17" silver wheels that weigh less than 17 lb and cost less than $250 ea, tops ($150 to $200 would be ideal).

After eliminating tens, if not hundreds of rims due to either poor looks, high price and/or heavy weight, I am leaning toward the Kosei K1 TS. What do you guys think?
$200 each (17"x7", silver), 14.1 lb!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and o.k. looking.

Any other recommendations before I plop down $800+?

Thanks guys.

THT

iTrader: (8)

I was gonna suggest SSRs until I noticed the budget.

AnDyMaN

iTrader: (19)

you can do better............ o.o, how bout change of color?

AnDyMaN

iTrader: (19)

http://www.streetstyler.com/RevWheels.htm

these are cheaper wheels, not silver, but i think they look better, and price is better too..... i have rev model xi in gunmetal 17, if you're interested, but as far as durabilty goes, its pretty strong, went over some pot holes, nothing HUGE, but ones i thought would dent them, but they're pretty strong, i think as strong as oem... so... yeah......

ptatohed

iTrader: (12)

Thanks for the input Andy. I did not know about Rev. Those are some pretty good looking wheels - especially your XI's. However, I am getting a little spoiled by some of the 13,14,15 lb wheels I am discovering. So now it is harder to buy 17 + lb wheels. I'm trying to make my Maxima as fast as I can. Thanks for the link.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Depending on the width, 17lbs is not that light. My oem Cobra 17x8 wheels were only 19lbs.

ptatohed

iTrader: (12)

Yeah, I thought about it. I considered the SSR Competition. But I can't justify spending $190 ea ($760 total) more to save .5 lb per wheel.

chillin014

iTrader: (67)

i am in the EXACT same boat as you. except i dont like those wheels.
do you have the honeycomb stock wheels? AGH! i couldnt get a straight answer on how much those weigh. I dont think they weigh 16.5 as i read, and one guy told me he weighed them and they weighed 18.
ANYHOW. god i feel your pain with the search. The main problem is you can have like 5 different companies with the SAME STYLE wheel and although it looks exactly the same they all weigh differently, are different quality, and are priced differently.
im still searching...but my taste is more of the thicker 5 spoke wheels. Such as racing hart c5's and some 5zigen hypers/copse. It makes you question which one your willing to sacrifice for which (style/weight/price)

1FSTMAX

iTrader: (29)

17x7 is too narrow imo... You want something along the lines of 17x8 or 17x8.5". I would spend the extra cash on the ssr's.

Cliff Clavin

iTrader: (11)

Check out the Centerline website. They have a few rims that you can buy directly from them and save a bundle. The wheels are very light and forged. Retail on most of these wheels exceeds $300 each, but on the site, they are around $150-$250 each.

My Centerline RPMs weigh about 13.5 lbs each, BTW, so a lot of the other forged aluminum wheels will be in the same range.

You might call about the offsets, though. When I look up Maxima wheels, they only show "5-lug Nissan car" or something and I don't think every wheel they sell has the same offset, but they all show "42" for the offset on the site. I don't exactly know how the "backspace" works for US cars, but there are the Rebel in 17x8 (also forged) with a 5.5" backspace that are under "Mustang 5 lug."

http://www.centerlinewheels.com/

Man, I wish I had some money. These in 17x7 are only $139 each from the website:


"1-piece wheel. ROTARY FORGED billet aluminum. State-of-the-art forging technology. 1200lb load rating yet extremely lightweight wheel. Available in high-polish w/ 3-yr luster warranty. Current style in Monsoon Series. Enjoy the advantages of a Center Line forged wheel: stronger (yet lighter weight) than a cast wheel and a brillant shine due to the tight grain structure of the forgings. Our hi-polish mirror finish is often confused with chrome. Wheels proudly manufactured in the USA. Please call us at 800-345-8671 x4 to order or follow the prompts below to buy online. Thank you."

ptatohed

iTrader: (12)

Thanks Red, I really appreciate the link. Crap, yet another predicament. I really like the style of the 'Storm' you showed, I love the price and if they are 13.5 lb, I love that too!! But I hate polished!!!! They don't come in silver. I can't win. This is so difficult.

So how did you get your RPMs in black when the site says "Hi-Polish, Mirror Finish only"?

http://www.centerlinewheels.com/whee..._id=4&sw_id=27

Thanks again for the additional source, much appreciated.

chillin014

iTrader: (67)

polished is chrome??? damn i was feeling that wheel myself.

chillin014

iTrader: (67)

what is the stock width?

ptatohed

iTrader: (12)

Nah, 17"x7" is fine. Maybe 17x17.5 or, at the most, 17x8 - but definitely not 17x18.5! My tire width is going to be 235mm no matter what the rim size, so it doesn't matter much to me. I prefer the weight savings of a narrower wheel. Besides, I kind of like a little bit of a 'buldge' on the side - I don't care for it when the sidewall is straight up or, even worse, goes in.

Cliff Clavin

iTrader: (11)

It seems like they only sell certain wheels online. Maybe it's just wheels that aren't selling as well through retail outlets (that's probably why they are so cheap). I much prefer the black pearl color, too. Most retailers list the gunmetal RPMs (like mine) at $350 each. Maybe you could call them up and beg them to sell you some black pearl ones at the online price. Doesn't hurt to try.

I would imagine the "storm" model is as light as mine, or lighter. It has 5 spokes instead of six! haha

My wheels with Toyo Proxes FZ4 tires are considerably lighter than my stock 15 inch rims with Firestone tires.

ptatohed

iTrader: (12)

Are you sure yours are 13.5 lb? I contacted Centerline and she told me "about 15 lb".

BlackBIRDVQ

iTrader: (15)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Work-...spagenameZWDVW

What do ya think of these ? I'm trying to figure out if these are the 16lbs each or 19lbs each wheels. I dig the way they look but still dunno what it would look like ON the 5th gen.

BlackBIRDVQ

iTrader: (15)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/WORK-...QQcmdZViewItem

Try to score these, they look nice

mm347

iTrader: (2)

I would also recommend to pay attention to the weight of the tires since they would weigh more than the wheels.

For example, I purchased 17x7.5 Rota Subzeros which weigh 16.5lbs ea. and wrapped them in 235/45 BFGoodrich G-force Sport tires, 23lbs ea., and the total package weighs 39.5lbs per wheel. That is exactly the same weight as my stock 16" SE wheels w/ Yokohama Avid V4 tires. So the point is make sure that you focus on the weight of the total package, wheels and tires, or you may end up like me - dissapointed.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

I hear you mm347. I'm running the Bridgestone RE040s. 224-45-18s are like 28lbs!!

ptatohed

iTrader: (12)

Wow, that's a good point. I guess I was pretty ignorent to think that all tires (of the same size) were the same (or close to) weight. Is there really a big weight variation among, say, 235-45-17 tires? Well, anyway, I just bought Toyo Proxes 4s and I am certainly not going to replace those so I'm stuck with whatever they weigh. Thanks mm.

Cliff Clavin

iTrader: (11)

Maybe she quoted you the weight for 18s. With tires on, mine weigh about 32 lbs. They are very light. Even if they were 15 lbs, that's a few lbs lighter than virtually anything you can get for < $200 per wheel.

here is a reference on wheel weight, too.

http://www.wheelweights.net/

sloppymax

iTrader: (8)

i have the Kosei K1 TSs and mine weighed what tirerack lists. i had it written down when i switched to them and it was a few ounces south of 17. this is for the 17X8 which are roll forged. the sizes below 17X8 do no use this process but i assure the 17X8 are within 2-3 ounces of the 16.5lbs listed. i have had this wheel for about 8 months now and i am glad i picked up. got them for less than 200 a wheel, got the darker color i was looking for and got a stronger & lighter wheel than i had.

chillin014

iTrader: (67)

do you know waht the stock width is?
btw, nice photograph in your signature.

sloppymax

iTrader: (8)

stock width for 00-03 is 7" for the 17's and i believe 6.5" for the 16's. i believe the 16's for the stock 4th gens were also 6.5".

Wil's95SE

iTrader: (3)

Damn that's a sweet looking rim. I may have to get those for my Max. I understand how you feel Ptatohed about the rims. i've been looking into going to a lighter rim than the OEM 17"s off the 2002 Max but it's hard to find the exact weight and style you are looking for, not to mention the price. I really wouldn't like to spend a lot of money either for the rims i'm looking for. Keep us posted on your search and lt us know what you end of getting.

mm347

iTrader: (2)

Proxes 4 in that size weigh 24lbs ea., according to Toyo's website -> http://www.toyo.com/tires/tire_specsheet.cfm?id=18

chillin014

iTrader: (67)

i thought toyo's were supposed to be light...24 doesnt sound too light

icelandmaxima

iTrader: (22)

nice wheels red do they have those in 18 cause 17 is a bit small for 5th gen

jcy98maxse

iTrader: (8)

Rota Subzeros are cheap and they're light. Last i checked they were like $650 for a set of 18s and the weight I believe under 20lbs. I also like the new 5zigen Pro Racer +GN, they are more pricey but they look better...

Nealoc187

iTrader: (23)

I didn't read all the replies just the first few. A couple things jumped out at me. 17x7 is way too skinny a wheel, get 17x8s at least. I have 17x7.5s and I wish they were wider. 17x7 is a wheel designed for a civic sized car. Also the SSR comp in 17x7 is more like 12.5lbs so it's a little more of a difference than you are thinking.

Another thing, I've had a million sets of wheels on my various cars and this is what I've learned. DO NOT settle for something that you think is just "OK". I don't mean go out and buy the most expensive wheel out there, what I mean is buy the wheel you really want. Because a year down the road you are going to be kicking yourself for skimping on wheels if you do, and have some used wheels in hand that are hard to sell and you are going to go with the set you originally wanted anyways.

Cliff Clavin

iTrader: (11)

Good point about getting the wheels you really want. Ugly wheels, no matter how light they are, are still ugly wheels.

I have to kind of disagree on the "wide wheel" part, though. Unless you are using them for racing or race your car regularly, I don't think really wide wheels are all that necessary.

I have 17x7 and I am perfectly happy with them. It is wider than my stock 15s, which the car was designed for anyway. Maybe things are a little different for 4th and 5th gens, but I think my wheels are just fine. I have run my car at the dragstrip a few times and maybe I lose a little traction because the rims/tires aren't as wide as possible, but day-to-day I have no problems and really enjoy driving my car. It looks great, IMO and I get compliments all the time on my rims and the overall look of my car. I can also put on 215/50/17s, which are less expensive than 245/45/17s and my speedo is the same. I also get 30 mpg, which I think is partially due to having a little less tire grabbing the road.

Oh, I am not some kind of salesman for Centerlines. They just have some decent deals you can buy directly from them on their site. Especially for forged rims. They have some models with 18s and 19s. I am not sure about the offsets, though. Every rim they have says "offset 42mm" and I would call them and ask if that is right. If you guys are looking for wider rims (like Nealoc said) it looks like most of their choices are 7 or 7.5 inches wide.

chillin014

iTrader: (67)

just curious, but what would 1 inch or half an inch wider wheel do for performance? what if your traction is fine with 17x7?

ptatohed

iTrader: (12)

Sloppy, so where/how did you get the 17x8's for the same price of the 17x7's? Thanks for the confirmation that the listed weight is accurate.

ptatohed

iTrader: (12)

So is that good or bad?

ptatohed

iTrader: (12)

But what does a wider rim do for you? If the tire size is still 235mm either way, then what does a wider rim do for you? I don't understand.

The weight of the SSR 17x7 Competition is 13.6 lb. And even then, I only think his looks are 'o.k.'.

I appreciate your opinion Neal but, unfortunately, I think my purchase is going to have to be a compromise. Even at cost-no-object, I still have not found an A+, light rim.

chillin014

iTrader: (67)

man i know...i thought those centerline "storms" looked pretty tight though. i just dont want a chrome rim.

1FSTMAX

iTrader: (29)

A wider rim will allow you to mount a wider tire. A 7" wide whees is just plain as far as performance is concerned. You should consider wider wheels since you're supercharged. I have traction problems on my SEL with 235 width tires. I cannot imagine how they would be if were supercharged.

1FSTMAX

iTrader: (29)

if your traction is fine with a 7" wide wheel, that means you don't have enough power to break the tires loose in a turn or under acceleration.

BlackBIRDVQ

iTrader: (15)

My Maxima has traction issues with 255s on it, with my winter tires I cant get any traction but in the snow and they are 235s. SC doesn't improve low end TQ so its not like you will have traction issues untill top end, auto SC I've sampled one time didn't impress me at all. Why spend all that $$$ just to run as fast as a moded 5spd ?