Hey Everyone,

I got a set of 350z rims from Montana for a decent price with most of the tread from the stock potenza's. Finally got them after a few weeks of shipping and I figured I would see how it looks on my I30t before I decided whether to keep them or not.

I know that 230482398420384 folks may come up and say to drop the car, and I wish I had the resources to drop on it, but I dont plan on doing it in the short term future. I drive too much in NYC to sacrifice the comfort that I currently have.

As it stands, would you keep the 17" 350z rims with the not so great Potenzas or the stock 16" I30t rims with Michellin Exaltos A/S (AMAZING TIRES that really are all seasons). What I was thinking was to keep the 350z's for the summer/fall and keep the exaltos for the Winter and spring to address the snow/rain.

Hopefully my ride doesn't get too rough with these harder tires. Would such hard rubber tires cause more damage to my shocks/struts setup? Just seeking out the opinion of folks who are more experienced in this matter.

Before



After

 

Keep the stockers until something better comes along.

 

 

Looks better too, IMO(Not a fan of those Z rims). Better Tires give it another advantage.

 

The only reason why I don't like my stock wheels are because it appears that the previous owner had damaged these rims somehow, or perhaps it was salt or something. The clear coat in many places has come off, leaving white patches, especially towards the edges on two of the rims. I was looking to buy a set of the stock rims, but for the price of two rims, I got this whole set. Will the 350z rims damage my suspension?

 

you look like you're on stock suspension. you should drop it if you want it to look much better, but if you got no money, then thats too bad. your suspension wont get damaged. ride will probably be a bit firmer and a tad more responsive cuz of the shorter side wall (if it is shorter, i cant tell, they seem pretty similar). if you got them for a good deal, just keep 'em.

 

I have those 350Z rims with the potenzas and I love them. The offset is great and I never noticed much difference from my stock 16's with Avids.

 

It's not really that I can't drop it, but it's more so that I'll always have one project or another and at this point I want to save to buy a house rather than drop too much money into the car other than maintenance. I got the rims for $375 with tires plus shipping so a total of $525 or something. For that price, I figured, worst case, I can sell for a slight profit if I don't like it.

Profiles are 55 for my Exaltos and 50 for these Potenzas. Visually, these rims look huge, and I'm not sure if it's because of the offset or design. It's only one inch larger in diameter. Obviously they are thicker.

Ultimately, I think I'll keep them. Worst case, as these wear out, get some Exalto 225/45/R17 and 235/45/R17's down the road, but I guess this would further reduce the sidewall, maximizing the wheel gap and offset the comfort factor.

 

Keep the 350z rims i think they look good. Now you dont look like every other I30 around town.

 

i cant believe some people on here think the stock wheels look better than the 350z wheels! lol. Keep em and use them as a summer set at least. I got them on my car now, i am only running them with michelin pilot sport a/s tires.

 

quick question:

out of curiosity just to see what they cost new, i called a dealership and asked what the silver 03 350z 17x7.5 cost - she told me $600 something apiece???? how can this be? she clearly said apiece, and even if that was tires on and balanced, wtf? how is this possible when 18" chrome aftermarkets are only like 300 on the higher than average side? you said you paid 375 for used which is obviously good, but what would be an expected/acceptable price for 4 used of the 17s?

 

bro i just sold a set of thsoe for 500 with tires...

 

i paid $350 w/ good fronts and pretty worn rears, but i was local so i just picked them up.

the offset is GREAT on these wheels. the offset+skinnier tire for the front = near perfect fitment. the offset+wider tire for the rear is near perfect too. granted, i'm on tein s techs. i get a lot of compliments. i'm going to take pictures just to show you guys how good they look. oh yeah, i have the stillen lip kit, which helps make it look better as well.

 

IMO, those look nicer on than the stock... Great buy

 

http://s174.photobucket.com/albums/w102/andyman4lyfee/ got a side shot pic on the 2nd page. some other pictures might show the nice offset

 

How about some 06 350Z Enthusiast 18" on the 6th gen max? n e one interested? hit me up.

rim size: 18x8 front, 18x8.5 rear
offsets: +30mm front, +33mm rear
Tires: Bridgestone Potenza RE040 Front 225/45/18, Rear 245/45/18.

 

Those rims look hot. I wanted to get those but I saw how different in ride my friends was from 16 to 18". Unfortunately, after my accident 4 years ago, I can't take a really stiff ride. Great look though, especially on a 6th gen.