I picked up a set of wheels that are 17X9 with (2 wheels) 38 offset and (2 wheels) 45 offset, I want to get a set of tires that are 255/45/17,

I was told the 40 sidewall would be good with no rubbing BUT problem is i cant seem to let myself put 40 ratio sides.
NY streets are not low pro friendly.

SO i want to know if the 255/45/17 would work. I think the offsets are excellent but i need to hear it from someone else.

 

255/40 isn't really that low pro. 225 or 235/40 would be....but IMO 255/40 isnt.

I have 17x9 +35 wheels. 255/40-17 tires. I have about a 1 finger gap between the wheel and the strut. I'd say considering that yours will be a little more sunken in than mine, don't go 255/45. I'll check it out tomorrow to see if there's room, but 255/40 is pretty close to the limit without some lower offset happening.

 

I'd say stick wih 255/40. It has the same amount of sidewall as say, a 235/45.

Aspect ratios don't tell the whole story.

 

any pics of the wheels?
what kind of tires are you looking at?

 

WHEEL


TIRE I was considering: BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDWS (All-Season)
(im trying to get out of the summer tire/ winter tire loop) 255/45/17 ALL 4 for $380 Shipped!!





P.S. mowgli29 I love your car.

 

ooh I like the wheels! are those your brakes under them ??

and yeah, I had looked at those before too..I don't remember much, but I'd assume their good tires..IMO BFG makes great tires.

but I'm actually just getting into the summer/winter tire loop, lol. I picked up a set of blizzaks for 311 shipped yesterday!

Are you going to put the higher offset wheels in the front and the lower in the rear? I would...having that extra 7mm in the back would make them stick out pretty even with the front. BUT, I'm thinking even the 255/40 might rub with the +45 offset in the front I'm gonna go check it out and see if I have 10mm of clearance in the front (since mine are +35).

and thanks man! I don't hear that often...I just do to the car what I want to, not knowing what other people think of it... so it feels good to get some compliments once in a while! If you don't mind me asking...what about it do you like?

 

yea higher offset in front and lower in rear... please let me know if you have the space there to play aorund..


yea i have the brakes on the car already..

Its a custom kit i put together with some help from Fastbrakes. well i sorta suggested it to Brian (at fastbrakes) and he was like " OH wow i never thought of that"

I needed new calipers (my OEM were terrible + rotors) so i upgrade when i replace but i dont autocross so i didnt need over kill. (13" cobra etc. which is great but i just didnt need it + MONEY) and also this kit i have clears my 15" BBS (OEM) mesh wheels perfectly like it came from the factory ( i didnt think the OEM bbs would fit but i was like SAYYY WHATT when i jsut tried them on.. only thing is i have to use the weight on outside and not the sticky weights to balance them)

The kit consists of willwood 4 piston dynalite calip. (125$ each). I chose this caliper because it is cheap so if i need one i can buy it easy (so i have an extra set on hand cause i like to rebuild them once in a while) + this specific caliper has been used for 10+ years and there is TONS of Pad support (i got HAWK pads from fastbrakes) ALSO these calipers work WONDEFREAKIN-ful with abs.. i tried some (parking lot after rain skid pad test) and MAN i feel like the ABS is smoother and more responsive with these than teh old calipers ( i might use a pressure adjuster once i change the real rotor and caliper (with OEM ones) if i use relaly sticky pads in teh rear but i have to test first.. rite now the rear is getting down to its last leg in terms of pad/rotor/caliper condition..

a relocation bracket i found locally BY CHANCE

the rotors are stock size. ( i used brembo blanks) i could have gone with slotterd, drilled etc. BUT Its harder to resurface those.

If i get my hands on a pair of 300zx rotors i would love to try it on this because i think it will fit as the calipers can support thicker rotors easy and the diameter i think is just a tad bit bigger diameter wise on the 300zx which there is acutally a little space left over in my caliper. (but until i ruin these rotors no 300zx for me)

BIGGEST advantage to these is i can change my brake pads in 3 mins.. ( i timed it) 1 min to unbolt the wheel, few secs to change the pad (you just pull them out of a slot like the Sega genesis video cartride) and few secs for inspection and 1 min to put hweel back on...

OH and what i like about your car, you are doing eveyrthing the right way ex: catman, but then the smaller things that people dont pay attention to the ES bushings, the Z33 intake tube (very creative and i have been thinking about this too but i needed to see it on someones car so please email me a few pics if you can).. plus you dont have those fiberglass bumpers etc.( i feel there not practical cause unless you are extra careful they get destroyed)

I would feel comfortable driving your car around as a daily driver not having to worry about bottoming out (unless i **** it) and not too much special attention needs to be given. Some guys are so slammed and kitted i wouldnt drive the cars even if you paid me cause i would be scared.

and its a sleeper aside from the wheels (thats my goal ever since i cracked my fiber glass LIP and had to admit to my girlfriend about how she was rite and how its not practical [damm voice of reason])

i like when some douche in a A32 with z33 wheels and aftermarket intake thinks hes gonna take off on me.. and then learns hard way what DE-K+(OBX custom modded)headers+ STOCK intake can do.

WOW thats alot of typing. Hey you think we can talk via email or something i have tons of questions regardign the z33 tube and the ES bushing..

 

wow that is a lot of typing lol.

for a 17x9 +45 255/40 in the front, i'd be worried about strut clearance and fender rubbing. thats a pretty high offset + wide wheel for the front. 17x9 +35 would be most preferrable to avoid those clearance issues. if you do run into clearance issues, run a spacer up front and narrower tire, say 235/45. that should take care of it.
For the rears, 17x9 +35 255/40 would be nice and easy. no worries there but depending on how soft your suspension is and how low you are, a fender roll may be needed.

 

okay the thing is i dont want to buy a set of tires and then have rubbing then get new tires.. so i wanted to go with a safe bet now and later switch upto a bigger size. so i was thinking hwo about 245/45/17?

can that be run on a 17x9 wheel?

 

yeah 245/45 can definitely fit on a 17x9. I think the tire height should be fine too...no rubbing. My only remaining concern is being able to run the +45 offset wheels in the front. If Mr**** there thinks you'll be fine, you probably will be, but it will be pretty damn close IMO. With my +35s in the front I have about a finger width between the wheel and strut. Probably about 12-14mm. So you *should* have a couple mm to spare.

If all else fails, ROCKART has a set of 5mm spacers for like $25 right now. I don't think you'd need studs...and that's pretty cheap IMO. You may want to get them just as cheap insurance. Then you can make your own spacers for the rear for cheap...get some old worn out rotors, and cut the actual rotor part off. You'll have like a 7-8mm spacer! But you'd prolly wanna put it on a lathe to make the edge nice and round.

Just some ideas...good luck man!
Oh, and be sure to post pics when they're on!

OT: thanks for the kind words....and I know what you mean, I totally agree. Being practical FTW. And I may just look into that BBK of yours...3 mins is a hell of a quick pad change! But I don't wanna ***** up the thread with OT stuff...just email me and we can talk more.

 

Agreed. Like I said, there's probably 12-14mm between wheel and strut with +35 offset. pretty close

FYI, I have said wheels in back with about a 2 finger gap. I don't need no stinkin rolling! I should be spacing them about a 8mm soon...and I don't think I'll need rolling. I piled some washers on the wheel studs, just to test fit.... and it might rub if the suspension ever bottoms out, but I jumped up and down on the back of the car and rear passenger door and it never got closer than half an inch to touching the tire...we shall see.

 

Fuzion

fusion sidewall

comparison

SO i think im gonna get the fuzion.. jsut because i like tires that protect the rim (the little lip around the wheel). what do you guys think. the comparison favors the fuzion and 40k tread warranty + better snow results... and only 2 dollars more ... fits rims 7.5-9" so everything seems a go.

I think im gonna make the jump what do you guys think?

 

http://citytireonline.com/Federal595.htm

cheaper, better performing. i've had very good experience with Federals. great pricing too. the guys on zilvia love this tire as well. Federals also tend to run a tad wider than normal which is kinda good. i've got a 245 on a 10" wide in the rear and the stretch isnt that much visually. great overall.

 

Federals freaking win. I love mine and they were cheap as hell, IIRC $79 per tire in 255/40/17.

 

No, my Toyos win...they were only like 40 or 50 more than that
But yea...if those Federals are decent tires, you can't beat that price!

 

add it up with 4 tires and thats a 200 dollar difference. Federals > *** as far as bang for your buck on summer tires.

 

They are kinda heavy though.

I was eyeing some 595RS-Rs today... tried looking up reviews but didn't find much...

 

well im looking for ALL SEASON.. Im trying to put my car into a practical state where i dont have to fool around with it. Im have less free time these days. so im just trying ot get the car in a state where i can drive it and it will work.. the motor and tranny have only 40k so im hoping eveythign will be okay for awhile.. so yea no SUMMER tire.. looking for ALL SEASON

 

Incase anyone searches in the future,

My tires worked out fine. I acutally ended up getting 245/45/17 all around. and the offsets were acutally PERFECT. all my wheels sit flush with the fender, front and rear. Consider that the i30 fender might stick out just a tad bit more than the maxima. Which is why the dif. in


[

 

what A/S tire did you end up getting?

 

That looks good on the ride!!

 

I tought its fitting since the wheel is from around the early 90s

 

So you are running 17" x 9" with a +45 offset on the front and a +38 offset on the rear?

I was looking to get 17" x 9" +45 offset rims with 245/40/17 track tires. Looks like it will just fit the front if I roll the fenders to make it flush and use a 10 mm spacer on the back wheels. If your setup works with OEM style shocks I should be ok on the track. I run a bit of negative camber along with trimmed & welded stock strut housings with Koni yellows & GCs. There is about a 1/4" ~ 3/8" more room in between the insides of the tires and the front struts.

 

Yes 45 and 38 offset. on 17x9 running 245/45/17. I cant go any lower than 45 profile. My car wont survive NY streets + I hate things rattling in the car....
Im on shortened Koni/Vogtland springs. My drop isnt that big at all. The rear is actually higher than in those pics. Its raised up a tad higher with the koni shocks. That was my previous setup of Vogtland/Illuminas.

KONI KICKS ***.

 

You, Sir, are my new favorite person.

 

It is funny all the praise the Koni yellows get, cause they are just the entry level strut with Koni's lineup. To bad we will never get the aftermarket support for better parts as there are far better strut designs out there.

I did get lucky with the rear struts on my car as I sent out all four struts and the front struts were revalved while the rear struts were within my specifications. The rears were tested on a shock dyno and found to be accetable for my rear spring rates as is. They are also within 3% of each other which is for an off the shelf pair of struts. I'd like to see the cheapo coilover struts get tested for that kind of consistancy.

 

yea I mean the best aftermarket stuff we have are by people who are in the maxima scene. i.e cattman and bhelmco etc. SO it is frustrating but, as the 4thgen is becoming the new civic, I see a lot of new things being tried and found to work from dif. cars etc.

i.e. superpro rear beam bushings, raybesto lower control arm joints etc.

Im tearing everyhting apart and replacing right now so my car is starting to feel more and more OEM. Yes that sounds weird. Im modding so i can get that OEM new car feeling back.

soon to come is speed sensitive steering. You guys wont believe what i found.

 

So I got the 17x9 +45 Enkei RPF1s in today and they don't even come close to clearing the 300ZX calipers. I would need a 15 mm spacer to get them to just fit flush with the 300ZX calipers. However if I had stock brakes they would just barely clear the stock calipers, struts, and other parts. So yes, a 17 x 9 +45 rim can fit on the front of a 4th gen.

What I find strange is I have 17 x 8.5 +40 Enkei RPF1s and they can clear the 300ZX calipers with room to spare between the spokes and the calipers, without any spacers. My thought was that a +45 is only 5 mm less which is not much, these new 17 x 9 +45 rims seem like they lose 15~20 mm clearence between the brakes and the insides of the spokes.

I have not tested rear fitment but they seem like they would work with a +5 mm spacer.

I am not a wheel expert so I only go on what I've seen and heard. What I want is to have the widest 17" rim possible that will clear the 300ZX BBK and be flush when I roll all the fenders. I don't want the wheel or tire sticking out past the rolled fender line. They would have to be identical rims for front to back as I would use them for track events so I also need to rotate them alot.

It seems to me Enkei has two different fitments, Narrow ones for the fronts of cars which have more spoke clearence for brakes and wider rims for the rears but with less spoke clearence.

 

That is rather odd... perhaps the angle of the spokes, or possibly their depth, is different, since the wheel is wider.

 

I finally got both rims side by side. The older 8.5 +40 rims were at this shop I goto. The owner saw the two different wheels and went even he thought it was weird. It looks like Enkei has two different fitments even though the rims are very close in specifications. He also confirmed a 15 mm spacer would be needed at the very least, but it would widen the track over the existing 8.5" +40 setup which we think should be better for front grip. We didn't do any exact calculations so we could be wrong, just gusessing from previous setups.

 

... well i used two dif offsets to make it flush. using the one that sticks out more in the rear to sit flush and the one that sticks out less in the front. Notice the wilwood brakes I have clear my factor 15" BBS wheels as mentioned somewhere above. So the calipers Im using dont really protrude out as much as 300zx. the calipers im using have about a dime thickness space between wheel and caliper with the 15" bbs.

 

I verified that the Enkeis do have different fitments. When selecting a wheel check the offset and the back spacing of that wheel. So the +40 8.5" have much different back spacing than the +45 9". That is why the new rims with similar offset and width don't even come close to clearing the 300ZX calipers like the older rims did. I ended up using 20 mm spacers to make the wheels clear the front but they are almost flush with the fender after rolling they should be flush.



They just fit with the ARP wheel studs with a few threads left on the studs.



Plenty of room at the rear, these rims are sunk into the fenders and not even close to being flush.