Like I said, I love those stock rims. I just haven't found enough people to provide positive testimony on this widening modification. I'm just afraid that the forged OEM Ray's will lose some of their structural integrity, especially considering the high amount of boost that will be in my car and the lateral G forces they'll be subjected to...

You guys know of anyone who widened their OEM rims with a car running 600whp and had absolutely no issues? I'm still open to this idea because I can't find any aftermarkets that really maintain the polished look and build quality of the OEM Ray's. I've seen the Tenzo DC5's and ADR Sterling's, but they don't quite provide the same clean but aggressive styling. I guess I'm just not a big fan of aftermarket rims; I feel the Infiniti engineers did a fabulous job creating a beautiful vehicle and I'm not remotely qualified to find a suitable replacement rim that will achieve what they have with those OEM Ray's.

I know that website says they are rated for serious HP applications, but I'm sure they'll say just about anything to make that sale!

Thanks, guys, and let me know what you think. This is a tough decision for me...

-B

 

Did a little digging and saw that a couple of G35 owners had this done on their cars. Here's a link to one of them:

http://www.weldcraftwheels.com/MikeMedina.htm

I've emailed the owner to get more owner and have some of my "concerns" addressed. I'll keep you guys posted.

 

^yup, thats mike. he did it and has been to the track plenty of times w/ no issues. he is pushing over 450rwhp i think.

and you do need a spacer

 

The rim will break before the weld does (at least with weldcraft jobs).

 

Looks like I'm going to give this a shot! So I haven't quite studied the physics of rim sizing, especially when customizing OEM wheels!

Anyway, maybe I should call Weldcraft and get some advice on how to ensure I maximize width while still allowing them to fit properly...

 

What's the going rate on a job like this one? I was considering upgrading to some Volks but if I can widen the stock 19s I'd consider this option as well

 

I think I recall reading that it's somewhere around $100-$200 per rim.

 

My guess would be yes. The problem is that the 2" is added to the inside of the wheel only. Widening them 2" would make the wheel effectively a 19x10.5 +58, I would assume that would hit inner suspension components, but i've never seen it done. You are actually probably better off moving the 8.5" wheel up front and moving the front 8" wheel to the rear and widening that 2" unless you plan on widening the fronts at the same time.. You can still run a 295 on a 10" wheel. Spacers should not be a concern anyways, even with high hp.

 

Here is some good info
http://my350z.com/forum/wheels-and-t...ck-wheels.html
http://my350z.com/forum/wheels-and-t...0-5inches.html

 

I was going to do the fronts as the same time, unless you guys think 8.5" is sufficient for traction on the fronts. I guess it's most important to have more width on the rears since that's where the power is being put down.

So if I widen the fronts to 10", I'm hoping that will give me plenty of traction and clearance. Guess I have some calculations to do. I'll check out those links tonight, thanks redlude.

BTW, I have BC Racing coilovers (and the H+R 15mm/20mm spacers) all the way around. I have an Eibach camber/toe kit on the rears and an upper Cusco A-arm on the fronts. Not quite sure just yet on how that factor's in either.

 

an 8.5" wheel will allow you to run a 255/35/19 in the front, which while not perfect is a decent amount of tire. Obviously widening the fronts would be a better, albeit more expensive option. I would only widen the front to 9.5" and run a 275/30/19 on there. It is a pretty common sized tire and should work fine, and pair it with either a 295/30/19 or 305/30/19 rear

 

So if I'm getting this correctly, here's my initial plan.

I'll take my 8.5" rears and widen them by 1" to 9.5". Then I'll move them up front and run 275/30/19's up there. Next I'll take the current 8" fronts and widen them by 2" to 10". Then I'll run 305/30/19's back there.

That should give me some better traction I'm hoping... just gotta calculate clearance, and check all the logistics to ensure these wheels will fit just fine. I have a feeling I'll need spacers. Just wondering if I can keep my 15mm/20mm H+R kit since I already have it installed!

 

Also, it looks like Weldcraft can also extend/widen the outside of the rim as well as the inside. I'm less keen on that idea due to visibility of the bead seams (I'd have to have it ground down and rims repainted, I'm guessing).

Are there any negative effects of only widening the inside of the rim? Like you said, redlude, the offset would be huge. Not sure if that's a cause for concern...

 

If you are going to go through the trouble of widening both the front and rears, widen the fronts 1.5" to 9.5" or 2" to 10" and widen the rears to 10.5". That will work better with a 305. Only move the rears to the front if you don't plan on widening them. You should be able to stick with your current spacers and still clear the suspension

 

yes you will have to run a 25mm spacer to clear the suspension on the rear