18" wheels and 19"
#17
06-23-2005, 02:23 PM
Originally Posted by Finiti35
The 19" are 4 to 5 lbs lighter. Being that 1 lb of unsprung weight = 4 lbs of sprung weight (or so), the difference in wheel weight equals a 80 lb difference in weight between an 04 with 18" and an 05 with 19". So the lighter wheels offset the weight the 05 has gained. The real way to test is to dyno a G on 18", swap them out with 19" and then redyno on a dynojet, I'd be curious to see the results.
#18
06-23-2005, 02:31 PM
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Originally Posted by kubr1ck
no you're not the only one. i much prefer the 18s to the 19s. don't get me wrong, the 19s are very nice wheels.....just not right for the design of the G35 Coupe, which has very clean, simple lines. the 19s are attention ****** -- they become the visual focal point of the car, detracting and even working against the design of the car itself. the 18s have a much cleaner, simple, appropriate design. they are not gaudy, but just right.
19s: http://www.infiniti.com/m/cma/i/veh/...35c_wall_5.jpg
18s: http://www.infiniti.com/m/cma/i/veh/...5c_wall_16.jpg
people take it for granted that when an auto manufacturer makes "improvements" on their initial design, that these actually always are improvements. but this isn't the case. a lot of times these aesthetic tweaks are purely practical, commercial responses to consumer demand, and actually disrupt the harmony of the initial design, which you can look at as being the "pure" design -- the designer's original, unsullied vision of the car. i'd say about 65% of the time, these 2nd/3rd generation aesthetic tweaks actually make the car look worse (e.g. the recent clearing of the FX35/45's taillights. ugh. why is Infiniti whoring off Lexus' hideous taillight designs all of the sudden? it's tacky ricerocket time, folks.)
thankfully, of course, sometimes these tweaks actually are improvements, like the revamped interior on the 05's, which is much cleaner and higher-quality. still not quite up to Audi standards -- because those Krouts in Ingolstadt have set a near-unattainable benchmark in automotive interior design -- but a step in the right direction.
19s: http://www.infiniti.com/m/cma/i/veh/...35c_wall_5.jpg
18s: http://www.infiniti.com/m/cma/i/veh/...5c_wall_16.jpg
people take it for granted that when an auto manufacturer makes "improvements" on their initial design, that these actually always are improvements. but this isn't the case. a lot of times these aesthetic tweaks are purely practical, commercial responses to consumer demand, and actually disrupt the harmony of the initial design, which you can look at as being the "pure" design -- the designer's original, unsullied vision of the car. i'd say about 65% of the time, these 2nd/3rd generation aesthetic tweaks actually make the car look worse (e.g. the recent clearing of the FX35/45's taillights. ugh. why is Infiniti whoring off Lexus' hideous taillight designs all of the sudden? it's tacky ricerocket time, folks.)
thankfully, of course, sometimes these tweaks actually are improvements, like the revamped interior on the 05's, which is much cleaner and higher-quality. still not quite up to Audi standards -- because those Krouts in Ingolstadt have set a near-unattainable benchmark in automotive interior design -- but a step in the right direction.
dude you hit the nail on the head!
#19
06-23-2005, 05:13 PM
Originally Posted by G35fromPA
Keep in mind, that although the 19" wheels are 4 lbs lighter, that weight is concentrated further away from center, meaning the moments of inertia of the 18" and 19" are pretty close in the end. I'd bet that dyno results (and real world performance) would be pretty much identical. Would be interesting to see though.
#20
06-23-2005, 05:17 PM
Originally Posted by Finiti35
I agree, but in that case we'd have to look into tire weight too, even though I think the Michelins are a pretty light tire. I'm not sure about the Bridgestones.
#21
06-23-2005, 09:06 PM
I too agree that the 18" wheels are a better look.
As for the Michelin Pilots not being a good tire--WTF? These tires are pretty much consistently rated the highest all around high performance tire and are always what comparisons are made against.
Bridgestone, on the other hand, has been having hella problems on the TL (which switched to a Michelin tire) and the 350Z (we all know that story), and don't forget the Explorer. I wouldn't place too much confidence in Bridgestone at this point.
As for the Michelin Pilots not being a good tire--WTF? These tires are pretty much consistently rated the highest all around high performance tire and are always what comparisons are made against.
Bridgestone, on the other hand, has been having hella problems on the TL (which switched to a Michelin tire) and the 350Z (we all know that story), and don't forget the Explorer. I wouldn't place too much confidence in Bridgestone at this point.
#22
06-23-2005, 10:30 PM
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The Avons are really stiff and handle great. Amazing tire for an all-season, factoring price into the deal makes them even better for my situation. I wasn't too thrilled that we can't rotate our staggered tires, shortens tire-life considerably. Finding a set that cost $500 or so with double the treadlife rating helps me out when I drive 30K miles a year. The RE050s are good for 15K at best before road noise becomes intolerable. 
#23
06-23-2005, 10:40 PM
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#25
06-24-2005, 10:28 AM
As for the Michelin Pilots not being a good tire--WTF? These tires are pretty much consistently rated the highest all around high performance tire
The RE050s are good for 15K at best before road noise becomes intolerable
Last edited by redwillow; 06-24-2005 at 10:31 AM.
#27
06-25-2005, 04:04 AM
I replaced my stock 18" with 05 19" and here are my honest observations:
1. After some wear (say.... 5000miles) the Bridgestones (19")are quieter than the Michelins (18")
2. 18" rides smoother than 19" over rough pavement. (duh)
3. If size being equal, I like the design of the 18" 7 spoke over the 19" 10 spoke. The 19"s grew on me quite a bit, but stock 18"a still matche the design of the G35C better.
4. Performance wise, 19" handles noticeably quicker. 19"s demonstrate less lean and push. Straight line performance I can hardly tell the difference.
5. If you ever look at the 18" rim vs 19" rim, you'd notice the center of mass of the 18" is no better than the stock 19". Think of stock 19" as 18" with a thin lip extends on the most outer edge.
6.It's undeniable the stock 19"s are lighter than the 18" by a margin of almost 5lbs each. However, it is also a fact that the Bridgestone tires on the stock 19"s are much heavier than the Michelin Pilot Sports.
1. After some wear (say.... 5000miles) the Bridgestones (19")are quieter than the Michelins (18")
2. 18" rides smoother than 19" over rough pavement. (duh)
3. If size being equal, I like the design of the 18" 7 spoke over the 19" 10 spoke. The 19"s grew on me quite a bit, but stock 18"a still matche the design of the G35C better.
4. Performance wise, 19" handles noticeably quicker. 19"s demonstrate less lean and push. Straight line performance I can hardly tell the difference.
5. If you ever look at the 18" rim vs 19" rim, you'd notice the center of mass of the 18" is no better than the stock 19". Think of stock 19" as 18" with a thin lip extends on the most outer edge.
6.It's undeniable the stock 19"s are lighter than the 18" by a margin of almost 5lbs each. However, it is also a fact that the Bridgestone tires on the stock 19"s are much heavier than the Michelin Pilot Sports.
#28
06-25-2005, 04:05 AM
#29
07-13-2005, 03:55 AM
I wanted the sport package but went with performance package because I didn't like the design of the 19's. IMO, 18's are one of the hottest stock rims on the market right now. Love the titanium finish. I also like the design of the 18's on the old M and Q. I REALLY REALLY hate the design of the 19's. (sorry for people with 19's) but that's my opinion. 19's don't look it's size because the spoke curves inside, instead of spreading out to the edge of the lip. If it was 6 spoke or more (12 total or more) mesh that spreads out all the way to the edge of the rim, for sure, I would've gotten the sport package.
