I'd go for the 245/40R18s. They're only .4" shorter. I got the 235/45R18 PZeros because I too was worried that the 245/40s would made the gap larger. After owning the 235/45s, I'd rather have the fractionally shorter 245/40s because I think they'd look better plus they're cheaper and lots of companies make them. The gap will only .2" larger and the car will sit .2" lower. IMO, the 235/45s look a bit too tall and the 245/45s will look really tall.

 

Unless you run some ultra light weight tires, I wouldn't run a taller then oem diameter tire. The coupe 18s are 24-26lbs each. If you choose a heavy tire, you combo will weigh over 50-54lbs each if you're not careful. If the choice is inbetween a slightly bigger vs smaller, get the smaller one. At least you get a small gear advantage.

When I ran my 255-35-19 Michelin vs the 245-40-19 Bridgestone in the rear, I could tell a slight difference in accerlation. Don't know if it was the smaller dia, lighter weight (it was significant at 6lbs each just in the rear tire weight differences!).

With the same coupe 19s, I went from the rear combo weighing 53lbs to 47lbs just from using a lighter tire. You could spend thousands trying to save that much weight in expensive wheels (Unless you go coupe 19s or 350z track 18s)

 

I also vote for number two. I ran those (Goodyear RS-A) as my first set of replacement tire and they are great in the rain and wear longer than any other tire I have had.

 

Johnny: Running the 05/06 muffler. I guess I'm ok with the tips for now. Maybe after the suspension and wheels are in I'll tweak out some cosmetics.

Dave: Looks like the only "cheaper" version of the 245/40/18 is the Sumitomo HTR+. I had those on my Cougar several years ago and they were decent, but not for a perfomance sedan. All of the others are in line with the prices of the 235/45/18's... Any suggestions?

I supposed the shorter sidewall of the 245/40/18 could help with the handling and I'm not as worried about the ride quality since I'll have the adjustable D-SPecs on... Maybe the 245/40/18's are the best bet. Just wish I could dig up a pic with the Z/G spring combo.

 

The more I think about it, the more I'd recommend running your 17s in the winter and then get summer rubber for the 18s and run those in the spring/summer/fall. The reason I say this is because those 18s with 235/45s or 245/40s is going to be absolute crap in the snow. Both of those setups are significantly wider than the stock 215/55R17 rubber so the tire's ability to cut through the snow are going to be greatly lessened. This is the primary reason why I choose to run my 17s in the winter and put summer rubber on my 18s rather than going all season ultra high performance. There truely is no comparison between ultra high performance summer rubber and all season ultra high performance with regards to stick, feel, braking, etc.

 

^ I'm ok with crap in the snow. It only snows 3 or 4 times a year and doesn't stay for very long. I'll work from home on those days. I really don't want to have to swap rims back and forth, even though it's a real easy task. Besides, I have to sell my stockers to reimberse myself for the new rims and tires.

I just want a decent all around tire. Doesn't have to be the best at anything really. The price on the Sumitomo HTR+ is very tempting at $98 each. I'm wondering if the 245/40/18 with it's shorter sidewall would make it acceptable for a daily street G that gets flogged occasionally. Quietness is my biggest concern.

SO, apparently the HR y-pipe is settling in a little because I'm getting some more clunking out of the midpipe tapping the 350evo sway. Progress rear sway anyone??? The only other manufacturer I know of that sells the rear seperate at about $140 which I'll do to remedy the clunking, because the exhaust setup is perfect and isn't going anywhere!

 

The thing that sucks about the snow here is that it tends to start falling around mid afternoon. I don't know how many times it's started snowing heavily at 4pm. When that happens, I just stay at work until 7pm and let everyone pack the snow and get off the road. You'll probably be okay on most surfaces except for a hill you might get stopped on. Choose your paths very wisely and travel with a box of kitty litter in the back for instant traction if you get stuck. The HTR+'s are decent. I've got a set on my wife's 98 Legacy GT wagon. Her's are hardly wearing, but she drive's like a grandma.

With regards to the tapping midpipe, I think the issue is related to the fact that the coupe midpipe has more laterally movement because it has one hanger in front of differential vs using two hangers like the sedan midpipes. I know that when I had the coupe midpie, I could jiggle the exhaust around a lot more than with the sedan midpipe in place. You might want to consider taking a large hose clamp and wrapping it around the hanger forward of the differential and see what happens. It may reduce the movement and height just enough to give you the clearance you need.

 

Have you looked at these?
http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.p...ort=P&dsco=135

I have them and very happy with them. At 1500 miles they seem pretty quiet.

 

Dave: Good idea on the hose clamp. I'll prolly try that and see what happens. I really think it's the combination of one less hanger on the mid and the slightly more flexible y-pipe, because it never did it until the y-pipe. You're right about the movement...seems more pronounced once I added the y-pipe so it all makes sense.

Johnny: I was just looking at the Nankang NS-2's and wondering (hoping) someone had some! I'm deathly afraid of road noise and have a major OCD issue over it, so thanks for the feedback... Wish you had them running for 10k miles or so though. Good to know at least that they aren't junk right out of the box.

 

Nankang NS-2 are a high performance summer tire.

 

True dat... For some reason it came up on the list at Tires-easy.com when searching for all seasons ??? That one is out for sure... The all season version looks like Nankang AS-1.

I just want cheap, quiet, with a rim protector edge... Is that too hard to ask for?

 

I've read a lot of negative feedback on here and other sites on the Nankang. One tire that has been getting good feedback is the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo. Won a Car and Driver UHP summer tire comparo as well. I've never used them, but have had a few sets of the Kuhmo Ecsta SPT's and love them for the price. Only drawback with them is the wet traction. It's decent but could be better. Fortunately (haha) we've been in a 3 year drought so wet traction hasn't really been an issue.

I've also tried Yokohama S drive and would buy them again, and the Falken 452's. I wouldn't but them again though.

What I'm looking at next are the Vredestein Sessentas. They are getting great reviews and are priced comparable to the Ectas and S drives. Plus they look siiiick!!





Check out this thread:

https://g35driver.com/forums/wheels-...ght=vredestein
These might have what it takes to pull me away from the Kuhmos.

 

I was actually going to recommend the Hankook also. I havn't had a set yet, but I've heard good things, and they don't cost a ton either. They'll probably be my next tire. Also, they came in second, a set of dunlops was first:
[url]http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparisons/09q2/tire_test_nine_affordable_summer_tires_take_on_the _michelin_ps2-comparison_tests[url]
I like what they said about the wet weather handling on the Hankooks though. I lost a car because of a wet road, so I care alot about that!

 

Researching tires is probably the most frustrating thing of all. I've read every review I could dig up on every high perf all season out there and you get everything from they suck to they are the best thing since sliced bread, no matter how much they cost...

In my opinion road noise is very subjective. There are too many factors that are considered... Condition of the vehicle (alignment, suspension mods, etc) and whether or not the tires are rotated properly. One person says the Kuhmo's are quiet as a mouse, while another says it's the loudest tire they've ever owned? Same goes for the more expensive brands.

So I've decided to go with the 235/45/18 size all around. The 245/40 just seems to short for me (and a bit on the wide limit for an 8" rim) and the 245/45 are just too large. I may regret it, but I have to decide and based on all of the researching I've done it seems to be the ideal size, even though the selection sucks...

Speaking of selection... I've narrowed it down to these based on price point and reviews.

Falken ZIEX ZE-912

Hankook Ventus V4 es H105

Kumho Ecsta ASX

This one is tempting because of the price... Made by Goodyear, but not many reviews to be found. The few that I found claimed it was very quiet.
Kelly Fierce HP

 

Solved the mystery on this... It wasn't hitting the sway but it was a little V shaped bracket that goes just under the driveshaft. The mid pipe was tapping it on hard bumps because of a lose hanger. I must have forgotten to tighten it up (it was only hand tightened and only threaded about half way). Way too much play in the exhaust without that puppy snug.

For added measure, I took the opportunity to pull the mid pipe and shape it just a bit where it was hitting that cross bar to allow for even more clearance. I know this isn't ideal, but I've felt no ill effects because of it in either sound or power, but I only tapped it a few times so it wasn't much of a change. I also ground down the hanger on the midpipe a little more where it connects to the pipe to allow for just a tad more clearance between it and the 350evo sway. SO, I think any clearance issues are gone for good now.