OK, so I just bought my '05 G35, brl slver, premiuim, graphite, auto, no nav, really pretty. Traded in my '03 G35,TB w Graphite. I'm a huge fan of these cars (obviously) and tell everyone about the magic that is the G35. I did drive a 300C B4 buying my '05 - was nice, but still a Chrysler in the end. Anyway, for all the power, class, bargain, kick, style, and grace that is the G35 sedan, I'm just not 100% sold on my stock 17's. Now the wheels for '05 ARE nice, and a great improvement - BUT - my neice's husband came by with a friggin rental Maxima from enterprise, and I have to say it bugged me that this highly inferior car with all it storque steer and odd glass ceiling, had nice, fat, heavy, wide, sweet lookin' 18's with great lookin wheels. THEN, my neighbor came by to admire my new G, and said all the right things, but then says "Are those only 17s on there? My minivan has bigger tirs than that." Oh I was pissed. So now what? I mean, I like the look of an OEM wheel, I'm just not on board with the too-young look of an aftermarket wheel on such a classy car. SO I'm left with few options. The '05 Sports Suspention 18" wheels are nice - I think - but even those 18's look a bit narrow. I love the new M45 19s - maybe they would fit. I don't know - I just feel let down that for all the improvements in the '05 - I mean Infiniti really listened to their owners (do u realize even the sunglasses holder is larger?) - the wheel and tire set up still falls short of the BMW, 300C, Audi, and even Maxima competition. Am I nusts here, guys? Got any suggestions?

 

I agree with you on the wheels. That was my main complaint when we bought our '03. had infiniti put some fat rubber on like they do to the coupe, it would change the whole perception of the G35's looks. If it truly bugs you, a $2000 wheelset will cure your ills

 

The Maxima is very similar to the G35 Sedan and you should have got the Perf. tire and wheel package!

Oh yeah and lots of people put custom wheels on a car. I don't car how nice the stock wheels are, and the 18 and 19" stock G wheels are awesome, but you can always improve any car I should say almost any car by adding custom wheels.

 

Not all aftermarket wheels have the "too-young look" as you put it. There are plenty of very classy aftermarket wheels available for the G. Just take a browse through the Wheels Forum.

 

I think it has to with with a "normal driver". By that, I mean a driver who hits every bump on any given road. If all Gs came with the 18s, there would probrably be all kinds of complaints saying that the wheels bend too easily. Now, this issue may not be a big deal if you live in an area with no show or ice. But in areas like the Northeast, our roads suck. I like the fact that I can put my OEM wheels back on for the winter. The higher sidewall gives me an extra "cushion" for potholes that I can't avoid (rare occasion). I have my summer tires on now and it does give the car a whole new look. The factory wheel/tire combo also makes for a comfy ride. They put 18s on the coupe because people who buy them are buying them for the sports car feel. As far as the 18s on the Maxima, I think they are boring. I'd rather have the satin polished G35 wheels myself, not just silver painted ones. My .02 cents.

 

I'm the one out in left field. Again.

I preferred the 17" this time around - chose it over the 18".

On my previous Maxima, I bought a performance wheel and tire package when it was time for new rubber. Changed the whole appearance and performance of the car for the better - no doubt. The downside for me was ride quality. I could count the grains of sand on the road and every bump felt sharper. There was no comparison between the noise the aftermarket tires made and the originals either, even on smooth pavement - and I chose a tire that had a reputation for being a comfortable compromise between performance and comfort.

I don't like rattles. It seemed to me that the harder ride caused by the aftermarkets also transmitted more vibration into the cabin and things that never 'sang' before began to once the new wheels and rubber were along for the ride.

I like the look of the 17s and like the smooth ride they provide even more. They're quiet, smooth and still fill the wheel well nicely. I like the look of the super low profile rubber and larger wheels too, as long as I'm looking at someone elses car. I'm not willing to put up with the trade-off that I experienced the last time I went with a larger wheel & tire. I have friends who have spend large dollars to buy the best of what's out there and then try to tell me that their ride quality isn't compromised "that much." BS. Pavement seams sound like rifle shots. My booty must be more finely calibrated that theirs because I feel it everytime I catch a ride.

Also, generally, unless you spend decent duckies, you're adding mass in an area where added mass will decrease straight line performance. Physics say that the bigger the wheel, the harder to overcome inertia - both starting and stopping. I know that can be mitigated somewhat by buying a wheel/tire package with weight characteristics equal to or lower than the OEM, but I chose not to do that - for now.

Your factory 17" are beautiful. Throw a coat of polish on them and roll - you have nothing to be embarrassed about. Agree with above - the 18" on the Maxima are boring and you wouldn't even know (or care) if they were 18" unless you were reading the sidewall. Nothing special in my book.

My .02.

 

[QUOTE=RichK]I'd rather have the satin polished G35 wheels myself, not just silver painted ones. QUOTE]

I totaly agree. I love the rims (especially the finish), and having the X and dealing w/ lots of Colorado potholes I am content to have the higher sidewalls.

 

I have an 04 sedan with the 17" wheels. The finish on the rims looks like a satin finish. I would have liked chrome but did not want to spend the extra $ as the premium package cost enough. I also am one that does not want to sacrifice ride quality but do wish the gap in the wheel wells was somewhat smaller. Oh well, can't have everything.

 

"The finish on the rims looks like a satin finish. I would have liked chrome but did not want to spend the extra $ as the premium package cost enough."

You can buy (exchange) yours for chrome ones for about $500 total:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=43957

I've also been told by the folks in SoCal that do this kind of work that there is little to no truth in rumor that this adds 10 pounds per wheel. They said the weight added is almost negligible.

 

Thanks, 500 is not bad but I don't love the style of the stock rim for 04 so , maybe in the future, I'll look for some 05 wrecks and buy used wheels. Right now, my house needs a 15000.00 roof so I"M BROKE!

 

You're not alone. I love my 5-spoke Sport 17s on my 03. Visually, they look bigger than the standard 17s. I too agree that the 17s look plenty big on this car. I also want the best wheel size for all around performance and the 17s meet that criteria. The 17s are lighter and have more weight closer to hub which means better braking, better acceleration, and a better ride quality and with the right tires, better lateral grip and forgiveness.

 

I have the 18" rims because I wanted the sport tuned suspension and I am very happy with the 18" rims. However, the cost of replacing tires for 18" rims is about double. I can't find decent tires for less than $200 each, where as the 17" tires are slightly above $100 each. It's true that you don't change tires that often, but still at around $900 each time vs $450, that's a big chunk in your maintance cost.

 

Oh wow. I didn't know that the 18" tires are that expensive. Do they last only 20,000 miles like what the other members have been saving?

I just got my G last night, so I havent had time to look deeply into the subject.

 

I totally agree with you on ALL of what you said. I love the look of my 2003.5 sedan's sport wheels.

SCC---OMG--DO NOT allow your neighbor to rain on your parade. Trust me when you buy a new car--any neighbor will be in a range of slightly jealous to extremely jealous--depending on what they drive and how badly they covet what you bought. He is jealous!!! Why do you think he is looking for any "perceived weak areas" in his mind about your G. For heavens sake he owns/and or drives a MINIVAN--how lame. No wonder he is drooling over your car and pathetically trying to find negativity in your car to make him feel better. Your car is special--it is not a run of the mill car--It will forever be distinct and well regarded by individuals and automotive journalists alike. The Maxima now is a big, fat, heavy cross country Buick Roadmaster---of course they need those large heavy, fat wheels and tires to tame that fat car's torque steer among other handling problems. Keep what ya got. If you do upgrade wheels and tires--Keep the stock ones for winter time--and the aftermarkets for spring/summer. Your neighbor will certainly be jealous--but be mindful, he will come around and say " Isn't that a lot of trouble to switch those wheels out--My minivan has all season tires or my cousins M5 has way wider tires--big wup--PLease don't be pissed--enjoy your new car!!

 

Last month I bought an 05 Sedan with the premium package and 17" wheels. Infiniti made some very minor changes to the Sedan for 05. I can not put my finger on what they changed, but I parked my car side by side with an older G35 Sedan and they look very different. Especially how the car looks with 17" wheels. With the stock 17" wheels the older G35 Sedans seem to look better and have a better stance. The 17" wheels and tire seem WAY too small on the 05.

I bought a set of aftermarket 18x 8.5 wheels and 245/45/18 tires and now the car looks much better. The stance is right (much better offset) and the wheel well gaps are much smaller.

https://g35driver.com/forums/attachm...tid=7527&stc=1