I upgraded my stock 17" rims to 20's:





Model: 2008 G35 Journey
Suspension: (Stock except for Hotchkiss F/R Sway Bars)
Front Wheel Size: 20x8.5
Fr Offset (mm): 40
Front Tire Size: 245/35/ZR20
Rear Wheel Size: 20x9.5
Rear Offset (mm): 40
Rear Tire Size: 275/30/ZR20
Wheel Mfr: Enkei
Wheel Model: Performance Lusso

I had these installed in mid-March. The tires are from Hankook (Ventus V12 EVO K110). They replace another set of Hankook's that came with the car (Ventus V4). The new set has a lot more grip and more lateral stability. The car is even flatter and sure-footed through the corners. The ride is still smooth on longer trips and is not choppy.

I was worried that the rear tires would rub the fenders. But even after letting the car settle in for a few months, driving on very hilly roads at fast speed, and driving with four people in the car plus luggage, there is no rubbing at all.



Highway noise is marginally higher. No vibrations or shuddering when accelerating or braking. Performance in the rain is above average.

 

Those rims are made for your car! Black mesh wheels with polished lips look sick on OB sedans!

 

nice set up are you gonna go lower?

 

those are gorgeous on your car! your car looks low for stock suspension.

 

need to black out ur heads!

 

Thanks for the comments.

The only thing I changed were the F/R sway bars and I didn't notice any drop from those. I can't find a good picture from the side of my car with the stock wheels, but the gap between the fender and the tire with the 17" rims was pretty wide. I was pretty surprised how much these larger tires and rims filled in that gap without dropping the car.

I faced the same problem as many of you: tires/rims or suspension first. I decided to go with the rims/tires first so that I can gradually make changes on a budget. I was worried about painting myself into a corner with too drastic a drop (I drive in pretty hilly areas with steep driveways) that might limit my tire and rim options later on. I also wanted to feel how much the ride quality was affected (e.g., choppy, road noise) with the new wheels first.

Since the gap is much less noticeable now (except for the fact that the gap is STILL larger for the front wheels than the back wheels) and since I'm fairly happy with the ride (I won't lie, I think coilovers would really bring the handling to a whole new level), I'm going to hold off changing the suspension for now. When I go lower, I probably won't do lowering springs alone, but instead save up for the coilovers.

Read my mind. I started researching this a few days back and want to do the headlights and taillights at the same time. I am a little worried about getting pulled over for it around here, so I might try something removeable first before I make permanent changes (e.g., opening up the headlight, spraying it).

 

Nice man, coilovers would set it off! Btw in the rear I'm running 20x10 +43 285/30 dropped on eibachs and there's no rubbing at all.

 

Looks great! Lower it asap

 

need a front lip and it would look even better. Will look awesome when you get your coilovers, well on your way man, looking good

 

Front lip might be a little out of the budget for now, but it is on the (ever-growing) list. Next two projects are blacking out the headlights/taillights, then either replacing or painting the front grill and emblems with darker ones.

 

Blacked out the headlights and tail lights yesterday (dark smoke). Haven't had a chance to take pics yet.

Last week, I blacked out the front grille (DIY plastidip):



More pics here.

 

Blacked out the heads and tail lights. Definitely looks a lot better. More pics here.

 

looks a lot better with the grill and heads blacked out.. keep it up bro

 

Looks much better!

 

lefizzet, Got a pic? I am shopping for new oversized 20" wheels and tires and your setup sounds like it might be what I am looking for. You have 10' wheels in the front also and no clearance problems?