I had some damage on my left front wheel as delivered on my G35 6MT coupe. The dealership said that they would replace it with a new wheel. They said that they only had the "right" front wheel in stock so they would have to order the "left" front wheel for me. To me, they look the same, but my dealer insisted that they were indeed different. Has anyone else heard this? Is there really a left/right difference on the factory 18" wheels, and if so, what is it?

(I know that the front wheels are different than the rears by having an extra hole so they can't be accidently swapped. I also know that our tires are directional and can't be swapped left to right without removing them from the wheel. But, we were only swapping wheels, not tires.)

G35 Coupe 6MT / Brilliant Silver / Graphite / Prem.Pkg. / BSM

Doug.

 

The wheels are the same. The tires are probably directional. If the tire is mounted on the wheel to be a "right" tire, it can be removed and re-mounted in the "left" direction. If the tires are directional, there should be an arrow on the sidewall pointing the proper direction for the tire to rotate.

However, if they aren't smart enough to realize that, then they're probably not smart enough to keep from scratching the new rim when they re-mount the tire, so I'd just let them go ahead and order a new one.

2003.5 G35 Sedan Desert Platinum/Graphite Premium/Sport/Aero/Nav/Winter

 

Wait, maybe I'm the one who's not smart enough here, LOL, you said the wheels are the same, meaning all four? LOL, don't flame me, I am new to this car!
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Brilliant Silver/Graphite '04 Sedan

 

The front and rear wheels are different on the coupe. Their is no "left" or "right" to them though.. just two fronts and two rears.

There are also front and rear tire sizes. The tires are directional. There isn't a "left" or "right" tire specifically, but the tires are only supposed to roll in one direction. The tire can be mounted on the wheel one way for the "left" side, and the other way for the "right" side. Once you mount the tire to the wheel, then it stays on one corner of the car. To put it on the opposite side, you'd have to take the tire off the rim, flip it over, and put it back on the rim. This is why you don't rotate the tires on the coupe (different size front-to-back, directional tread pattern prevents left-to-right).

The 17" wheels are actually wider for the rear. The 18" wheels are the same size, front and back, except the front wheels have a hole in them to match up to the pin in the front rotor assembly. This pin's sole purpose is to keep the clueless from mounting the rear tires on the front of the car. It can be removed.

2003.5 G35 Sedan Desert Platinum/Graphite Premium/Sport/Aero/Nav/Winter

 

Well, duh, maybe I am the not too smart one here, I didn't snap that it was the coupe, not the sedan, I knew the coupe wheels were different sizes, so the pin is just for the coupe, and the sedan the tires can go from front to rear for a rotate?
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Brilliant Silver/Graphite '04 Sedan

 

Yes, the sedan tires can be rotated. Same size rims and tires all the way around. The owner's manual recommends a front-to-rear rotation, maintaining the right tires on the right side of the car, and the left tires on the left side.

2003.5 G35 Sedan Desert Platinum/Graphite Premium/Sport/Aero/Nav/Winter

 

Thanks, that's what I thought, I think I worked in TV News for too many years, can't get my facts right!
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Brilliant Silver/Graphite '04 Sedan

 

Anyhow, my dealer is under the impression that the left and right wheels are different. They even brought out a "right" front wheel (without a mounted tire) and decided that it would not be correct. Sure, the dealer may be dumb and has to go through the bother to order the "left" front wheel; but unfortunately, I have to drive 60 miles each way to get to the dealership so I'm experiencing significant bother, time, and expense myself to get this fixed.

I'm almost wondering if the dealer knows that they are the same and really wants to cause me some grief in exchange for me making them replace the wheel. Maybe they never ordered a wheel and have just waited 2 weeks to put on the same "right" front wheel that they had out that day. Anyway, they told me that the wheel is in now so I'm driving the 60 miles each way and killing about 3 hours of my afternoon tomorrow to get it replaced.

What do you guys think?

G35 Coupe 6MT / Brilliant Silver / Graphite / Prem.Pkg. / BSM

Doug.

 

You may want to consider writing a letter to the general manager of that dealership, and sending a copy to Infiniti Consumer Affairs. Maybe you can get some freebie oil changes or some other compensation out of it for wasting your time by being stupid.

2003.5 G35 Sedan Desert Platinum/Graphite Premium/Sport/Aero/Nav/Winter