Yup, i'm a noob. But I really need some advice from people who know what they are talking about... keep hearing different things from different sources (mostly people trying to sell me on more expensive gear) and need confirmation regarding my planned winter set-up.

I have an 06 6MT coupe with stock 19s (Front 225/40/19 rolling diamter 26.7, and rear 245/40/19 rolling diameter 26.1). I am looking to slap on some winters but plan is to save $$ by going 17s all the way around bolt pattern 5 x 114.3 with 215/55/17 on 17x7.5 rims. The rolling diameter would then be 26.3. I had heard that narrow treadwidths are a must for winter.
The questions are:
1. Is this the best size for a non-staggered setup? Some have said that I should try to match the rear wheels exactly since that's where the speedo is.
2. Will this screw up the VDC?
3. Will these tires fit nicely on those rims?

As an added question, what COLOR rim do you think looks best for winter on a graphite (dark grey) coupe? The plan was for black rims (Zen Racing Wheel Spyder 2), but not on tirerack so can't see how it would look on the car. Is black a problem for salt in the winter? Or is it too dark for a graphite coupe?

Thanks for any advice!

 

Don't worry about matching the rear tires exactly; it just means that the car will be going a little slower than what your speedometer actually shows but as long as you know that, you're fine. I guess that also means your odometer will record slightly higher mileage, but big deal.

No problem on the VDC, since that's just triggered by sensors that detect whether there's any slippage, and that doesn't depend on the size of the tires or rims.

The tires should fit fine on the rims. Whether it'll look good, I don't know, because I dont know the offsets or how that rim actually looks.

I actually decided to go with a staggered setup on SSR GT7s; just had them installed Friday and they look great. They've got a machined lip, so I'll have to be a bit more vigilant with cleaning the salt off, but hey, it looks awesome for a winter setup.

 

225/50-17 is a better size for front, and 225/55-17 or 235/50-17 is better for rears to maintain stock stagger and close to OEM diameters.

I have read, though never personally confirmed, that you do need to retain the stagger for the coupe or else VDC will act strangely. Contrary to what the previous poster mentioned, slippage is not the only thing corrected by VDC (actually, slippage is corrected by TCS). VDC monitors yaw rates, and apparently tire diameter does play a role in the VDC sensor behavior. Others have reported VDC kicking in when their rear OEM summer tires have worn down, so obviously the system is sensitive to changes in overall tire diameter.

 

Yeah, machined lip could take a bit more work... what colour is your car and what colour did you decide on for your rims?

 

I must admit, I'm no expert on how VDC works. Couldn't the last thing you mentioned just be because the tires therefore have less grip and are probably slipping more easily?

 

I've got the diamond graphite (now called silverstone) car as well, and I went with basic silver painted rims with a machined lip. You can see them on TireRack here.

 

For slippage, yes, perhaps it could, but I'm talking even when the tires have good grip to them, but just lower tread. Plus, yaw correction is separate from pure slippage. Again, I haven't experienced it on my G since I've always run staggered tires, but it's worth a search on here to read what others have experienced.

 

Back to the original question for a sec...
The rims I was looking for are out of stock, so I came up with another option here: http://www.ikonwheels.com/10zen.php
They are Ikon 10 Zen 17"x7.0 rims and i'm putting them onto a 2006 G35 Coupe 6MT with stock 19" wheels. The tires will be Hankook w409 iPike 215/55/17.
Will this setup fit and look okay? Another friend told me the offset will be a problem. I'm far from an expert in the field but would appreciate an opinion.
Thanks,
S.

 

What's the offset on those wheels? The site doesn't say.

 

how about for the 18"??
can i run 22 45 18 both f/b?
or wuts the best set up?

 

Those topics have been beaten to death over in the Tech section. Do some searching in the Wheels & Tires forum.

 

I couldn't find that on the website either, but I called and the Ikon 10 Zens are a +40 offset. Will that work out for the 06 G Coupe?S
.

 

Wow, with that offset and 7" width, your wheels/tires are going to be set really deep in - the outside face will be about 1" in on both front and back. It'll help keep the snow/slush from splashing around the outside of your fenders, but it'll look crappy. Depends what you're going for, I guess.

 

Can/should I use spacers? I don't want it to look like crap!

 

Hmmm, you could, but that would take a lot of spacers. I'm not really familiar enough with that and don't know if you could/should put enough spacers in to move the wheels out an inch. I'd say talk to Billy at Tires23 in Mississauga (www.tires23.com). He hooked me up and I'm sure he could help you out.