I drive a AT Coupe with 17" factory rims/tires.

I have been on g35driver for over a year, but ignored the tire forum mostly because I couldn't yet afford a set of rims/tires.

My original tires are almost done for and now is a good time to replace my rims.

As much as I read this forum, I cannot figure out tire sizes, offsets, etc. I also see little about pricing.

So I saw some of the Work rims posted by Bobby of StrictlyZ. Some of them look really nice.

It seems that lots of people like the 19" rims, but my understanding is that is for looks only as 19" rims are heavy and will slow the car down as well as cause a rougher ride while not significantly improving handling.

So I have a few questions:

1.) 18" or 19" rims and why? What width and why?

2.) What do tires in this size cost vs 17"?

3.) Will I have to make adjustments to the brakes or suspension? My car is AT Coupe currently with 17".

4.) Will either 18" or 19" negatively effect the ride?

Thank you, John

 

Go to www.tirerack.com

You can input your car and it will show you what the rims look like on your car. It will also tell you what tire size you will need and offsets. Plus you can also compare prices between 18" and 19" Rims....

As far as the weight goes, if you buy high quality 19" rims, the weight will be comparable with most 18" rims.

As for me i noticed no significant difference in ride between my 17" stock rims and the 19" rims I just put on my sedan.


2003.5 G35 Sedan White/6MT
Nismo Type S Suspension / Nismo Sway Bars
19" OZ Rims / Stillen Front/Rear Camber Kit / Z Tube
Stillen Big-Airflow Intake / Stillen Catback Exhaust

 

You could answer all those questions by searching this Wheel / Tire forum.

 

You would think so, but there is a lot of conflciting information. Much like the exhaust forum, some people seem to be doing expensive stuff to their car that doesn't really value add anything to the car, nor does it really increase the performance or looks to an extent that justifies the cost.

Fortunately, a couple of people here had the time and patience to help me out via pm.

 

I have a 6MT sedan, that I changed the wheels to 18x8.5. To me, the ride change was not that different, but I did feel that it was a little bit stiffer.

When I was looking at going to either an 18" or 19" rim, to me the tire price difference seemed less / more reasonable for 18's. So that was also one of my decision factors.

Plus as you've already noted, weight is a factor too. It seems less costly / easier to find a light weight 18" that weighs in less than the stock 17" versus trying to do the same with a 19" rim.

 

I know that many people will tell you that 19's adversely affect performance, but to what extent? Enough so that you are going to feel it in everyday driving? In my opinion, the amount of grip added from the increased contact patch from the new, wider tires far outweighs the negative of increasing rotational inertia...

If you go over and look at the M3 boards - lots of hardcores over there - you will see that nearly every owner that has upgraded wheels/tires runs some form of high performance/lightweight 19's... and for a compromise between looks/performance, 19's are definitely the way to go...

Now 20's on the other hand... performance will be affected more so, but you don't buy 20's for performance - I'm debating right now between 19's and 20's as their is actually a better tire selection in 20's (and priced similiarly to 19" tires), and 20's on the coupe look unreal... if you are going to do occasional track days/autocross sessions, keep your stock wheels and upgrade to R-compound tires... (what I'm going to do regardless of whether I go with 19's or 20's)

As far as I'm concerned, 19's are the new standard when it comes to high-performance street wheel/tire setups - why do you think all the high-end exotic manufactures are going with them? Ferrari, Porsche, Lambo, etc all have 19's on their high-end makes... BMW and now even the '05 coupe have 19's as an optional package... it's the new standard.

2003.5 BS coupe 5AT
Clear Corners, Alum. Pedals, Pro-1 Intake, Resonated Test Pipes, UR Pulley, CF Engine Cover, GReddy EVO II, Kinetix Plenum, Hotchkis Sways, Pro-1 Headers

 

100% AGREE!!!

Thank you.

DXC
dxc@canautoclub.com
AmistadUSA
www.AmistadUSA.com
www.CANautoclub.com

 

John, it all depends on what you're looking for.

Some question to consider:

1) How much are you willing to spend?
2) Are you looking for performance or looks?
3) Are you concerned about a rough ride with bigger rims?

The above questions will definitely help determine which route you plan to take. Everyone on here has their own personal preferences with respect to size, look, and price.

For your questions, my input / suggestions are as follows:

1.) 18" or 19" rims and why? What width and why?
--> Typically, with larger diameter rims you will have less sidewall distortion during cornering so your car will handle better. Also, if you got aftermarket suspension (i.e. full coilover suspension) that would definitely help. For either 18 or 19s, I would suggest going with "staggered" (i.e. 19x8.5 or 19x9 front & 19x9.5 or even 19x10 rear, depends on the rim) meaning you go wider in the rear so you can get a greater contact patch. If you're not interested with staggered, you could just roll with the stock 18x8 that come with the 6speeds or look for ones you liked with a similar size. Those are fine and you wouldn't have to get different width tires than if you went staggered. It would be easier to rotate tires too. The drawback with bigger rims is you might notice a slightly rougher ride but IMO, it wouldn't be much. Spend the extra money and get a good set of rims - Volk, Work, etc.

2.) What do tires in this size cost vs 17"?
--> Research, my friend.

3.) Will I have to make adjustments to the brakes or suspension? My car is AT Coupe currently with 17".
--> No, if you went 18 or 19, just make sure you compensate by "plus" sizing. If you don't get the correct plus size on the rims, you could easily throw your speedometer off. Wouldn't be drastic though.

4.) Will either 18" or 19" negatively effect the ride?
--> IMO, not much. Also, going bigger might get you heavier rims but that's not always the case. If you got a 1 piece cast wheel, those tend to pretty light as opposed to a 3 piece forged which weigh slightly more but are stronger.