This is the first winter that I will be driving my 2006 G35 coupe and i'm struggling a bit to find the right size and fitment and not spend near $2500 (as my dealer quoted me for 18" winter bridgestones and rims).

I want to go down to 17" (my coupe has the 18" option) and I was originally planning on going 225/50 all around but it seems that screws up the VDC as its calibrated to account for a different stagger in the rear. However I read one post on here that if I put 225/55 on the back that it would solve the VDC problem, is this true or will I have to go 235/50 on the back?

The second problem is whether I can put steel rims on or if I need to go alloy. I found some 17x7.5 steel rims on Canadian Tire's website but will they fit the rear properly?

Thanks for any help.

 

The secret to keeping the VDC happy is to not let the diameter of the tires F/R vary by more than 3%. Therefore you could theoretically run any size you like and 225/50 on all four corners would be fine. No issue with the steel wheels either, as long as they fit the hub and clear your brakes you're good to go.

 

Great, thanks for the info.

 

I got a set of used OEM 17s for $300 Then general altimax Arctic tires for about $60 each they got better ratings than blizzaks

 

I've been running 225/50-17 and 225/55-17 for years on some cheap ASA JH3 wheels from Tire Rack. It's the recommended stagger for coupes.

 

I have the 19" Rays, but after nearly killing myself several times in the winter here in PA (I came from Florida). I decided to get some winter tires; I went with 18" 1010 Tires and Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II 240 XL. I kept the same staggered setup as well just in 18" wheels instead. The tires are pretty awesome and I went cheap on the wheels, since I was more concerned about safety then looks. It cost me about 1400 from Tirerack.com for everything.