i have been calling many places and they all tell me the same. they tell me i need to run the same width all the way around....and this is not because of the vdc conspiracy. they are saying that 9.5 or 10 is too wide for the rear of the sedan. i see peoples pictures in the rides section with staggered set ups on 4 doors. what is the deal?
thanks

 

Does anyone have the final word on this issue?


03 G35
02 Sequoia

 

While wider rear rims look really cool, it will probably hurt the handling of the car. The G is pretty well balanced to begin with, but still leans towards understeer when pushed, just like about 98% of a cars on the road. Wider rear rims will make it understeer even more. You could compensate for this by adding a heavier rear sway bar. Also, cars like a Turbo Porsche that have wider rear rims need the wider width back there to put all that power down, (and to tame their tendency to go off the road backwards!) Stock G's really don't have that problem. So adding wider rear rims is just for poseurs....that is unless you've got a turbo to necessitate the tire width. I wonder if the 350z with the wider rear wheels comes with a heavier rear swaybar to compensate.

04 G35 6MTS Aero Kit/Nav/Prem/Wint (Hopefully Sept 03)
Warning: Objects in Mirror Are Losing!

 

RacerX, We have also been considering staggering our set up. with 225/45/18 in the front and 255/45 or 40/18's in the rear. Still toying with it, but you bring up a very valid/good point. I know that more rubber will make it handle a bit better, but didn't think about the possibility of increasing understeer. This is why I love this site. Thanks for the info, and what do you think of the configuration we're considering? Too much? Maybe we would be better off sticking with the same size all the way around.

2003.5 G35 6MT Sedan/Black w/ Graphite
Life is good!

 

muuvova...the coupe comes with 245/45 rear and 225/45 front on 18x8 rims as the performance option. You could go take a look at a coupe and see if you like that setup.


03 G35
02 Sequoia

 

actually wider rear tires increase oversteer. that is why supra's, rx7's and other rear wheel drive sports cars have a tendency to tail out. there was a significant difference in handling on my rx7 between different set ups. the stock wheels were very neutral. when i changed to 18 by 8.5 and 18 by 10 wheels the car had crazy oversteer characteristics.

 

ronnie5 wrote:

"actually wider rear tires increase oversteer."

This is simply not true. But don't feel bad...even teams of full time automotive engineers get this stuff wrong at times, (remember the Corvair?)

The experience you had with your RX7 notwithstanding, all things being equal, increased tire width causes MORE grip. Increased tire width in the rear causes more grip in the rear. Oversteer is what happens when the rear of a car brakes loose before the front. More grip in the rear relative to the front will increase the tendency for the front of the car to brake away first (understeer), not the rear.

There are a whole list of factors that could have possibly misled you with your RX7. Perhaps you had too much negative camber from lowering, or your rim offset screwed up the handling balance so much that you achieved the opposite result.For example if you have 10 degrees of negative camber in the rear (too much!) a low profile tire on a wider and larger diameter rim will not keep the tread surface flat on the ground in a corner as well as a stock wheel and tire. If you get the camber right, (usually similar to the roll angle your car develops at the limit of adhesion), then the wider wheel will start to work much better than stock. If a rim is too wide, or too narrow for a given tire, you also get reduced grip. Tire pressures can also effect grip dramatically. I laugh when I see these ricer-racers with 15 degrees of negative camber in the rear, 'cause you know the must handle like crap, no matter how much they spent on coil-overs.

The sports cars you mentioned generally have wider rear tires because they want to reduce the impact of throttle induced oversteer. Without mashing the gas in the middle of a turn, they probably are understeering cars in stock trim. The wider tires in the rear allow a skilled driver to get on the gas earlier and harder on the exit of a corner.

If you want to learn more about this may I suggest you read "How To Make Your Car Handle" by Fred Puhn. Here's a link:


This great, (and inexpensive) book will help you to understand what is a VERY difficult subject.

04 G35 6MTS Aero Kit/Nav/Prem/Wint (Hopefully Sept 03)
Warning: Objects in Mirror Are Losing!

 

Racer X,
Impressive Info. As far as the Staggered Look goes. The first Lowered G35 Sedan was one At PRO MOTION Distributions. It's a Black Sedan 2003 With Maya STU
19x8.5 245-35-19 front
19x10 265-30-19 rear
The 265's were the widest tires they could fit with out rubbing
Before I saw that "G" I wasn't impressed with the G35, After seeing that car I became a Drooling Obssessed Fiend......Damn I sound like some Stalker LOL

 

Nismov35...any idea where we can see a few pics of that G?


03 G35
02 Sequoia

 

NismoV35

I totally agree that wider rear wheels and tires look awesome. It makes others think you have more power than the stock rear tires can handle. But if you plan on leaving the motor stock, and care about how the car handles at the limit, I would either keep the rears the same size as the fronts, or think about a heavier rear sway bar (ideally, adjustable). I have not seen a heavier rear swaybar available yet, but I'm sure someone has got one. If you add significant power (twin turbos/supercharger), the wider rear rubber will help control this. With more power, you will always be able to balance the handling with the gas pedal.

04 G35 6MTS Aero Kit/Nav/Prem/Wint (Hopefully Sept 03)
Warning: Objects in Mirror Are Losing!

 

I could only find 1 picture of the car



63320-trafficstar_stm3.jpg

 

racer...wow i guess i must be wrong. i always thought the opposite. it is amazing what you are taught and how things change over a period of time. many things i was taught in school have changed with the times and are no longer proper. thanks for he info.

v35...do you happen to know the offset f the rims that are on that sedan? if you could find out that would be even better.

thanks

 

RacerX,

I could listen to you all day. Great information. For those of us that "think" they know a thing or two about cars (this would be me), you show me I have a lot to learn. Based on this info, and the fact that I'm a bit nervous about adding any serious mods at this time (other than exhaust, which I'm still researching and changing the pulley's an inexpensive way to maybe get 5 more hp) I may just go with the coupe set up, or 245/45/18 all the way around. What do you think?

2003.5 G35 6MT Sedan/Black w/ Graphite
Life is good!

 

muuvova wrote:
<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

I'm still researching and changing the pulley's an inexpensive way to maybe get 5 more hp) I may just go with the coupe set up, or 245/45/18 all the way around. What do you think?

<hr></blockquote>

Well, as far as the underdrive pulleys are concerned, I wouldn't do it if you spend a lot of time in traffic in hot weather, or plan on serious upgrades to the stereo; you could be trying to pull to much out of the accessories. As far as the wheels and tires, with a stagered set up, the limiting factor will be front grip; the car won't really be much slower. You may even be quicker from a standstill. But if you go with equal size all around, you will retain the nice balance of the car that allows you to shift the car from understeer to oversteer with the throttle.

Does anyone know if the Z or G Coupe that come with the staggered 18's come with a heavier rear sway bar (that might be applicable to the sedan)?

04 G35 6MTS Aero Kit/Nav/Prem/Wint (Hopefully Sept 03)
Warning: Objects in Mirror Are Losing!

 

I love you maan.... Kidding. Serioulsy, it's so hard to get actual good advice (with back up, out of people). I don't plan on doing any changes to the stereo. Really, I used to be in to major bass, but in my growing old age (31) the stocker works just fine. At this point, POWER is what I'm looking for (I'm a repressed racer). The pulley's are stull under consideration; however, I'm fairly convinced, and am working on my husband for same, that the 245/45/18's are the way to go.

Curious, what do you think of the results from the thread called "G35 Sedan 6MT results"? (I think that's right). 14.4 in the quarter? Not bad, but what do you think this thing can really do. Unfortuneatly, I don't have ready access to a track or dyno. I'll have to do some searching on that.

We really want to make this car fast; however, remain reliable at the same time. Money, just seems to be my main downfall. With so many more of these cars on the road everyday, I seem to want to focus a bit more on making it look different, but want so badly to just smoke anyone that wants to play. What's wrong with me????

2003.5 G35 6MT Sedan/Black w/ Graphite
Life is good!