18 inch wheels on a sport
 

Hi all, this is my first post.

I just bought a 2013 sport with a manual, leather, and navigation. It was a challenge to find, but we got it and the wife and I love it.......and it's not black, white, or silver.......it's gunmetal grey.:happydance:

I've lurked a lot and learned sooooo much. Thanks to all who contribute here.:tiphat:

Anyway my first question is: will a stock set of 18 inch wheels fit on a sport? I understand the brakes are different (bigger?) on a sport and would like to know if the set of used, stock, 18" wheels I have found on craigslist will fit our new (to us) Z.

Thanks in advance.

Jerry

Yes, the OEM 18s will clear the brakes. But you'll end up with narrower tires all around, so it's a downgrade unless they're just for winter rubber.

Thanks.

That's what I was thinking.......tires for the winter.

Besides, our Z came with aftermarket wheels and I'm not sure the offset is right, so I want to know my options if the new tires start to wear funny.

Thanks again.....

If you need to replace the wheels that are on there, OEM Sport wheels are for sale here all the time and they can fit a lot of tire.

Lots of discussion about offsets on this site:
https://www.google.com/search?query=...z.com%20offset

Not to thread hijack but will 18" wheels in general clear the Sport brakes? I've been looking into this mostly for a upgrade for shedding some weight, less rotational mass and all that.

Chuck's post:

I'll keep an eye open. Local (western WA) would be best.......shipping four wheels might be pricey.

I found a set of nice stock 18" wheels local on craigslist for $700.....sounds kinda high.......whadda think:

http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/wto/5849536856.html

Thanks for the link. I'll have to dig into it sometime.

I'm gonna hijack my own thread here:

I realize 18's would be a downgrade but how much more affordable are 18's vs 19's tires? My wife is going to use our Z as a commuter for now and I'm concerned about the cost of tires.

I am amazed how well our Z sticks to the road. I'm used to Wranglers, pickups, and cheap commuters. This sports car thing is new to me. A little less tire would probably be OK with us if there was a substantial cost benefit.

In terms of aesthetics, sure it's a downgrade but in terms of performance an 18" wheel is right where you wanna be. It allows you to keep the weight to a minimum(more weight=more rotational inertia required) while allowing for larger brake packages.

IMHO, I'd invest in a set of all seasons. (dons flame suit)..... My logic is thus, you live in Washington state, a place not known for sunshine. The stock 18" tires (Advans) don't do well in rain, so unless you like driving a skateboard in the rain, all seasons are the answer. Save the 19" tires & wheels for when you want to carve some canyons and have the time to swap wheels before & after. :twocents:

My thoughts exactly. I haven't been shopping long for used wheels so I am not familiar with pricing.

How does these look for $700? Seem to me that is a bit high, even if I worked him down a hundred bucks or so and got them for $600.

Set of Factory OEM Used Nissan 370Z Wheels

What say the collective????

You can get Sport wheels for $1k here, so $700 for base seems steep.

:tup:

At that price, they should be pristine.

Not necessarily.

The stock 18's weigh around 24 lbs or so each, as do the 19" Sport Rays. However, the 19" Nismo's weigh around 20 lbs to 21 lbs.

Switching over from the base 18's to the Nismo 19's, right away I noticed the car easier and more eager to accelerate at low speeds. Likewise was true moving to the Continental ExtremeContact DW tires, as they have been said to be a few lbs lighter, even though they are larger/wider. This was also somewhat noticeable. Even better, the lighter wheel/tire combination allows the suspension to do its job better as well

My wife and yours are alike in terms of their daily drivers :driving:

For ours, I install a set of 18" wheels from a 350Z and winter tires for cold-temperature driving. Snow and ice are present during winter here, but at limited amount on average, so the car is equipped with the cheapest winter tires available (no expensive or fast-wearing dual-compound winter tires needed). This scenario reduces the wear on the expensive summer tires and, in turn, lessens the tire cost. I don't know about winter precipitation pattern is like in your area, but this might work in your situation.

I like your strategy managing tire cost and winter driving.

We live at a slightly higher elevation than the lower Puget Sound region and have to sometimes deal with snowy/icy hills in the winter.

My experience with high powered, rear wheel drive cars on snow/ice, even with studs, has shown that they pretty much suck.

We each still have our cheap commuters with winter studs and I got my Jeep Rubicon, too. Our Z has new 19" summer tires so it may sit in it's heated garage a bit this winter while I explore our options.

The challenge is going to keep me and my wife from wanting to drive it, no matter the weather.........