17" or 18" Which is best for the 4th Gen Max?

[542keith]

Can anyone recommend the best size wheels for the 4th Gen Max?

I plan to lower my car with Eibach Srings and replace the struts with Tokico Illuminas. I think that will bring me down 1.3". I was thinking 18"s to fill the wheel well out better but I was wondering about the harshness of the ride, steering response, and turning radius. Will there be much difference between18"s and 17"s?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Later,

[Beancooker]

Not 100% sure, since I'll never use 18's. I prefer the ride of the 17's and having some tire to protect the rim. Audtatious is a good one to ask about this, since he is really picky about ride quality, and is running 18's.

[Sentientbydesign]

I have the Eibachs and they settle lower than 1.3. It's actually rated 1.5 in the front and 1.3 ine the rear. I got about 2.25 in the front and 1.75 in the rear once it settled.

GET A CAMBER KIT!!! You'll need it if you want your tires to last more than 5k.

I like the 17s with a 225/50 tire like the stock 350Z. It fills up the wells nicely and gives good ride comfort, BUT why are you getting Illuminas if you care about ride comfort. Anything over #2 and it gets rough. I love them, but think about what you're doing. The eibachs aren't nice and squishy like the stock springs. If you want comfort, go with the Tokico HPs or Monroes. The illuminas are expensive just for the hell of it. I used to adjust them al the time, but I've gotten comfortable with #3 until my steering situation gets fixed.

Also, get a strut tower bar if you don't already have one. The new suspension will improve with it and it doesn't cost much on Ebay. The Stillen is pretty if you have the money.

[Beancooker]

Wow. Your springs have issues. I don't think that they are the correct spring for the car, if they settled that much. There really is no need for a camber kit, if the springs are correct. I'm wondering if maybe there was a manufacturer defect. Sorry to hear that they did that. I've been running mine for a year now, and put 20k+ on them, and wonder if it even dropped the car 1.5". Oh well, I guess there is only so much consistency you can have when creating alloys and tempering steel to cause it to spring.

[Sentientbydesign]

I'm not the only one with that much of a drop. I've read other members who have had similar results. Climate, struts, and load all attribute to differences.

As for the camber kit, Eibach recommends it. The 1.5 inch drop takes the car's camber out of spec. Which ranges from .5 positive to 1 negative.

With oem struts and tires, I burned through the tires in a few thousand miles.

And spending $40 on a camber kit is very minimalistic when it comes down to it.

[Beancooker]

As for the camber kit, Eibach recommends it. The 1.5 inch drop takes the car's camber out of spec. Which ranges from .5 positive to 1 negative.

At 1.5" it doesn't take it out of spec. I stayed and have been fully within spec since day 1. At 1.5" drop my camber settings are:

LF -0.4ºRF -0.8ºLR -1.2ºRR-1.1º

Factory specs 00-03 Maxima are as follows: CamberFRONT +0.5º to -1.0ºREAR -0.3º to -1.8º

Toe FRONT 0.00" to +0.05" REAR -0.07" to +0.11"

Steer ahead-.05º to +.05º

Thrust angle0.02º There is no range on this.

Caster (which is not adjustable unless you get coilovers)2.0º to 3.5º

At 2.25" yes you will fall out of spec.

[542keith]

From what I've heard, 2.25 sounds awlfully low. I don't want anything more than 1.5. Is there another spring kit that will get me close to that?

[542keith]

beancooker, I'm assuming you have the Eibachs. Do have the Illuminas as well?

[Beancooker]

Yes, I've been running both for a year now, and the Eibach prokit will drop your car 1.5". I have yet to hear of anyone else who had a .75" difference from what Eibach specs. I also have the Tokico Illuminas which I highly recommend. There are other kits out there, Tein, Megan Racing, etc. All I can say is that if it drops your car moire than 1.5"-1.75" it is a unique situation.

[542keith]

I think that's what I will go with. Seems to be a popular combo among max owners. Hopefully Audatious or someone else will chime in about the wheel size.

BTW, I ordered the Powerslots and the Hawk Pads. As soon as my travel slows down I'm going to install them and paint the calipers. I'll post some pics as well.

[Beancooker]

Sweet. You should do a how to write up as well. If it is a good write up, it will go into the Nissan Articles forum, and you'll get a custom title!

[542keith]

Cool, I'll definitely do it.

[redtop91]

Are the 350Z rims 18? If so 18 looks baller. I LOVE Max's with those wheels.

[MaximA32]

Caster (which is not adjustable unless you get coilovers)2.0º to 3.5º

Not entirely true, Noah. You have to get adjustable pillow ball mounts with your coilovers in order to do so. Some coilover packages come with adjustable pillowballs but mine did not as they vary on model line and manufacturer.

[915max]

I think its more of your preference(what look your wanting to go with and the style of wheel). Some wheels look nice in a smaller size than others. As far as the ride, the 18's arent bad.... you can combine them with a smooth riding tire and not get a harsh ride. I currently have 18x7.5's wrapped up in Nitto555's 235/40/18.. and the ride is comfortable(not as smooth as stock)... of course i'm dropped about 2-2.5 inches.This size of tire still gave me some meet on the tires so they dont look so low profile. The picture was taken about 8 months after I purchased them, and several trips to the track, so the side wall looked slighty thicker when I first got them.As far as turning, there was a small decrease in the ability to make u-turns, but the wheels/tires dont scrape.

IMO, its all in what style of rim your getting. You can compensate(somewhat) on the comfort of driving with a set of good, quiet tires, and some nice adjustable KYB' AGX shocks/struts.
Modified by 915max at 8:48 PM 5/8/2007

[Beancooker]

Not entirely true, Noah. You have to get adjustable pillow ball mounts with your coilovers in order to do so. Some coilover packages come with adjustable pillowballs but mine did not as they vary on model line and manufacturer.

Werd. Thanks for the info Kenny! I just assumed that all coilovers come with adjustable PBM.