Baby got new shoes

[fatire_mtb]

I recently had new wheels and tires installed. The wheels are ASA JH8s. Fronts are 18x8.5 with a 30mm offset. Rears are 18x9.5 with a 30mm offset. I thought about going with 19s, but I wanted a very specific tire and worked my way back to the wheel size. Considering I'm upgrading from the OEM 17" wheels I am pretty happy with the look. The tires I went with are Nitto Invo's. Fronts are 225/45-18. Rears are 245/45-18. So far so good :-)

Here are some pics:

any ideas how I can correct that gap between the curve in the hood lip and the top of the grill it would be greatly appreciated.











and lastly the way most people get to see my car ;-)

[Kenrik]

If you're happy that's what matters..

Ignore what people are about to say

[Jacko3]

fatire_mtb:

Are those Tirerack wheels? And how much did you pay for those wheels? They look nice. Your ride looks sweet.

[W661335PF]

If you're happy that's what matters..

Ignore what people are about to say

All you need now is the nickel plated steering wheel, lifters, the bouncing Chihuhua head and the fuzzy dice!

[gwoods]

+1 for choosing 18" rims and not going crazy with 19's or 20's!

The Nitto's look great! Keep us posted on how they wear!

Does your car feel slower or faster with the new tire/rim combo?

Looks GREAT! (confirmed by W661335PF not liking it)

[fatire_mtb]

Yes, the rims are from tire rack. Just something about a five spoke wheel I really like.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad y'all like it too.

It definitely feels like it has better grip. There are a few twisty roads around my house that I really gave a go to today and I was able to make the same route faster and with less VDC engagement. As far as quicker - it feels noticeably quicker. I'm not sure if it's the benefit of light weight wheels or my overzealous gas pedal in having something new for my car because I'm finding myself hauling @ss every where since I picked the car up Saturday afternoon.

[zippyslug31]

I think they look fine. Not exactly sure what ppl are supposedly going to bag on you about.

I guess my only real ribbing would be toward your photographer! Dude, get some better quality shots in the day light and lets so those new wheels!

[TISon28s]

Hey, yeah i have a 2004 g35 sedan. 245/40/19's in the front and 255/40/19's in the back. It's lowered about an inch and a half. No problems whatsoever with tires hittin the fenders or tires shredding up againt the wheel wells. Are the Kuhmo extacy tires any good?

[Cali 2 Balti G]

Kenrik got reamed when he showed us pics several months ago - before he dropped his G. Many of the initial comments were - dude - you need to drop your car.

So I think this is where he was going. The OP tires look a little small and sunken in - too some folks this is undesirable. As Kenrik says - in the end you have to DO YOU.

[danielekfuj]

+1 for the chelsea avatar, but MUFC FTMTW!

[G_whizz]

Wheels are Hawt... rims are a nice touch... but yes... your car is certainly not afraid of heights!

The car prolly shed some weight with new new rims which is why it may feel faster.

I have no idea how to close that hood gap though... is that a replica grill?

[Kenrik]

The offset is not good

The tires are to small and stretched.

it needs a drop.

[heliochrome85]

agreed, and can i add, please ditch that awful fitting grille? Ive seen a bunch of them and i cant say that they all fit that poorly.

[gwoods]

The offset is not good

The tires are to small and stretched.

it needs a drop.

I agree with Kenrik on the tire size. Why not go 245 on the front and 275 on the back?? I know that the tire you choose is pretty exspensive but if it were my car I would have picked a cheaper tire and gone a bit bigger you have rims for bigger tires. You can always blame the rim shop for selling you small tires. Most places will let you return a set of tires in the first 500 miles something you might consider.

I bought a set of Hankook Ventus for my Ram and they were so noisy on the freeway I returned them about 500 miles later and received full credit toward Kumho STX's.

I disagree on the drop. Everyone is going to tell you to lower your car IMO it looks fine. If you had gone with 40 or 35 profile tires yeah you probably should drop it but the way it sits looks fine to me.

[Sentientbydesign]

gwoods,

You normally only have the return option if you paid an obnoxious amount for the tires.

To the OP,

I don't know what to say. The wheels look really big, until you look at the car as a whole, then they look tiny. It think it's the combo of the wide lip and the way the spokes sink in.

I blame Infiniti for their choice in overall diameter for the wheel/tires. I don't care for the way the 275s look on the rims. They bulge a little and remind me of a mustang. The 245s are slightly too narrow and stretching 225s on the front is just laughable.

[gwoods]

I think it depends on where you buy from. I always purchase from Discount Tire. I shop online and find the cheapest price, print it and they match it?

I'm so cheap I even negotiate prices at Best Buy LOL

If you pitch a big enough fit you can return anything.

[ryan_g35]

Those are sweet i have them in black with the chrome lip,i like the silver tho i have them in 18's too lol

[joe603]

agreed, and can i add, please ditch that awful fitting grille? Ive seen a bunch of them and i cant say that they all fit that poorly.

LOL! I didn't notice it before, but now it looks like a clef lip

She's close though

[fatire_mtb]

As soon as somebody volunteers the $ for the coilovers it'll get dropped. Until then it's the next mod on the list as soon as it can be afforded. I agree, the wheel gap stands out, but I knew it would when I made the change.

Keep in mind the Invo's are in limited sizes right now. I may go bigger the next time around when they have hopefully increased the product line.

As for the grill, yes, it's a replica. As noticeable as it is to us you wouldn't believe how many random people have made positive comments. With that being said, it's on the way out as soon as possible because I hate looking at that gap.

Thanks everybody for your feedback!

[gwoods]

I do like the INVO's a lot. That might be my next tire in Fall this year. My Kumho SPT's are wearing much better then I thought they would so it looks like even drag racing at the track on them it will be hard to wear them out by Fall. I bought them in October and have put almost 10,000 miles on them!

I think I'll do 245/40/17 the whole way around on the stock rims.

[ArEs23x]

If you're happy that's what matters..

Ignore what people are about to say

I still remember when you showed pix of yers and what people said, so your reply made me laugh haha

But he's right, if you like them, then thats all that matter