Newbie Wheel Question

[smonczka]

I just bought a 2004 G35 Coupe, totally stock, and was promptly told by my 16 year old son "man, dude you got to get some 20's for that thing".

I have the standard six spoke 17" aluminum wheels and only do street driving. Thought I do want to mod the car, improve the suspension, better tires, wheels brakes and such, I'm not looking do any closed course racing, though I wouldn't mind putting down a few Evo's once in a while.

So can someone tell me what is the difference between 17" and 20" tires on your car? How does it effect the handling, mileage and such. And sorry about the rudimentery questions, but i figured this was a good place to start.

Thanks much for the info,Steve

[smocan]

Well 20s obviously will decrease performance, handling, comfort, and breaking. Like you said, you wont be doing any hardcore racing so its not to much of a big deal. 20s will pull you further away from beating evos.

Many people do this, however, in my opinion, i'd recommend at most a 19 inch wheel. This will give you great looks while not going to overboard. You do have large wheel wells which is why i do recommend such a large wheel like 19s.

Usually what people do when they get 20s or high diameter wheels, they also add suspension, which will improve the looks and handling drastically. Large wheels will make you car look like a truck if using stock suspension, for the most part, some cars can get away with it, i'm not positive on your specific car, but i'd get suspension anyway. Its a good place to start from.

Just my opinon, i'm not extremely familiar with g35s... good luck.

[hannibal]

Its often referred to as plus sizing (I think TireRack.com has a good description). Basically, when you go form a 17" wheel to a 18", you decrease the tires sidewall to maintain the same overall diameter. To a certain extent, this is a good thing. Smaller sidewalls wont flop and distort as much, improving the cars handling and feel at the limits of grip.

Negatives of larger wheel/smaller sideawall is a rougher ride (less sidewall to cushion bumps). And larger wheels typically weigh more than smaller ones. Newer G35 coupes are available with 19" forged wheels that weigh less than the standard 17 and 18's I think.

I think your focus should be on finding some good looking light weight wheels. No chrome, as chrome plating adds considerable weight. I'd suggest some used OEM wheels like the 350Z's forged 18's or the forged 19's I mentioned above. Or some aftermarket 18/19 lightweight wheels. These are usually quite expensive. And while the car can fit 20's (and probably larger), there really isnt a performance advantage.

Good luck!

[smonczka]

Just wanted to say thanks for the info, now i have something i can work with. I'm going for performance over looks. So i'll look around for some lighter OEM wheels over the larger size crome. Again thanks