Newly purchased 18" rims....need tires help.

[HeavyDuty]

should i buy the spacer only for the front tires???? or for all 4?...

if i did buy it for just the front tires, wouldnt they stick out a lil bit more than the back tires/rims?

hmm...i'm gonna still go with the 245-45-18's all around i guess im just gonna add the spacer for the front...what do u all think???

Ron

I'd go with a 245/40, spacers equally front to rear, if needed at all.

Check the mounted height/width/cross section of the tire in question, a chubby tire is going to extend beyond the edge of the rim more, potentially requiring a thicker spacer.

[Pali_Prince]

but i mentioned the 245 40's...and most ppl said their load rating is not good....i'll try to put the 245 45 18's ont here and install the rim when i get it..and we'll see how it'll go from there...i'll keep u all posted of course...

ron

[GEOFF]

You may find a local tire shop to mount a used 245/45/18 to see where it fits.

[rsiwicki]

bad news for me....my wheels are on back order.

They have the fronts 8.5" width here, but the rears with 9.5" width are on back order and will take another 2 or 3 weeks to get in. Apparently, the staggered look is really popular and they are completely sold out everywhere of the 9.5" as they are putting them on the new 350z's and G35's at the local dealer. This is where I first saw them. They said the local 350z dealer has 12 orders for customers who bought the car already and want these wheels as they have a car in the show room with them on. This really sucks. Well I guess I will have my new transmission and 4.08 before I get my new wheels. Damn...if my tires were not total slicks already in the rear. If I had not given a deposit, I would be calling Tirerack and getting the more expensive ASA's.

Pali...best of luck to you on the wheels and hope they fit fine for you.

Also...if somebody has a good resource at a tire shop to find out more info about this "load rating" issue that would be great. I just called Tirerack about the "load rating" and they said that it was not a problem at all with the 245/40/18. I asked the guy so with this tire I can go autocrossing and not worry about a thing putting that much weight on a tire and he said no, it will not be a problem. He said the volume of air??? would be the same (which does not make sense to me)...so we would not need to worry about it. He sounded really confident that the load rating would not be a factor with a 245/40/18 tire.

[GEOFF]

The tirerack guy may sound confident, but he also happens to sound wrong. How can the volume of air make a diff?. It has all to do with sidewall integrity and the smaller sidewall likely does not have it. I am not saying its not possible, I know I listened to AZHitman, PalmerWMD, and Q45tech. From what I remember they virtually ruled out 40's.

[maxnix]

Also...if somebody has a good resource at a tire shop to find out more info about this "load rating" issue that would be great. I just called Tirerack about the "load rating" and they said that it was not a problem at all with the 245/40/18. I asked the guy so with this tire I can go autocrossing and not worry about a thing putting that much weight on a tire and he said no, it will not be a problem. He said the volume of air??? would be the same (which does not make sense to me)...so we would not need to worry about it. He sounded really confident that the load rating would not be a factor with a 245/40/18 tire.

Get it in writing from whoever is selling you the tires.

[szh]

spacers equally front to rear, if needed at all.

Agreed - all four in this case, IMHO! Ron should also consider getting both 5mm and 10mm spacers and see which works better for the tires he picks. Some local tire place may be willing to do some fitment tests ...

My guess is that using the 10mm spacer (to convert a 45mm wheel to an effective 35mm wheel) will give the best results for an 8.5" width. If the rears are 9.5", then using the correct offset (with spacers if necessary) is even more important.

Also, if the wheels are 9.5" in the rear, then 245/40 may be a bit narrow and 245/45 would work better. Again, this is a question for the tire experts (check with Grant!)

Z

[szh]

but i mentioned the 245 40's...and most ppl said their load rating is not good....i'll try to put the 245 45 18's ont here and install the rim when i get it..and we'll see how it'll go from there...i'll keep u all posted of course...

ron

The Q4 5 is a heavy car. Using anything less than a 95 load index at the tire max psi (i.e., a 1521 lb load rating) is probably unsafe. Yes, you could put on a 93 or a 94, and pump up the air pressure a bit to compensate, but then the ride and handling will be compromised a bit - what then is the point of getting a wide wheel and tire?

Z

[szh]

I just called Tirerack about the "load rating" and they said that it was not a problem at all with the 245/40/18. I asked the guy so with this tire I can go autocrossing and not worry about a thing putting that much weight on a tire and he said no, it will not be a problem. He said the volume of air??? would be the same (which does not make sense to me)...so we would not need to worry about it. He sounded really confident that the load rating would not be a factor with a 245/40/18 tire.

This guy steered you wrong, IMHO! The load index is particularly important for the Q45 (this is a heavy car) - specially if you are expecting to get even halfway decent mileage doing autocrossing. And want to be safe!

I am surprised that Tire Rack told you this - was it Grant? I am going to have to call him and complain!

Z

[szh]

Here is what Grant says about spacers, by the way!

Quote »It's sorta like buying a shaved cylinder head and then using three head gaskets to fix the compression. Get wheels with the correct offset. There is no "great deal" on wheels that involve having to add another piece of metal between the hub and the back of the wheel. The wheels need to center on the nose of the axle the way the Nissan gods designed it.[/quote]

[rsiwicki]

szhosain...thanks for your many posts. It was Oscar @ Tirerack who told me about the load index would not be a problem. If you do talk with Grant today, can you post his response about load rating. I am all confused about this stuff and want to be safe with the right tire as well and I do believe the load factor is important. It just plain makes sense, but I don't know why a "tire expert" would tell me otherwise. But then again all tires have tread wear ratings and those are a bunch of bogus numbers as the rating system differs between tires and manufacturer.....so I am thinking that maybe the load rating system is not based on any uniform standard as well since the load rating does vary between brands of tires in the same size.

[AZhitman]

I'm working out a deal for a set of these - I'll be careful with offset and width based upon these comments... Good stuff.

Please ask Grant to check this thread, as TireRack cannot be recommending tires with too low a load rating. Bad news.

[fxjackso]

Tire Rack often advises that load rating is not important. My guess is that they want to guarantee fit. Translated, they want to be sure the tires don't rub. They don't mind if they wear prematurely, or suffer any of the other effects of inadequate sizing. Just don't return them.

I appreciate their sponsorship, and I am a repeat customer for multiple tires for the Q and 2 Porsches. But when I bought 255/50-16 tires for a Q, which fit perfectly, and with that 99 rating rode and handled well, I had to argue with the salesman, and he agreed to ship them only on condition that he put on the invoice that he told me not to order them.

[AZhitman]

Did he think they wouldn't fit? What was his reasoning? I have 255/50/16's AND a 1" drop, fit is no problem.

[GEOFF]

The 1" drop is not the issue. I have a 1"drop w/the Eibachs 18" '02 q45 rims 245/45/18 Dunlops. I was sweatin' it when I purch, but another member had the same setup that fit. The fit is at the upper link(1/4"). This is not changed by lowering the car, unless you lower it w/out the stiffer Eibach/Tokico Blue setup, then the fenders become an issue. There are other posts here indicating Tirerack is full of Ess Aech Eye Tea in regards to load rating. From my experience, the setup on my '95Q45t is much better than factory. The addition of the rims, Z-rated 245/45/18 Dunlop Sport 9000s, strut brace, Eibachs, & Tokico Blues, this 4100lb Sedan carves up some serious corners. Those rims you are eyeing AZ are nice, but unless they are bigger than the 16" 2nd gen Q rims you are sporting currently, I wouldn't change.

[HeavyDuty]

I swore I saw a 95V rating on a 245/40 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. I guess it was the size I was looking at for my 9" wide rears. All I found last night was 93.

Since I got hosed & only got 4 8" wide, now I need to find some 95's.

[szh]

It was Oscar @ Tirerack who told me about the load index would not be a problem. If you do talk with Grant today, can you post his response about load rating.

Check out this thread inre Q45 load index issues ...

http://www.nissaninfiniticlub....57715

Grant agrees with the discussion - his post is a short ways down that thread.

Z

[rsiwicki]

thanks for the info thread and posting a link over here....I am now back to square one looking for wheels as my wheels are seriously on back order. I cancelled my wheel order. They showed me the invoice and they have 8 other sets on back order from the dealers. They are waiting for them from overseas, some sort of delay or something.

In reality, this was a good thing because I want the staggered look and the 9.5" with 35mm offset did not leave me many choices for tires sizes with regards to load rating and making sure that the tire does not stick out from under the fender and look ghettoish...So it is an inconvience in disguise as otherwise I would be stuck driving around on unsafe load tires or with tires sticking out too wide.

I am now looking for a style similar to the ADR's M-Sport or ASA's AR1, etc but the wheel sizes need to be 18 x 8 (front) 18 x 9 (rear) with a 40/45 offset respectively. This will allow fora 245/45/18 with LR=96 (front) and a nice fat sticky :ylsuper 275/40/18 with LR=99 (rear) and both tires have the same height.....26.7" That combo should do it as stoch height is 26.1". Now that I have go my tire sizes figured out...time to go hit the wheels stores to see what is available as I want the ASA's but they don't arrive until 5/19/04 and I have a back tire that has the steel belts showing.....nice sparks at night running down I95....dangerous as shheeiiiitttt

[szh]

I have a back tire that has the steel belts showing.....nice sparks at night running down I95....dangerous as shheeiiiitttt

You bet! This is an accident looking for a place to happen!

Z

[rsiwicki]

accident waiting to happen.....never spoken too soon. Tonight on the way home.....whammm shake shake shake. Well I am now sporting a nice new orange 20+ spoke mag wheel. Check out pics.....

[rsiwicki]

my new wheels!!!! what ya think??? Maybe I am like Tom Cruz in Days of Thunder driving the tires off the car....then again, it was pure stupidity on my part and I got lucky this time

BTW...anyone know of a ASA wheel seeler in your area? Please post phone number here if you know of one as you can see...I need my new wheels like yesterday.

[AZhitman]

Rob - I found us a SPECTACULAR deal:

How does THIS sound:

18x8 and 18x9 ADR M-sports, in CHROME, for $1160 for all four (that's $240 LESS than WheelMax's price), below wholesale price.

The only catch? We have to have THREE sets ordered to take advantage of the deal, as we'll get an entire pallet and skip the "middleman".

Call me, we may be able to get your set REAL soon, especially if you don't mind handling the shipment.... Let's talk.

Anyone else interested in these? This is a RIPPING deal!

[elwesso]

$1160.... YIKES, thats what I spent on my Q in maintenance so far!!!!

[Rex]

How about a lottery/drawing for the 3rd set?

12 people willing to try a $100 chance?

[rsiwicki]

Hitman....thanks for the info on the wheels but according to my local shop the ADR M-Sports with the "Chrome" finish are no good. The "chrome" is not true chrome, it is a paint that dries to look like chrome and they have been having real problems with the chrome paint flaking and peeling. They took back over 10 differents wheels for replacement as after a couple of months as the chrome painted finish starts to flake. They would not sell them to me unless I signed a warranty waiver which means no warranty as they were tired of doing the warranty exchanges. I have got to get to bed tonight...but I will call tomorrow. Send me an email to let me know what is the best time. I think I found a source for some ASA's, but not sure. Besides...the ADR's should only come in 8.5 & 9.5 width only (9.5" with 35mm offset is actually pushing the limits of ghettoness with the tire sticking out from under the fender...that is after you get a 95+load rated tire on the rim). I hand measured these rims and they only come in 8.5" & 9.5". I never heard of 8" or 9" rims, but if they do then I might be still intersted in the hyperblack finish as the shop has not had any problems with that finish.

Edit....sorry but I just had a thought and I apologize if I offend anyone when I refer to "ghettoness" as my wheels sticking out from under my fender as I know that others might find this attractive....Please no offense was intended and I was using the term how I best know to to describe a certain way a wheel looks when it sticks 2" outside of the fender

[AZhitman]

Hmmm - VEDDY interesting.

I shall be having a discussion w/this gentleman tomorrow....

[HeavyDuty]

If you're measuring by hand, know that the measuring area is the inside mounting surface of the lip, not the outside of the wheel.

Measuring the outside of the wheel will result in 1/2" wider reading.

You guys need to look into some other wheels, like Volk, or BBS, or OZ.

If budget wheels are the order of the day, but you want strength in a cast wheel, look at Konig. I'm a legitimate WD with them and can whack *anyone* on pricing. No group deal needed, no minmums, no start/end date, etc.

I have guys that have had these for *years* who took good care of them (hand washing, no acids) they are very strong.

http://www.konigwheels.com/

[maxnix]

You guys need to look into some other wheels, like Volk, or BBS, or OZ.

If budget wheels are the order of the day, but you want strength in a cast wheel, look at Konig. I'm a legitimate WD with them and can whack *anyone* on pricing. No group deal needed, no minmums, no start/end date, etc.

I have guys that have had these for *years* who took good care of them (hand washing, no acids) they are very strong.

http://www.konigwheels.com/

Cheap wheels usually aren't after a few years. The Q45 demands forged, or a too heavy cast wheel for strength when one wants to run 18".__________________Brian1995 Q45 & Q45t & 2000 Q45

Discover the power of the button!

[rsiwicki]

hey Pali....just checking to see if you got your new wheels mounted yet. let us know and post some pics

[Jeff Williams]

I have been looking at Falkens, for the I, and they make a lot of 18" tires, for the Q. The NITTO's I had, were a 94H @ a specific air pressure, as you pump up the pressure, the load rating increases. And the harshness increased, as well.

I have Sumitomo's now, and hey are 98V rated. I don't put as much air in, as the NITTO's. I am glad I upgraded, for peace of mind.

I, personally, will go with 8" front rims, and 9" rear rims, of the 18" variety. Possibly 255/40/18 on the rear, and 235/45/18 on the front, or something like that.

My 255/45/17 Sumitomo's are REALLY lose to the upper links, with a 40 mm offset wheel. A 45 mm offset, woudl make the tires rub, for sure. A 245/45/18 would more than likely rub, on a 45 mm offset wheel. I say get the 5mm spacers, and 10 mm spacers.

I bet the Q45 front track is a little wider than the rear, already. This makes for a much better tracking car, actually.