Wheel and tire questions

[EWT]

I need new tires for my 95 Q45, and am planning to put 225/55/16s on 16x7" wheels from a base second generation Q like these: http://www.edmunds.com/used/19....html to replace my stock 15" wheels. Has anybody run this combination? Any rubbing problems at full lock etc? What tire size was stock on second generation Qs with 16" wheels? Finally, are the stock 95 wheels (http://www.edmunds.com/used/19....html) 15 x 6" or 15 x 6.5? Thanks.

[greg_atlanta]

'95 wheels are 15 x 6.5".

225 width on 7" wheels is fine... in fact you can probably go to 245 width. I think some people have 245/50/16??

[szh]

My stock 95 Q has 15 x 6.5 wheels. I am using Firestone SZ50EP but decided to change sizes from 215/65-15 to 225/60-15 and it fits just fine without any problems.

Z

P.S. Did you notice at Edmunds that the 1995 Q has the highest Customer Satisfaction Index (at 9.8) of all the model year Q's?

[EWT]

'95 wheels are 15 x 6.5".

225 width on 7" wheels is fine... in fact you can probably go to 245 width. I think some people have 245/50/16??

Thanks. I was pretty sure they would fit, but wanted some reassurance before ordering tires. I thought about going with 245s, but that's too much tire for a 7" wide wheel IMO. You end up with a tire that looks like this: <___>, which doesn't do good things for responsiveness. I'd want at least a 8" wide wheel, or ideally a 9" to run a 245 section width.

Am I remembering correctly that you have AVS dbs on your car? If so, are you still happy with them? That's what I'm probably going to get.

[Q45tech]

215; 225; 235 sizes in 15" are fine on the 90-96 OEM wheels.

Study the following on the best tires Michelin currently makes in the same size there was a 15% difference in 50-zero braking so from the worst suitable tires they make [say from a H4 or MVX4 one could assume a 20-25% difference to the best.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/....html

This is generally the case with all brands/makes.

If the Q/J did 129 feet 60-zero on the best SUMMER ONLY tires money could buy brand new and these tires are no longer available in 15" one could safely assume that average tires in 15" might be 20% worse.........something like 155 feet in dry perfect road [asphalt] conditions.

Generally stopping distance is a direct function of tread compound softness in the same size /load rating.

The question is will 25 feet ever matter- not if you don't follow to close or are never distracted!

Police car test [ Michigan state Patrol] on special police oem fitment tires {H rated} showed a 9 foot longer average between domestic brands and subtainally longer 149 feet vs 138 feet for V/Z rated foreign tires in the same size.

The problem was the price was $60 for Gyear domestic [government bid price] vs $125-$150 for premium soft fast wearing tires.

[EWT]

P.S. Did you notice at Edmunds that the 1995 Q has the highest Customer Satisfaction Index (at 9.8) of all the model year Q's?

Interesting, although I actually liked my old 93 better. No problems with the 95 yet though (knocking on the wood around the shifter).

[deesolballs]

EWT, see AZHitman's Q in member's rides. He has the 2nd gen Q wheels on his 95 Q and I think his tire size is 245/50/16.

[EWT]

EWT, see AZHitman's Q in member's rides. He has the 2nd gen Q wheels on his 95 Q and I think his tire size is 245/50/16.

Thanks. I knew I had seen a picture of somebody who had those wheels on a first generation Q, but couldn't find it. I don't see his car listed under member rides though. 245/50/16s may work better on a 7" wide wheel than the 245/45/16s I have experience with in the past on another car. They do have a higher load rating than the 225s, which would be a plus.

[greg_atlanta]

Am I remembering correctly that you have AVS dbs on your car? If so, are you still happy with them? That's what I'm probably going to get.

I'm happy with them given the cost. When I bought them they were $70 each at tirerack compared to $115-120 each for Michelin H4 235/60/15.

Where in California are you? I'd highly recommend going with a real summer tire if you can get away with it (as long as it's not below 50 deg F for long periods of time, or snow/ice/etc.).

The Yoko AVS dB does have a great grip and the sidewall is pretty strong. Generally quiet but it can make strange alien spaceship noises if they start to feather.

I use them for fall/winter only. Remounted them in October on opposite side (directional tires) and had balance problems (but that's common on freshly mounted tires). Had them rebalanced yesterday and they're much smoother.

Soooo... overall I'd recommend them, just don't expect them to perform well for a long period of time.

[szh]

Interesting, although I actually liked my old 93 better. No problems with the 95 yet though (knocking on the wood around the shifter).

Yeah, I agree! I liked my 91 Q better too. I traded it in in 1998 for the 95 Q I currently have, and regretted the decision. Although, after hearing all the scare stories about the guides and all that, I am not totally sure whether it was a bad decision. Regardless, it was just an interesting observation at Edmunds.

My current Q was about three years old when I got it. A lease return, and I suspect that the previous owner did not look after it well enough. I have since had some major repairs - some covered under extended warranty (like the steering rack), some not (like the recent transmission).

All in all, I am starting to spend about $6-8k per year on it now, and beginning to wonder if it is worth it. My wife is next in line for a new car, so we are thinking of selling my Q (after I get some work done on brakes and suspension) and getting her a new Passat or Accord - or maybe a Volvo wagon. I will take her Acura 2.2 CL for now - till next year, when I get a new Q or G35 ... or 350Z perhaps.

Z

[EWT]

Yeah, I agree! I liked my 91 Q better too. I traded it in in 1998 for the 95 Q I currently have, and regretted the decision. Although, after hearing all the scare stories about the guides and all that, I am not totally sure whether it was a bad decision. Regardless, it was just an interesting observation at Edmunds.

It's mostly a function of small sample size I think. One unhappy person has a big impact on a sample of five, but doesn't affect a sample of 500 very much.

Quote »All in all, I am starting to spend about $6-8k per year on it now, and beginning to wonder if it is worth it. My wife is next in line for a new car, so we are thinking of selling my Q (after I get some work done on brakes and suspension) and getting her a new Passat or Accord - or maybe a Volvo wagon. I will take her Acura 2.2 CL for now - till next year, when I get a new Q or G35 ... or 350Z perhaps.

Z [/quote]

I haven't had any problems with my 95 yet. My 93 was the best of both worlds since it was late enough to have the new guides, first gear start, and all the good stuff the 90-93 cars have compared to the 94-96 cars. In 4.5 years of ownership, I had to replace a water pump, and I had to get the AC fixed twice at a cost of about $1200 per occurence. Not that bad if you average it out over almost 5 years though. I tried to find another 93, but couldn't find an acceptable one.

I've actually been shopping around a little myself because trying to fit an infant, a toddler, 2 car seats, stroller(s), toys, diaper bag etc. into a sedan gets old. However, the undesireability of driving a minivan or minivan in denial (aka SUV) instead of a Q45 has kept me from actually getting one though. Some of them like the Acura MDX aren't that bad for an SUV, but "aren't that bad for an SUV" is a long way from a great sedan like a Q45.

[AZhitman]

EWT - I disagree about the width. As Dees said (thanks brotha), I have the 245/50VR16's on my Q and I've had nothing but compliments. Plus my load rating exceeds the factory minimum, and the sidewalls are actually pretty "upright"...

As far as "responsiveness", it's a relative term, but I'd beg to differ there as well - She handles my favorite 25mph cloverleaf at 75 without flinching.

Finally, the 245/50 is the same height as stock, so your speedo stays the same. $600 mounted/balanced.

[EWT]

EWT - I disagree about the width. As Dees said (thanks brotha), I have the 245/50VR16's on my Q and I've had nothing but compliments. Plus my load rating exceeds the factory minimum, and the sidewalls are actually pretty "upright"...

As far as "responsiveness", it's a relative term, but I'd beg to differ there as well - She handles my favorite 25mph cloverleaf at 75 without flinching.

Finally, the 245/50 is the same height as stock, so your speedo stays the same. $600 mounted/balanced.

That's good to hear. Maybe I'll try some out. My experience with 245s on 7" wheels was on a car that got autocrossed, and they didn't work well at all. Since I don't drive my Q45 like I used to autox, they'll probably work fine. Do you have any other pictures of the 245s on those wheels?

[AZhitman]

No, I'm not digital yet (HEAR THAT, SANTA, YOU CHEAP BASTURD?)

But I think you'll be real happy with the size in all areas.

Several of our members run 235, 245 and even 255 and are very happy with 'em.

[sultan]

i got 255/50 on 7.5" 17s on the back, i will try them on the front when i put new tokicos on and unlower it. the tires are an inch taller, and look really nice. right now i have a sort of muscle car stance with tall tires on the back and tires that are a little short on the front.

[ponytrekker]

Greetings, (new member/first post).

on my 94Q I upsized to 16" chrome rims and used AVS db 245/50/16. The handling and noise have been great and the look separates it from all the other Q's with that body style. I have had no clearance issues with the width.

I will post a picture tomorrow.

p.s.

Great forum

[Q45denver]

Has anyone tried the 255/50/16 on 7" rims to see if there are any clearance problems?

[911/Q45]

I've got 255/45-17 on 8" rims with 40mm offset and they just barely rub the front sway bar at full lock.

[elwesso]

Are there any other infiniti wheels [or any others that look good on the Q] that would fit the tires that are on my car. I have the stock q45 wheels, 15x6.5 (i think). I just got new tires, and i dont want to have to buy new tires for it.

[911/Q45]

The stock 15" wheels are as attractive as any in that size, wear out those tires and get a package next time.