Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post - Really liking my Cheap Winter Tires/Wheels

spearfish25 · 10-20-2009, 08:39 PM

I'll get some pics of them on the car in a couple weeks. I think the look is pretty good especially since I was shopping for dirt cheap rims only. The silver part is machined and unpainted which will be easy to clean. The black portions are painted, so they may need some touchup at the end of the winter. Mainly I was looking for a decent setup that wouldn't look filthy with the winter grime all over them.

I went with the Tirerack online program recommendation of 18x8s all around. They clear the Akebonos and the narrow tires should give better 'bite' in the snow than the wide 19"s. The LM-60s are directional, so I'll only be able to swap front and back tires on the same side when it comes time for rotation. Another thing I noticed is that the 19" LM-25s I returned were V speed rated, while the 18" LM-60s are H rated. Per Tirerack, the LM-60s will be better snow and ice performers though.

On a side note...I took my tires back myself to avoid the extra shipping. I have to say, the main Tirerack facility in South Bend, IN is pretty amazing. All the rims are on the floor to see in person and they even have a test track out front for autocross events and for tire testing.

G35guy84, I bought mine in early June and they took them back without a hitch. I hadn't taken the shipping straps off them, so they were still factory bundled in pairs (not sure if that matters or not). As long as you're buying a new set from them, I can't imagine they'd give you a hard time. Tell them I just did the swap too!

For anyone who has never installed an aftermarket rim before, I learned today that to get these rims to fit one has to remove a locator bolt on each of the car's hubs. Per Tirerack, the assembly line robots use the locator bolt to find and mount the wheels in the factory. The 12mm locator bolt is nestled between two of the 5 bolts on each hub and will prevent an aftermarket rim from fully seating until it's removed. Apparently it's not a big deal and Tirerack said to just take them off and dump them. I was sweating though, thinking my new rims didn't fit after my 180mi round trip drive in the Explorer to pick them up!

10-20-2009, 08:39 PM	#5 (permalink)
spearfish25 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Naples, FL Posts: 4,117 Drives: to work Rep Power: 1856	I'll get some pics of them on the car in a couple weeks. I think the look is pretty good especially since I was shopping for dirt cheap rims only. The silver part is machined and unpainted which will be easy to clean. The black portions are painted, so they may need some touchup at the end of the winter. Mainly I was looking for a decent setup that wouldn't look filthy with the winter grime all over them. I went with the Tirerack online program recommendation of 18x8s all around. They clear the Akebonos and the narrow tires should give better 'bite' in the snow than the wide 19"s. The LM-60s are directional, so I'll only be able to swap front and back tires on the same side when it comes time for rotation. Another thing I noticed is that the 19" LM-25s I returned were V speed rated, while the 18" LM-60s are H rated. Per Tirerack, the LM-60s will be better snow and ice performers though. On a side note...I took my tires back myself to avoid the extra shipping. I have to say, the main Tirerack facility in South Bend, IN is pretty amazing. All the rims are on the floor to see in person and they even have a test track out front for autocross events and for tire testing. G35guy84, I bought mine in early June and they took them back without a hitch. I hadn't taken the shipping straps off them, so they were still factory bundled in pairs (not sure if that matters or not). As long as you're buying a new set from them, I can't imagine they'd give you a hard time. Tell them I just did the swap too! For anyone who has never installed an aftermarket rim before, I learned today that to get these rims to fit one has to remove a locator bolt on each of the car's hubs. Per Tirerack, the assembly line robots use the locator bolt to find and mount the wheels in the factory. The 12mm locator bolt is nestled between two of the 5 bolts on each hub and will prevent an aftermarket rim from fully seating until it's removed. Apparently it's not a big deal and Tirerack said to just take them off and dump them. I was sweating though, thinking my new rims didn't fit after my 180mi round trip drive in the Explorer to pick them up! __________________ 2013 Cadillac V-Wagon, RIP Z Last edited by spearfish25; 10-20-2009 at 08:44 PM.