OK. I was a good boy and read every single post in this thread, but didn't find the answer.

AK, did you just swap the TPMS from your stock rims over to the winter rims or did you get them from Tirerack. I thought about getting a set with the TPMS from TR, but I'm not sure if they work properly or not. They come with some kind of "resetting" tool, but I'm clueless how well it works with our cars.


I wonder if your VDC is going off more often partially because you don't have a staggered setup like the originals. Dunno.

Thanks AK! Yep, they sure are lighter then the 19'' sport wheels. Did notice it when I put them on, not so much during driving. I did notice the car is more comfortable though, higher sidewalls do make a difference.

Hey AK,

As you know, I have the exact same winter tire setup as you. Personally, I find the amount of tuck with the rear wheels to be ugly as hell. Did you buy wheel spacers yet or are you going to wait to buy them until you put your Rays wheels back on? I just lowered my Z, and with the winter wheels it looks like crap. I don't want to buy wheel spacers until I've got the Rays back on to ensure a good flush look, but I wanted to know if you've tried to improve the cosmetics of your winter setup. :rolleyes:

Anyone else, please feel free to chime in. What I really want to know is what you think is the BEST, MOST FLUSH look on a lowered Z with Rays wheels. I know there is a thread talking about wheel spacers, but it doesn't directly address my question.

Much obliged,

Eric :tiphat:

I did not swap TPMS from 19" rims. I bought my winter rims WITH TPMS from Tirerack. You do have to take the car to the dealer after each swap to reset the TPMS. It takes less than 2 minutes to do it but they charge you half hour labor because that's the lowest they can charge. Some dealers will do it for you FREE of charge but my dealers around here are not too friendly.




No spacers ERIC. These rims more like a purpose rims than "looker". I never put spacers before so I don't know what's involved. I am gonna swap it end of March so it's only 3 months to go. Since I put on only from November to end March, i just live with the gap. :tup:

Lol.. I agree. Right after I put the winter rims on I felt

a. My car turned into a G37 (more comfort, less noise).

b. Felt a tad faster or easy to drive due to lighter weight.

c. My handling was same as a Honda Civic :icon14:

But I love these rims/tires. When you'll drive in snow, you'll say "thank you Blizzaks". I know I did. :tup:

Idk about u guys but I love my potenza's
I did get very scared last sunday; I was making a right going down a hill so I downshifted from 3rd to 2nd and I went in, my car got some side action and I almost crashed into someone lmao! Let me tell you it was the scariest moment of my life but it felt so amazing.

Eric,

I can't answer your question about how to improve looks with the Rays wheels, but if you are interested in improving the look of your winter rims, take a look at the previous page of this thread. I posted some pictures of the my car with the C2 rims (same as AK's) and 25mm spacers on the rear wheels. Wheels are still tucked in a little, but now it's even with the front wheels. I used Ichiban V2 spacers. They just bolt on to the existing studs, took me 15 minutes in total to install them.

Point a. and c.: I agree, :)
Point b., I didn't really feel it, but I have only don short trips ans slow driving with these wheels so far.

I did get to test them out this morning though, had to go through 8 to 10" of snow to get out of my neighborhood, and yes: "thank you Blizzaks" :tup:

With the stock wheels and tires, I would not have been able to get our of my drive way, let alone get to work safely.

Awesome. Good to hear. Trust me, I have driven on 2-3 inches of snow (or even less) last year with 19" rays and I was able to successfully do a 180 degrees facing the traffic! :eek: I didn't drive the z for a while because I was that scared. These Blizzaks are simply awesome and well worth the money.



Members should use this link to buy new sets of rims and tires

http://www.awltovhc.com/image-3768162-10402888

Wait wait...you were driving on the stock Potenza's in the snow...got sideways and almost hit someone...and you left that situation with nothing more than an adrenaline rush and a mysterious love for the Potenza's in the snow? And this is an "amazing" feeling?

You're crazy.

:iagree:

Thanks AK, I wasn't sure. I was in the midst of pondering. My pondering ended yesterday when we had our first snow. I made it about 1/2 mile before I parked it. Rented a car and got online as soon as I got to work and bought the Blizzaks with wheels (clicking your banner ad :) ). I decided to be a tightwad and go without TPMS.

I was driving late night the other day and a weird question popped into my mind.

Now, we all know that ONLY 370Z with Sport Package get the Enkei donut spare tire. The base 370Z gets the regular donut (steel spare).

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...m/DSC01985.jpg

This spare rim is designed to use the STOCK OEM rays lugnuts with the washer. Take a look
http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...m/DSC01630.jpg

Now, those of us with aftermarket winter rims/tires, we are using regular lug nuts on our wheels currently. Now, lets say we get a flat, I don't think we can use the regular bolt on the ENKEI spare, can we?(I'm just curious). I won't get the answer to this until the end of March when I'll swap RAYS. So, in the meantime, I am carrying 5 OEM Rays bolts in my glove box Just to be safe.

Am I over thinking this situation? I would love to hear your (370Z owners with aftermarket winter rims/tires) opinion? :)


AK

I don't have the sport package but I recently purchased the Sport package brakes from Motoextreme. When I get the brakes on the car my base/steel spare will no longer fit (too small to clear the bigger brakes) so Adam was kind enough to include his Sport pacakge spare in the deal (he's got a subwoofer where his spare used to be).

So, I just went out to the garage and compared the fit of a conical (regular/aftermarket) lug nut with a Nissan washer style lugnut on the Enkei spare. It looks like you could get by with using the conical lugs in a pinch, like a short drive to the nearest tire shop (all the spare should be used for anyway), but I wouldn't recommend it. The washer style lugs definitely provide a far more secure fit for the rim design.

Good thinking AK to carry 5 of the washer style lugs in the Z for the spare if you're running aftermarket rims.

My first post to the370z.com! Within a week or so I'm going to start negotiating my deal for a spring delivery of my very own 370Z and I can't tell you how informative this thread has been! This would be my only car, so I've been trying to figure out if I can live with it through the winter. The big question that I couldn't get my local dealer to figure out for me was if I can get skinnier 18" rims over the sport package brakes. And now I know!

Like some others here I'm not a fan of having the rear tires inset when going with 225s all around. Though I'm not relishing the idea of putting spacers on in the fall and taking them off in the summer. Whereas there isn't a huge selection compatible of wheels at TireRack just yet (though bigger than just a few months ago I think), has anyone tried to find wheels that come with different offsets? Say, get the fronts with a 35mm offset and the rears with a 0mm - 5mm offset?

PR