Need wheel advice

SophiaZ · 01-25-2010, 12:10 AM

I've had 20" rims on the car and it doesn't drive right at all. It pulls to both sides and wont drive straight for anything. Someone told me I need hubcentric rings. I bought them but haven't put the 20"s back on yet (have stock 18"s on right now) I don't know anything about wheels and was wondering what size tires I should run with and will I need spacers....what mm?!! My tires for the 20"s are 245 front, 275 rear. Any help will be appreciated! Thanks

ChrisSlicks · 01-25-2010, 10:14 AM

Almost all wheels sold today are hubcentric and because aftermarket wheels use a large hub size in order to fit as many vehicles as possible you need to use a hubcentric centering ring in order to perfectly center the wheel. In order to obtain the correct ring you need to know the size of your hub and the size of the hub on the wheel so you can find the correct spacer to fill the void. However I'm not sure that it was causing the problems that you had, sounds more like an alignment issue exacerbated by the wider and lower profile tires.

Your tire widths sound fine assuming standard rim widths. Might want to get an alignment and have them add a little toe-in, no more than 1/8th of a inch.

RCZ · 01-25-2010, 10:22 AM

Sounds like a camber/toe problem to me more than a wheel problem...maybe very poorly worn tires...try rotating them. I have a feeling you had these wheels on another car with no alignment and that wore the crap out of them. Now that you have an aligned car, you are feeling the effects.

If they are new tires, then you probably have a screwed up alignment. The other possibility is what Chris already mentioned.

SophiaZ · 01-25-2010, 10:48 AM

Yea... the tires were on my 350 before I put them on this Z. But when I did the switch, I had them aligned twice and still no fix. The tires only have about 3k miles on them so I don't see them being worn. I thought you can't rotate Z tires?!! And what do you mean "camber/toe problem?" I have no clue when it comes to tires.

RCZ · 01-25-2010, 11:14 AM

Yeah when you did the switch, but not when they were on your 350Z? You can't rotate front to rear, but you can do side to side. As in the front left for front right and rear left for rear right.

As far as the camber problem, I didnt mean to alarm you. Not a "problem" as much as a bad alignment. If you have a new car that has been aligned, that narrows the problems down to adding hubcentric rings like Chris said or your tires are messed up.

What about the alignment thats on the car right now? Might be a lot of - camber or toe and thats causing the car to track around on dips and grooves of the road.

SophiaZ · 01-25-2010, 12:02 PM

When the wheels were on the 350z..it drove fine. Never had a problem. When they got switched over I had an alignment done on both the front and rear cuz the mechanic said they were both off. But it didn't improve much and this was done twice. I can say that I notice the pulling on crappy road. When I'm on a major highway or smooth road, it drives fine, but with all the grooves on a regular road..that's when it seems to be at it's worst

370Zsteve · 01-25-2010, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SophiaZ

Yea... the tires were on my 350 before I put them on this Z. But when I did the switch, I had them aligned twice and still no fix. The tires only have about 3k miles on them so I don't see them being worn. I thought you can't rotate Z tires?!! And what do you mean "camber/toe problem?" I have no clue when it comes to tires.

Are you sure the tires were put on the same wheels that they were on the 350? e.g. front left tire from 350 went on front left wheel on the 370?

370Zsteve · 01-25-2010, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCZ

You can't rotate front to rear, but you can do side to side. As in the front left for front right and rear left for rear right.

Is that true? I was told years ago that the steel belts conform to the direction of travel and that switching to the opposite side of the car was bad. Just what I heard, I frankly know Jack about this stuff.

RCZ · 01-25-2010, 12:46 PM

Yeah, I have a feeling you're probably just experiencing an alignment that is a bit more aggressive than you're used to. Did they use 350z specs when they aligned your 370z? did you get the alignments done at two different places?

I almost can't let go of the wheel because my car tracks at the slightest dip or angle on the road. Its the price you pay for having responsive steering and grip. Just how bad is it?

RCZ · 01-25-2010, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 370Zsteve

Is that true? I was told years ago that the steel belts conform to the direction of travel and that switching to the opposite side of the car was bad. Just what I heard, I frankly know Jack about this stuff.

Was that person trying to sell you tires by any chance?

SophiaZ · 01-25-2010, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 370Zsteve

Are you sure the tires were put on the same wheels that they were on the 350? e.g. front left tire from 350 went on front left wheel on the 370?

I have no clue. It's a 50/50 chance

And yea... I have to have my hands on the steering wheel at all times on any pavement that isn't blacktop. Seems the blacktop is more smooth and less grooves. Not saying I drive with no hands, haha, but it would be nice to not have to worry about the car taking off into a ditch if I happened to do so. The stock wheels are touchy too but but the 20" are crazy. I'm still getting them put back on in a month or two but I'd love to tone down the traction abit.

ChrisSlicks · 01-25-2010, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 370Zsteve

Is that true? I was told years ago that the steel belts conform to the direction of travel and that switching to the opposite side of the car was bad. Just what I heard, I frankly know Jack about this stuff.

If the tires are directional and are asymmetrical are staggered front to rear then no you can't rotate at all. If they are asymmetrical but not directional then you can flip them left to right, or if they are directional but not asymmetrical then you can flip them left to right with remounting.

corbin09 · 01-25-2010, 03:13 PM

as far as spacers go, what is your offset? and the size of your wheel? that is probably more important than your tire size... since you stuck with around stock tire sizes

SophiaZ · 01-25-2010, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by corbin09

as far as spacers go, what is your offset? and the size of your wheel? that is probably more important than your tire size... since you stuck with around stock tire sizes

I don't know any of this information. Like I said I dont have a clue about tires/rims. But I do know my rims are 20x8.5 & 20x9.5 And the tires are directional but I don't know if they're symatrical. How can I find out if the center hubs are the same size as the new rims?!!

prichardson · 01-25-2010, 09:25 PM

If your tires are directional, you'll see a 'Rotation ==>' label on the sidewall. TireRack has piles of excellent info about wheels like what 'offset' means. Wheel Tech - Offset

PR

01-25-2010, 12:10 AM	#1 (permalink)
SophiaZ A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: South Jersey Posts: 1,463 Drives: 2020 50th anniv 7AT Rep Power: 6732	Need wheel advice I've had 20" rims on the car and it doesn't drive right at all. It pulls to both sides and wont drive straight for anything. Someone told me I need hubcentric rings. I bought them but haven't put the 20"s back on yet (have stock 18"s on right now) I don't know anything about wheels and was wondering what size tires I should run with and will I need spacers....what mm?!! My tires for the 20"s are 245 front, 275 rear. Any help will be appreciated! Thanks

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01-25-2010, 10:14 AM	#2 (permalink)
ChrisSlicks A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: North East Posts: 6,203 Drives: 09 370Z Sport M6 Rep Power: 653	Almost all wheels sold today are hubcentric and because aftermarket wheels use a large hub size in order to fit as many vehicles as possible you need to use a hubcentric centering ring in order to perfectly center the wheel. In order to obtain the correct ring you need to know the size of your hub and the size of the hub on the wheel so you can find the correct spacer to fill the void. However I'm not sure that it was causing the problems that you had, sounds more like an alignment issue exacerbated by the wider and lower profile tires. Your tire widths sound fine assuming standard rim widths. Might want to get an alignment and have them add a little toe-in, no more than 1/8th of a inch.

01-25-2010, 10:22 AM	#3 (permalink)
RCZ A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Miami Posts: 6,403 Drives: '09 370Z Rep Power: 1118	Sounds like a camber/toe problem to me more than a wheel problem...maybe very poorly worn tires...try rotating them. I have a feeling you had these wheels on another car with no alignment and that wore the crap out of them. Now that you have an aligned car, you are feeling the effects. If they are new tires, then you probably have a screwed up alignment. The other possibility is what Chris already mentioned.

01-25-2010, 10:48 AM	#4 (permalink)
SophiaZ A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: South Jersey Posts: 1,463 Drives: 2020 50th anniv 7AT Rep Power: 6732	Yea... the tires were on my 350 before I put them on this Z. But when I did the switch, I had them aligned twice and still no fix. The tires only have about 3k miles on them so I don't see them being worn. I thought you can't rotate Z tires?!! And what do you mean "camber/toe problem?" I have no clue when it comes to tires.

01-25-2010, 11:14 AM	#5 (permalink)
RCZ A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Miami Posts: 6,403 Drives: '09 370Z Rep Power: 1118	Yeah when you did the switch, but not when they were on your 350Z? You can't rotate front to rear, but you can do side to side. As in the front left for front right and rear left for rear right. As far as the camber problem, I didnt mean to alarm you. Not a "problem" as much as a bad alignment. If you have a new car that has been aligned, that narrows the problems down to adding hubcentric rings like Chris said or your tires are messed up. What about the alignment thats on the car right now? Might be a lot of - camber or toe and thats causing the car to track around on dips and grooves of the road.

01-25-2010, 12:02 PM	#6 (permalink)
SophiaZ A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: South Jersey Posts: 1,463 Drives: 2020 50th anniv 7AT Rep Power: 6732	When the wheels were on the 350z..it drove fine. Never had a problem. When they got switched over I had an alignment done on both the front and rear cuz the mechanic said they were both off. But it didn't improve much and this was done twice. I can say that I notice the pulling on crappy road. When I'm on a major highway or smooth road, it drives fine, but with all the grooves on a regular road..that's when it seems to be at it's worst

01-25-2010, 12:46 PM	#9 (permalink)
RCZ A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Miami Posts: 6,403 Drives: '09 370Z Rep Power: 1118	Yeah, I have a feeling you're probably just experiencing an alignment that is a bit more aggressive than you're used to. Did they use 350z specs when they aligned your 370z? did you get the alignments done at two different places? I almost can't let go of the wheel because my car tracks at the slightest dip or angle on the road. Its the price you pay for having responsive steering and grip. Just how bad is it?

01-25-2010, 03:13 PM	#13 (permalink)
corbin09 Track Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Dallas tx Posts: 665 Drives: 370z Rep Power: 279	as far as spacers go, what is your offset? and the size of your wheel? that is probably more important than your tire size... since you stuck with around stock tire sizes

01-25-2010, 09:25 PM	#15 (permalink)
prichardson Base Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 59 Drives: 2010 370Z CS M6 Rep Power: 15	If your tires are directional, you'll see a 'Rotation ==>' label on the sidewall. TireRack has piles of excellent info about wheels like what 'offset' means. Wheel Tech - Offset PR