370z MEATY TIRE THREAD

[VinceThe1]

Originally Posted by RBfastback

out of curiosity why wouldn't u recommend it?
quality and reliability are for sure not a problem at all.
that's a fact so why else?

I just don't personally like squeeze massive tires on small wheels.

Quality and rigidity is exactly the issue at hand. These are Rays, Forged wheels...some of the highest quality wheels out there. They are press-forged from a single piece of aluminum and are then machined into their final shape. This is specifically done so that the wheel can be strong and lightweight. Cutting it in half, adding another piece of aluminum, then welding all the aluminum back together (which I don't know how familiar you are with but it's very difficult for someone to do properly and will never be as strong as it was before it was cut) is an iffy process. Those wheels are not recommended for anything but a show car that does not drive at high speeds and just sits most of the time for show.

On steel wheels it's more acceptable (although I would never drive on a wheel like that), but on an aluminum wheel it's just out of the question for me...I wouldn't pay anyone to ruin my Nismo wheels and make them extremely dangerous to drive on...a pothole could easily crack or seperate that aluminum weld. It's better to just spend the money on new wheels and do it properly. Although honestly I don't see the reason of going with 345 over 325 or 335...There's barely a difference.

[RBfastback]

Originally Posted by VinceThe1

Quality and rigidity is exactly the issue at hand. These are Rays, Forged wheels...some of the highest quality wheels out there. They are press-forged from a single piece of aluminum and are then machined into their final shape. This is specifically done so that the wheel can be strong and lightweight. Cutting it in half, adding another piece of aluminum, then welding all the aluminum back together (which I don't know how familiar you are with but it's very difficult for someone to do properly and will never be as strong as it was before it was cut) is an iffy process. Those wheels are not recommended for anything but a show car that does not drive at high speeds and just sits most of the time for show.



On steel wheels it's more acceptable (although I would never drive on a wheel like that), but on an aluminum wheel it's just out of the question for me...I wouldn't pay anyone to ruin my Nismo wheels and make them extremely dangerous to drive on...a pothole could easily crack or seperate that aluminum weld. It's better to just spend the money on new wheels and do it properly. Although honestly I don't see the reason of going with 345 over 325 or 335...There's barely a difference.

thanks for the info, u changed my mind.

I've just been reading so much about ppl not having any problems even with track cars and drag cars that I figured it was fine.

but for tire width going from 325 to a 345
I guess it's the same reason ppl go from 285 to a 305.

wider wheels more traction after super chargers installed for me but so far I think I'll still go with 325 on a 12" wheel just because I don't want the fluffy balloon look

[VinceThe1]

Originally Posted by RBfastback

thanks for the info, u changed my mind.

I've just been reading so much about ppl not having any problems even with track cars and drag cars that I figured it was fine.

but for tire width going from 325 to a 345
I guess it's the same reason ppl go from 285 to a 305.

wider wheels more traction after super chargers installed for me but so far I think I'll still go with 325 on a 12" wheel just because I don't want the fluffy balloon look

If you prefer not to bubble yes, 325 on 12" wheels will be a good fitment.

Widening will work, especially for racers that are generally crazy and do things on a low budget. For regular street use, you might not only have safety issues, but vibration and wobble issues, since wheels are orininally machined into their final form on a lathe to ensure perfect roundness...once cut and weled, the rear part of the drum won't ever lign up with the front perfectly as when it was cast or forged from a single piece of aluminum and machined into shape.

Also, if you widen wheels, that changes the offset, it makes it more positive (a higher offset number, tires further into fenders and towards the car).

Wider tires providing more traction is a misconception, the contact patch/surface area doesn't really increase, it just changes shape from a more square patch to a more rectangular one, unless with lower air pressure...and even then the only thing that happens is you have less weight per squate inch of contact patch, so it's good for mud and deep snow so you can stay on the surface without sinking in, but the weight per square inch is what gives you the traction in the first place...so it equals out, more surface area but less weight per unit means equal traction either way. Where wider tires do have a traction advantage is heat dissipation over longer track use or while doing burnouts, so it saves the tire, that less weight per square inch means the compound is under less stress, so wider lasts longer in general. Think of it as brakes, any disc brake small or large will stop your car from 100 equally as fast...once, because the brakes are strong enough to overcome the tires and the tires start skidding so they're the weakest link while stopping. Do that a handful of times however and the smaller brakes with less surface area and more pressure per square inch the pads exert on the disc means they will start overheating and fading sooner than the larger brakes with less pressure per square inch needed to stop the car.

[OldFart]

Originally Posted by VinceThe1

Widening will work, especially for racers that are generally crazy and do things on a low budget. For regular street use, you might not only have safety issues, but vibration and wobble issues, since wheels are orininally machined into their final form on a lathe to ensure perfect roundness...once cut and weled, the rear part of the drum won't ever lign up with the front perfectly as when it was cast or forged from a single piece of aluminum and machined into shape.

Also, if you widen wheels, that changes the offset, it makes it more positive (a higher offset number, tires further into fenders and towards the car).

While some of what you state is true, I take offense to your first sentence - prior to the big wheel becoming the norm in pro touring and 15+" rims in large widths not being available, unless you had $5K to drop on a set(2) of wheels you had to figure out alternative ways to get what you want.

I took a 18"x8" with a 3.5" backspaceing alloy rim, after much searching found Weldcraft wheels that would widen it for me, they added a 7" barrel to the rim to make a 18"x15" wheel. The wheel is guaranteed and when balanced needed only .25 oz of weight to be true with a 31"x18.5" radial tire.
Back in 2006, it was the widest and largest diameter rim they had done.

So before you spout off about us crazies doing it, do a little research, it can be done and safely... In regards to the crazy comment, it took me 3 weeks to hand polish from a 60grit finish to the final polish you seen in the pictures...

[VinceThe1]

Originally Posted by OldFart

While some of what you state is true, I take offense to your first sentence - prior to the big wheel becoming the norm in pro touring and 15+" rims in large widths not being available, unless you had $5K to drop on a set(2) of wheels you had to figure out alternative ways to get what you want.

I took a 18"x8" with a 3.5" backspaceing alloy rim, after much searching found Weldcraft wheels that would widen it for me, they added a 7" barrel to the rim to make a 18"x15" wheel. The wheel is guaranteed and when balanced needed only .25 oz of weight to be true with a 31"x18.5" radial tire.
Back in 2006, it was the widest and largest diameter rim they had done.

So before you spout off about us crazies doing it, do a little research, it can be done and safely... In regards to the crazy comment, it took me 3 weeks to hand polish from a 60grit finish to the final polish you seen in the pictures...

Haha, no offense man...but racing is expencive, especially if you're funding yourself, without a sponsor. I understand that it can be done and that people do it (and in your case the offset became negative instead of more positive as the drum was welded to the front part of the wheel, not the rear) but this is a case where in 2006, as you said, wasn't easy to find a 18x15 wheel (or impossible), you had to do what you had to do...

By "crazy" i hope you underatand what I mean, and that is anyone fully dedicated to something becomes "crazy" for that particular thing.

[OldFart]

Originally Posted by VinceThe1

Haha, no offense man...but racing is expencive, especially if you're funding yourself, without a sponsor. I understand that it can be done and that people do it (and in your case the offset became negative instead of more positive as the drum was welded to the front part of the wheel, not the rear) but this is a case where in 2006, as you said, wasn't easy to find a 18x15 wheel (or impossible), you had to do what you had to do...

By "crazy" i hope you underatand what I mean, and that is anyone fully dedicated to something becomes "crazy" for that particular thing.

It's all good...