Guest ON3GO Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 Was looking at some wheels that are 15x8 and 15x9. whats the smallest tires i can fit on this. was hoping to go with the lowest profile i could and also say something like a 185 or 195 front and a 205 or 215 out back...maybe a 225 out back MAX. do able? thanks mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nic-Rebel450CA Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 Goin for the rounded motorcycle tire look? I am not sure why you would want to do that, unless you really like the way it looks. You will probably end up with such a harsh ride, and tires that dont want to stick. Might try checking with a tire store though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 It's done for looks, it's the JDM style. I always wondered how much more likely debeading a tire and possibly digging a rim and flipping the car would be... Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z-ya Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 Sorry to seem stupid, what the heck does JDM mean anyway? "Japanese Display-Only Machine" Performance always before looks. If it don't improve performance, then it's not worth the time or money IMO. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nic-Rebel450CA Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 It's done for looks' date=' it's the JDM style. I always wondered how much more likely debeading a tire and possibly digging a rim and flipping the car would be... Jon[/quote'] Well, I can speak from experience that a tire that fits the rim is pretty damn hard to de-bead and dig a rim. My accident plain destroyed my rims and I didnt flip and the tires stayed in the rim. Of course, even the tow guy figured it was the will of God that kept my car from going over. I would be worried about the safety of such a setup though. It would seem to me that you are basically eliminating any possibility of sidewall flex (which is probably why they do it) and would make it into a work-or-bye-bye situation. BTW, I think JDM means "Judgement Doesn't Matter" (actually means Japanese Domestic Market, if anyone really doesnt know) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillZ260 Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 Japan Denso Motor(works)? No clue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nic-Rebel450CA Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 AH! I got it! Just Do it Man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 Putting a 185 on an 8 inch rim is a different proposition though. It would be REALLY hard to get that tire to seat on that rim. Anyone else who has had a crappy tire mounting job in their lifetime like I have should be able to back me up on this. The beads of the tire will be nowhere near the rim, and they won't be even close to straight up and down. I don't know this for sure, but it seems apparent that the beads of a tire that is properly sized for the rim would be less likely to have problems because when given a side load the tire can flex a lot. If the tire is already flexed because you have a 6" tire on an 8" rim, there could be issues. Again, never seen it myself, but it always worried me, especially with the 4000lb Caddies riding on 185/50/13 on an 8" rim, vato style. I agree with Pete, if it doesn't make the car faster, don't bother. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 Japanese Domestic Market Jdmtheory.com , to me thats what its all about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ZmeFly Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 I have 225 50's on the back of my car with 8.5 inch wheels and its a damn close fit. I should have gone a little large but it does work out well. I cant imagine it working or handling well and the ride would be shyte as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auxilary Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 imo that'd be stupid and pointless, unless you're doing it for looks only. it's not going to give you any advantage in handling, and it's not going to leave a comfortable ride on the street. I'm running 225/50/15 on 7" rims, and they're a perfect fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 its for a look. in japan they did this to the Z's back in the day and still do it today. mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 Its basically the SoCal lowrider look. Very bad for handling. Very bad for rim edges that now scrape on curbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 well i dont plan on doing any racing in this other Z.. my green Z is ment for all that. just wanna build a Z thats got that classic japan look thats all. mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S30Z Bushido Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 the advantage to stretching tires is far less sidewall flex, but if i were you and i was stretching my tires i'd make sure i bought tires with metal in the sidewall for extra reinforcement, i think falken offers this on some of thier tires. this is the kind of stretch i like, pretty mild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 the advantage to stretching tires is far less sidewall flex, Not true. You want the amount of sidewall flex the tire engineers designed into the tire. No more and no less. Over the years and at many different times I've talked with Jeff Speer at Hoosier Tire, Rudy at Kumho Tire, and Kevin Takashima at Goodyear Racing and all have said that rim width should be equal or at most 1" wider then the tread width of the tire for the best performance. This is true for their DOT-R and road racing slicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 Well, JohnC, I think I may have to differ with you. Since these guys are drifting and they want to break the back end loose ALL the time, I think it might be advantageous in that respect. To make a car handle well or drive well, you're obviously right, the sidewall flex is necessary, but these guys don't want to go fast or be comfortable. They want to go slowly in sort of a ballet/figure skating sort of a way. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 They don't go slow when drifting. I've ridden with Taka Ano and he's in 4th gear in his GTS when pitching it sideways. He also keeps the rim width close to the tire width and uses air pressure to adjust grip and tire stiffness. I've autocrossed with and against Taka since 1996. He still kicks my butt every time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 Hmmm.... they always look like they're in slo-mo to me. Certainly they could go faster without being totally sideways... Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 well, keep in mind if taka is a pro, he has enough power to break normal tires with good grip loose fairly easily. I always thought the reason for this was to have less flex and squirm, so that a clutchkick from a lower powered car would be able to break em. And from what ive seen of lower end drifters, they tend to go pretty slowly. Sure the pros go fast, but they're sponsored, have fast cars and limitless tires. The guys who buy used tires and go out in a lot and fool around are the guys who i though would have this, and who originated the style. I could very well be wrong though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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