Racin_Jason Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 Hi again gang, Well tomarrow I plan on buying a set of 17" wheels for my 71 240Z. I've always wanted a flared car with the cheeks stuffed so here is my plan. MSA Street Flares..bolted on like the sweet blue Z with white stripes. These give 2" front and 3" rear additional width I believe (MSA themselves couldnt give me the dimensions ). The rims will be 17x8"-3.5" BS front and 17x9.5"-4" BS rear. This will give me a 4.5" FS front and a 5.5" FS rear. My concerns are with the offset not being even close to zero. Ive read that Zcars can have quirky handling when they dont have zero offset. I know many of you run setups similar to this and was looking for some input on what to expect. As many off you..I am running alot of HP from a V8 so I need the width out back for traction. Another thing that crossed my mind was the fronts possibly rubbing on turns due to the rim protruding from the well and being so large in diameter. What can I expect from this setup as far as handling? I imagine the steering at low speeed wont be great trying to muscle these big meats with no PS. Will I have atleast decent traction from the 9.5" wide tires even tho the 17's have minimal sidewalls? Will the ride quality be like a brick or tolerable? Any input would be great as I plan on buying these tomarrow and would like to know what Im getting myself into. THANKS MUCH! Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greimann Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 Jason, I can comment on one of your concerns about ride quality. I recently went from 15's to 17's and while I initially noticed a slightly sharper response to pavement thumps and bumps, it is not intolerable and in fact, after putting some miles on the new setup, it is hard to remember what the old ride was like. Don't worry about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 > Ive read that Zcars can have quirky handling > when they dont have zero offset. I would just try it first and see how the car feels. Normally you have to adjust toe front and rear a little bit. > I am running alot of HP from a V8 so I > need the width out back for traction. Traction is much more dependent on tire compound and air pressures then width. A set of 6" wide drag radials will give you more traction then a set of 10" wide Sears Roadhandlers. > Will I have atleast decent traction from the > 9.5" wide tires even tho the 17's have minimal > sidewalls? Will the ride quality be like a > brick or tolerable? When you get below a 50 series tire on a 240Z (or any car really) you are transferring some of the compliance requirements that the tire took care of (from the sidewalls and the air volume) to the shock absorbers. Some of this is from the stiffer sidewalls and some from the increased air pressures. In essence, the traction you'll get and the ride you feel will now be more dependent on your shocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 Shorter, stiffer sidewalls are NOT going to help straightline traction either. For cornering though, 9.5" sounds very nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racin_Jason Posted January 20, 2003 Author Share Posted January 20, 2003 Anymore input here fellas? Im down to the wire so save me now before its too late! Otherwise Im buyin them first thing tomarrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z ya Posted January 20, 2003 Share Posted January 20, 2003 Jason , What wheels are you going to go with? Your measurements seem just about what I had figured on if I went 17's(still might). For steering issues you could always go with 17x7 in front with no flairs and 4" bs. Then run the rear flairs with the 9.5's. You going with 235 front and 275 rear??? Man its going to look sweet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z ya Posted January 20, 2003 Share Posted January 20, 2003 Jason, Are you still 4 lug? If you were going for centerlines they wont make any wheels wider than 8" if its 4 lug? Keep me posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racin_Jason Posted January 20, 2003 Author Share Posted January 20, 2003 Well...doesnt sound too intimidating so far. No mention of issues with the backspacing being different from front to back. Well if the input stays like this Ill give it a go! Greinmann. Im really surprised at your comparison to your 15s. What tires are you running? Also how is the traction on those 17s?? JohnC. Comming from an experienced source, your response was reassuring. I know the short sidewalls will not help straight line traction due to the sidewalls not being able to flex as much. I just kinda hoped that a tire that wide would still hook up fairly well..even if it is a short sidewall. I just want it to be able to hook well enough on the street to embarrass some hi-dollar sports cars. I have Tokiko non-adjustable strut inserts now with Eibach springs. Hopefully that will do OK for smoothing out the ride. Im open to any more comments or experiences. I';d really like to know what I can expect since this isnt a cheap purchase. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racin_Jason Posted January 21, 2003 Author Share Posted January 21, 2003 Welp I got screwed! Someone called Centerline and ordered the 17" Billet Rhinos I thought I had on hold...and they were the last ones! Almost seems like the buyer was trying to beat me to them since they said he called at 7AM this morning ( and no one had ordered any all week)...I called an hour after they opened and my rims were sold. What would suck the worst is if they ended up on a members car after all the posting i did about buyin them...but I hope thats not the case. Doesnt matter who got them...they are GONE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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