bigbreak_2000 Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 (edited) I'm planning to install 15x7 Front and 15x8 Rear rims. This is on a 280zx NA with stock/original suspension. The tire shops don't recommend tires narrower than 225 for the rear, which are 8 in wide rims. But I dont like 225 wide tires on the front. Perhaps I can do 205/60 Front and 215/60 rear. Then there are two questions: rear tire would be about 1/2-in higher than front tire, would this be noticable and have castor impacts that I should avoid? and second question, what negative effects are there really to mounting a 215/60 on a 8-in wide rim? I thought that Porsche had run this setup (215/60-15x8)for years on their Carerras and some 944's as stock, but nowdays the tires shops are totally against it. If the castor and steering consequences are great, I could go with 215/60's on all 4 corners. Alternative is go with 225/60's on all 4, a much higher tire setup, added weight, not desired in my opinion, or go wth 225/50s on all 4 which I think will look not so good considering the car is not lowered and it will leave a wide fender gap. My goals are the lighest possible tire setup for scrisp steering, braking, but rear tire must be safe for fitting a 8 in whide wheel. Recommendations please. Edited November 4, 2010 by bigbreak_2000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 I'm planning to install 15x7 Front and 15x8 Rear rims. This is on a 280zx NA with stock/original suspension. The tire shops don't recommend tires narrower than 225 for the rear, which are 8 in wide rims. But I dont like 225 wide tires on the front. Perhaps I can do 205/60 Front and 215/60 rear. Then there are two questions: rear tire would be about 1/2-in higher than front tire, would this be noticable and have castor impacts that I should avoid? and second question, what negative effects are there really to mounting a 215/60 on a 8-in wide rim? I thought that Porsche had run this setup (215/60-15x8)for years on their Carerras and some 944's as stock, but nowdays the tires shops are totally against it. If the castor and steering consequences are great, I could go with 215/60's on all 4 corners. Alternative is go with 225/60's on all 4, a much higher tire setup, added weight, not desired in my opinion, or go wth 225/50s on all 4 which I think will look not so good considering the car is not lowered and it will leave a wide fender gap. My goals are the lighest possible tire setup for scrisp steering, braking, but rear tire must be safe for fitting a 8 in whide wheel. Recommendations please. If you don't already have the wheels I suggest running 15 x7 all around with 225/50-15s. If you have the rims, again just install 215/50-15s in front a 225/50-15s in back. The Bfg GForce Sport is a good street tire and it comes in those sizes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbreak_2000 Posted November 4, 2010 Author Share Posted November 4, 2010 (edited) If you don't already have the wheels I suggest running 15 x7 all around with 225/50-15s. If you have the rims, again just install 215/50-15s in front a 225/50-15s in back. The Bfg GForce Sport is a good street tire and it comes in those sizes. John, thanks for the reply. That is a 1.2 inch lower tire than the stock setup (stock tire height is 24.7-in). I already have the new 15-in wheels that I would like to install. I have difficulty visualizing how the shorter tire (not talking about profile) will look on the 280zx. That would leave a theoretical 1/2 in bigger gap between top of tire and fender. If its not going to look to terrible I would go for it. Anyone with a picture of a 280zx with 225/50-15 tires on? Edited November 4, 2010 by bigbreak_2000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 John, thanks for the reply. That is a 1.2 inch lower tire than the stock setup (stock tire height is 24.7-in). I already have the new 15-in wheels that I would like to install. I have difficulty visualizing how the shorter tire (not talking about profile) will look on the 280zx. That would leave a theoretical 1/2 in bigger gap between top of tire and fender. If its not going to look to terrible I would go for it. Anyone with a picture of a 280zx with 225/50-15 tires on? HybridZ is about performance, not how the fender gap looks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad-ManQ45 Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 Why not 215/60 front and either 225/60 or 235/60 rear? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyc Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 (edited) most of the Zs here have different tires front to back...you more than likely will not notice the difference. Edited November 5, 2010 by bobbyc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbreak_2000 Posted November 5, 2010 Author Share Posted November 5, 2010 Thank you for all the replies. With the 60 profile tire I'm concerned about the weight. It adds another 3-4lbs per tire. Johnc thanks for pointing the Bfg GForce Sport's out to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad-ManQ45 Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 With the 60's your speedo will be closer to accurate. Your wheel wells will look full and ride will be better. Difference in weight? Not much. You haven't said what you main purpose of the car is, so hard to recommend anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbreak_2000 Posted November 7, 2010 Author Share Posted November 7, 2010 (edited) I'm preparing the car for occasional track events at the Carolina Motorsports Park (speedway) in Kershaw SC. Full course is 2.279miles, so mostly fast turns. That is my goal for starting early 2011. Right now the car is only used for weekend driving and has Michelin Destiny 195/70-14's on, with the factory 6 spoke wheel. It is riding to soft for me (and springs, shocks, suspension bushings are all still very good, and factory). The new NA engine with 284Hp/277Lbsft will go in about a week from now, and it was recommended that I get better tracking tires. There are several other performance modifications on the way. The local Nissan mechanics helping me with the car suggested that I start with upgrading the wheels from 14in to 15in, and get better tires. Edited November 7, 2010 by bigbreak_2000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbreak_2000 Posted November 7, 2010 Author Share Posted November 7, 2010 (edited) The other goal is to improve acceleration. The car has the R200 3.9 diff, and the Nissan 5 sp with the high 5th OD and very low 1st and 2nd gear. Geared for a low 30mph and 50mph in 1st and 2nd. That is with the tire diameters I have now. I love the drivetrain and dont want to change that out, just not happy with shifting that often, and idea of loosing traction on fast upshifts, on 1/4 mile runs. Esppecially 2nd to 3rd is notchy/long shift. Now I understand bigger wheels won't get me to 100 in 2nd gear, the new engine is still going to deliver max HP at 6100rpms. The advantage of the 60 profile tire would be as you said softer ride, and I would think slightly higher speed in gear, a bigger footprint, but at disadvantage of being a (slightly) heavier tire, and risk of rubbing on rear fender since these cars squad so much. I read somewhere on this forum that 25inches or higher rub on these cars under hard acceleration, but I have no first hand experience to tell if that is a true or not. I'm not ready to start modiying the suspension. Edited November 7, 2010 by bigbreak_2000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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