Yeah I own an 82 280zx NA and I was wondering how much larger and wider of tires and rims I could put on the car without it affecting anything or rubbing. And if so what options do I have for that wheel/rim and matching tire to fit in optimum wideness and wheel size?

 

A post from Hybridz.org

The widest wheel I have heard for a stock 280zx are:
18x8.5 front with 245/40/18 and 18x9.5 rear with 285/35/18
these were from a guy in NY. Unfortunately I don't know the offsets he used. According to him these where the absolute widest he could fit.

As for me, I'm going with 18x8 all around and non-directional tires so I can rotate the tires/wheels on all corners.

 

What in the hell does directional or non directional tread have to do with being able to rotate your tires?!

Unless you plan on swithching side to side... it doesn't matter.

Front to back is the only way to go... FLipping a tire around backwards fromt the way it's been rolling for 3-5 thousand miles is idiocy, and quite noisy as well.

Rod.

 

That is not idocy, that is the proper way to rotate tires. Front right to rear left. Front left to rear right.

 

Actually, it WAS the right way in the stone-age of bias ply tires... Trust me on this, I think 17 years of managing a tire company gives me a little insight here. I'm not calling you an idiot... Lord knows you're like a guru here when it comes to most things Z, but leave the tire/suspension stuff to me if you will . I know a little thing or two.

Rod.

 

Well, ok then. All tire shops I've been to where I purchased tires told me that's how it is done... maybe not all the time though. My Datsun truck does have directional tires. Maybe I'll reconsider

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...reRotation.jsp

 

Nice thumbnail Bleach... There are as many opinions about tire rotation as there are about who killed JFK. All I know is what I've seen work, and not work. Every now and then you see some giant ***** extension lifted truck that cups tires out like mad... and you have to "X" rotate them to wear the cupping out, but for everyday drivers, standard passenger cars, and performance cars, front to back is it. Tires develop a "Shark skin" like texture as they roll (Smooth one way, rough the other), and turning them around is like sanding wood against the grain.

Rod.

P.S. Anything "Discount tire Co." say's is a damn lie!!!! lol

 

Well then screw that! I'm going with better traction and getting directional tires.

At least I'll be able to rotate them front to back because the tires are the same size. I'm not doing the smaller tire in front, wider tire in back thing. Besides 8 inch width is plenty. I've heard going with really wide wheels/tires on an older Z causes problems at higher speeds. These cars were designed with 6 inch width wheels and 195 tread! yikes!

 

Sounds like a good way to go Bleach... You'll have to put bump steer spacers in and do urethane strut rod bushings though, otherwise it will be all over the road... especially when you hit the brakes!

Rod.

 

Yup, I'm ordering some spacers now and I plan to replace the control arm and strut rod bushings. Tie rod ends, wheel bearings too.

 

lol at bleach's Napoleon Dynamite...

 

You go with wheels that big and you should upgrade your brakes too.

Unless you get light weight wheels, they'll get pretty heavy at that size increasing the unsprung weight and rotational mass which is WAY harder to stop than sprung weight in the car.

Street: 16x7's on the front with 225/45/16's and 16x8's on the back with 245/45/16's running Yokohama AVS ES100's

Road racing: 15x8's on the front with 225/50/15's and 16x8's on the back with 245/45/16's Hoosier A3S04's

Drag racing: 15x6's on the front with 205/50/15's and 16x8's on the back with 245/45/16's Hoosier A3S04's

I wouldn't go bigger than 17x7 or 17x8 unless they were light weight wheels and even then, I would go with upgraded pads and DOT stainless brake lines at a minimum.

Optimally, i'd get pads, rotors, lines and DOT4 brake fluid.

 

I'm doing a 5-lug swap with larger diameter and thicker vented '87 300ZX rotors in front, 300ZX calipers in front. I was considering stainless lines all around. Rear brakes will be drilled to 5-lug and maintain the 280ZX factory rear brakes.

This car is just for fun and show. No racing needed. I'll drop in a turbo engine later for more fun. I was aware that the wheels are not the lightest, but I'll see how the braking feels after they are installed.

My 15" mesh wheels are very light so I'll probably see the braking difference that you're talking about right away. On the other hand, I basically have to install the wheels imediately after the 5-lug and brake swap.

 

Actually, I got my tires from Discount and they seem to agree with you, so I think it has to do with the Manager at the time, not the store.

BTW, this thread has made me laugh more than I have for a week. Thanks, guys!

Excellent thumb, Bleach!! LOL

 

Depneding on what you use the car for, there is such a thing as "too much tire". I'm running 17x7 wheels with 235/40zr17 Falken FK-451 tires all the way around. It's a "AA" traction tire with "A" temp rating... basically, that means that it is one sticky s.o.b. ! Between the tires and the suspension work I've done, it's almost taken some of the fun out of the car. I really have to FORCE it to get even slightly sideways... that usual rear-end happy oversteer has been replaced with mostly neutral handling with a slight touch of understeer leading up to the inevitable tail swing. It's definatly not a drift car as it is. Even in the rain now, it's kinda boring and uneventful at speeds I would never dream of approaching in stock Z form. I can't imagine having more tire on the ground. It can get to a point where you're just robbing power from the car trying to overcome massive amounts of "rolling resistance". don't go for more than what suits your needs (unless the goal is simply to look really cool!). I think a lot of people get carried away with overkill. I've thought about changing up to 18's when this set of tires wears out, but aside from the asthetics of it, I don't see the need.

Rod.

 

I did also think about that. That is why I'm going with 225 width tires all around. 215 is a little too narrow for an 8 inch wheel. 225 is just barely wide enough. I'm already running 215 width on my 15x7 wheels.

If I was concerned about the best handling and weight I would defiantly go for 17x7 alloy wheels. I guess I wanted to try something that most people don't do but not go too big. You can barely fit 20" wheels on a Z with thin enough tires to keep your speedo correct. (only slightly oversized) That would be a bit much though.



I've had this pic in my gallery a while. People seem to like the look of it. Those look like they might be 18's. The design I chose is a little more fitting of a sports car.

I also think I was going to keep it a secret and just post pics of the mounted wheels. So everybody forget about the 18's.

 

Nice car Bleach! It looks tight man! What is that a deep red? Kind of maroon?

 

Iww - what offset are you using with the 225x45x16 front tires? My 195x50x14 tires with stock ZX wheels don't have more than 1/3 inch clearance. I want to run 225x45 on 15 or 16 wheels.

 

Bleach - with those 300zx front hubs and rotors what will you do for caliper brackets? I think the 300ZX rotors are greater in dia., or am I mistaken?

Thanks,
John

 

Yes, the 300ZX rotors are larger diameter and thicker! They have a larger vent between the rotor surfaces. I will have to custom fabricate a small bracket to bolt the 300ZX calieper to and then to the 280ZX strut. If I make some, I'll surely make duplicates to sell cheap. I'm going with stock 300ZX calipers for simplicity, plus if others choose the same route, they can use my caliper adpators.

The dark maroon car is not my car. It is someone else's car. But I posted the picture in my gallery because it was nice. If those are 18's then it is the only 280ZX I've seen with 18's.

 

16x7's are 4" back space on the front and 16x8's are 5" on the back.

I've run 15x8's on the front with 225/50/15's with no rubbing.

Remember, every car is different. There can be significant differences within the 'manufacturing' tolerances of a car.

I've seen wider tires work on some cars and narrower tires be too wide on others.

You should always use your tape measure before commiting to anything.

Ultimately, you can always fall back to coil-overs... ummmm

 

Thanks Bleach, definitely update us on the caliper bracket mod. I've got a milling machine so I can probably make some. Do you think 6061 Al would handle the stress? I really like the idea of five lug hubs. They should open a much wider variety of usable wheels. I think the rear hubs would have to be drilled and a 3/4 inch spacer added.

John

 

Iww - Thanks for the info. Are those Centerline wheels in the pix? They look great.

John

 

Yup, Centerline Billet Star's. Thanks. They're totally old school/retro. They go really good with Night Ranger and ZZ Top crankin on the stereo!

 

Well, it looks like I may try to break that record. I may end up trying fronts that are .8" taller and 1.1" wider...