Official Tire Discussion (FAQ) thread (inc Winter)
So the 5AT w/ 18" Pckg and the 6MT model essentially come with tires that cannot be rotated at all - neither front to back nor side to side. This means they'll wear out more quickly as the same parts of the tire will constantly be wearing. This is certainly a fact for consideration when purchasing tires or wheels & tires, especially for those of us in climes that get snow.
First question:
What size <u>performance</u> tires (Summer or All-Season) will fit the stock 18" Pckg wheels <u>within their recommended specs</u>*? *Must meet rim width and tire load requirements.
Second question:
Can one run four tires of the same width (allowing at least front-rear rotation of tires) or are the rear wheels wider and thus necessitate wider tires? (IOW, are all the rims the same width or not, and if not can they run, say, all 225s or all 245s, or only a staggered setup?)
Third question:
Keeping in mind the non-rotation of the stock tires on the 18" pckg 5AT and the 6MT model, which will be preferable / cheaper:
-Buying winter wheels & tires, storing stock wheels with their summer-only tires for use next Spring
-Buying winter tires for the 18" stock rims, buying new sexy rims w/ performance tires in the Spring
-Buying winter tires for the 18" stock rims, buying new summer tires in the Spring, and repeating new tire purchase twice a year in Fall and Spring on the stock rims year-round.
Fourth question:
What are your recommended <u>winter</u> tires for:
5AT 18" / 6MT:
5AT (17"):
Please only comment if you have had actual experience in a RWD car with the tires you want to recommend.
Please include tire width (especially if front/rear differ).
Base model (17") F=225/50, R=235/50:
Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22 (Performance Winter)
or
Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 (Studless Ice & Snow) in sizes F=225/50, R=225/55
<u>Blizzak LM-22 G35 user reviews from TireRack</u>:
2003 Infiniti G35 Coupe 18inch Pkg
Miles driven on tires: 6,000
Reviewer's Overall Ratings: 8.56
Location: Middleton, WI
Driving Condition: Mostly City
Driving Style: Spirited
Impressive winter use tire for high performance vehicles. -- Review Submitted 2003-12-13
2003 Infiniti G35 Coupe Base
Miles driven on tires: 200
Reviewer's Overall Ratings: 9.38
Location: allentown, pa
Driving Condition: Combined Highway/City
Driving Style: Average
Tires are great, in dry driving you would not know these are not summer performance tires. Quiet, great in rain, nice ride, tight handling. I cant believe these are winter tires. Have limited snow driving so far but they were great in several inches of sloppy crap. -- Review Submitted 2004-01-09
2003 Infiniti G35 Coupe Base
Miles driven on tires: 1,000
Reviewer's Overall Ratings: 7.89
Location: Boston, MA
Driving Condition: Combined Highway/City
Driving Style: Average
a DEFINITE must-buy for G35 owners (especially the non-all wheel drive owners). The OEM tires will get you stuck even on a dusting of snow (trust me, I know). I highly recommend these LM-22s. You will not be disappointed. Drove these when there were near-blizzard conditions a few days ago and they definitely gripped the road to my satisfaction. Since this is a RWD car, the wheels spun a few times on stop and go traffic lights, but the tires always made me feel safe and in control. -- Review Submitted 2004-01-13
2003 Infiniti G35 Coupe 6-Speed
Miles driven on tires: 1,500
Reviewer's Overall Ratings: 6.88
Location: Powell, OH
Driving Condition: Combined Highway/City
Driving Style: Spirited
Compared to my summer tires (Michelin Pilot Sport) the Blizzaks feel a little "squishy" with hard cornering. I find it easier to break the tires loose on either dry or wet pavement. Great hydroplaning resistance. We havent had much snow to date, but they have worked well with a light coating of snow on an untreated road. Overall, a good winter solution for a performance car. -- Review Submitted 2004-01-14
2003 Infiniti G35 Coupe 6-Speed
Miles driven on tires: 1,500
Reviewer's Overall Ratings: 9.12
Location: Staten Island, NY
Driving Condition: Combined Highway/City
Driving Style: Average
Blizzaks LM22s add tremendous mobility to the G. Last year I couldnt move in 2"s of snow. This year Im out and about in a foot of the white stuff. I would recommend to anyone. -- Review Submitted 2004-01-25
2003 Infiniti G35 Coupe Base
Miles driven on tires: 2,000
Reviewer's Overall Ratings: 5.67
Location: Chicago, IL
Driving Condition: Combined Highway/City
Driving Style: Spirited
These tires are great in the snow, just the best snow tire you could have. On a dry or wet road they just fail. I fine that I dont have control of the car then, its all over the place. -- Review Submitted 2004-02-09
03 Infiniti G35 Coupe 6-Speed
Miles driven on tires: 2,000
Reviewer's Overall Ratings: 9.00
Location: Southbury, CT
Driving Condition: Combined Highway/City
Driving Style: Spirited
These tires were just what I needed to face the New England winter. -- Review Submitted 2004-02-11
<u>And some 350Z reviews</u>:
2003 Nissan 350Z Touring 6-Speed
Miles driven on tires: 2,000
Reviewer's Overall Ratings: 7.88
Location: LOUISVILLE, KY
Driving Condition: Combined Highway/City
Driving Style: Average
Great snow tires. They make the Z work as an every day car in winter. Need to change them out in spring. -- Review Submitted 2004-09-15
2003 Nissan 350Z Performance
Miles driven on tires: 2,000
Reviewer's Overall Ratings: 7.75
Location: Rockville, MD
Driving Condition: Mostly City
Driving Style: Spirited
These tires seem a little softer (ride comfort) than the stock RE040s. The dry traction surprised me for a snow tire. But the best part is these tire chew through the snow like nothing else. They turned my Z from completely useless to a lot of fun in the snow. -- Review Submitted 2004-02-17
Tires are excellent in dry, wet and snowy conditions. They are only so-so in icy conditions, although the Z is a very heavy vehicle. Potential new owners should probably be cautioned to be careful on ice. Overall, I am very happy with them. -- Review Submitted 2003-12-30
Man no all WX tires for the 18". Well good thing I'm in Mississippi right now and it doesn't snow here. Hope that the Air Force don't send me to North Dakota or something during the winter. Well I guess people, in snowy winter areas, with the performance package will have to dish out $$ for just the winter tires.
DG 6MT 'The rice is mightier than the corn'
G's up, hoes down
Thanks, yacoub!! That was great - very informative for sure.
I would have no problem buying winter tires, (and think that I really NEED to), it's just that I don't really have anywhere to keep an extra set of tires! Does anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions??
Good info! There is one discrepancy though. The LM-22s don't come in the 225/55/17 size, so you have to get 235/50/17 for the rears.
A cheaper alternative is a set of the Blizzak WS-50 tires. The WS-50s will give up some handling ability from the LM-22s, but for better traction and do come in the sizes you described (225/50 and 225/55).
The WS-50 setup described above cost me $508 plus ~ $40 shipping from Tirerack. I believe the LM-22s would cost an additional $200 or so.
A used set of stock 17" rims (~$500) plus WS-50 tires mounted and balanced will end up costing about $1150-$1200 total to put on your coupe.
Second question:
Can one run four tires of the same width (allowing at least front-rear rotation of tires) or are the rear wheels wider and thus necessitate wider tires? (IOW, are all the rims the same width or not, and if not can they run, say, all 225s or all 245s, or only a staggered setup?)
Info for Second question:
Talked to a tirerack rep about this for my winter tires but I'm guessing this applies to any tires. Yes the rims are the same size but with the stock sizes the rear tires are taller (and wider) than the fronts. Apparently "sizing down" the rears or "sizing up" the fronts would alter the ratio of front to back revolutions and throw off the traction control system.
Here's what my rep said when I asked him about running all 4 tires the same size:
<hr noshade size="1">
<center>The Infiniti original tire sizes allow the front tire to be about 1 inch shorter than the rear tire size. Unfortunately you need to maintain that ratio or the traction control thinks the rear tires are spinning with no traction since it is rotating at the same speed as the shorter front tires. You can go slightly skinnier with a 235/45R18, but that is the smallest we can guarantee will not have a problem.</center>
<hr noshade size="1">
Now all that being said I would be interested in hearing about anyone's experience with mixing and matching different tire sizes. Also I'm not sure if when he says traction control he means VDC. I thought there was a different traction control system in operation even if you took the VDC off. But to be honest I'd rather have VDC on in the winter and wouldn't want to be required to turn it off just to run a certain tire combo. Anyone who has any experience with this please post!
-Chuck
| 04 Black/Graphite 6MT | Premium | Nav | Aero w/ Spoiler | XM | Z Tube |
Thanks for the input. my question then becomes what about all the people with aftermarket wheels and tires? Wouldn't they all be experiencing this issue with the traction control? Did they all size their wheels/tires with that in mind (I doubt it)?
Thanks for the input. my question then becomes what about all the people with aftermarket wheels and tires? Wouldn't they all be experiencing this issue with the traction control? Did they all size their wheels/tires with that in mind (I doubt it)?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Yeah, I wonder the same thing. Again though, he just said that's all they would guarantee would not cause problems. Doesn't mean other sizes will, just that you are on your own. That's why I asked for others to post their experience with tires like this...
-Chuck
| 04 Black/Graphite 6MT | Premium | Nav | Aero w/ Spoiler | XM | Z Tube |
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Official Tire Discussion (FAQ) thread (inc Winter)
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