6MT.net Infiniti G35/G37/GTR Community - can 17" winter tires/rims fit over BREMBO brakes?

matt_G35C · 12-13-2004, 07:43 PM

Is there any issue mounting 17" tires and wheels over BREMBO brakes? Tirerack.com sells sets specifically sized for G35 6MT in 17" and 18"s. Obviously 17s are cheaper, but I don't want to rub against the brakes.

Anyone do this already?

B Rod · 12-13-2004, 08:01 PM

You can do a search as this has been covered before. In short, yes, you can use 17" wheels over Brembos, but they have to be the right wheels.

Tirerack does know which ones fit. I bought ASA JH3s with Blizzaks from them and there's plent of clearance for the Brembos.

One word of caution. There's a small bolt between two of the lug bolts on each front hub. This must be removed in order to install non-OEM wheels on the front (it's there to prevent someone from accidentally rotating the back tires to the front).

And finally, get your winter tires fast! The summer tires are horrible in snow or very cold weather. With Blizzaks (and VCD) it does pretty well.

matt_G35C · 12-13-2004, 08:05 PM

B Rod, i was looking at the same rims (asa jh3)! do you have any pics?

B Rod · 12-13-2004, 08:14 PM

I meant to take some, but we've had a lot of rain (and I've had some laziness).

I think they look good (not great though). I'll try to get you pictures, but no promises.

matt_G35C · 12-13-2004, 08:16 PM

do they look close to the stock 18" rims? i guess the color looks different, more silver.

does it cheapen the car, in your opinion?

B Rod · 12-13-2004, 08:22 PM

The stock rims are very nice and very expensive with that nice lead-metal look. The JH3s have a brighter look which, in my opinion, is less refined-looking. I don't think they look as nice as the stock 18"s.

That said, I had no interest in spending lots of money on winter rims and the JH3s were a great value at $129. Besides, it's winter in New England: my wheels are gonna be spending lots of time with mud on them!

(By the way, where do you live?)

matt_G35C · 12-13-2004, 08:29 PM

I live in Philly, and I snowboard. I had a 325Ci for 3 years, with summer tires all 3 years. My friends said I was nuts, but I just drove cautiously in bad conditions. Although I had a couple of close calls. I don't want to F up my G, and I think winter tires will prolong the life of my 18" summer tires. I am presently looking at a package of asa jh3s with Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2. Goes for about $1175 shipped! which really hurts this time of year...as I am looking for a house to buy.

B Rod · 12-13-2004, 08:35 PM

Wise decision getting winter tires.

A few days before I put the winter tires on, we had about 1/2" of snow here. I could barely navigate my driveway, struggled to get the car back in the garage, and took our Accord (with all-season tires). While you might be able to get away with summer tires in Philly, I wouldn't try it for a ski trip.

I work with trauma patients and am a great believer in auto safety. The most likely thing to ruin your life/health or that of any other young and healthy person is an automobile accident. So, smart move. Enjoy!

**GZire** · 12-13-2004, 08:46 PM

Search on the topics in the Coupe forum. Look for a CrazyMike generated thread. He got 17s with winters. They fit, but you can barely squeeze a gnat's ass between the wheels and the Bremos.

I know the search function isn't working too well right now, so it's searching the manual way. Also, I believe CM used some spacers on the wheels.

------edit-----
http://www.6mt.net/forum/viewtopic.p...9ad285cd#84026

B Rod · 12-13-2004, 09:19 PM

I didn't need anything other than the adapter ring that comes with the wheels. No spacers or anything and the fit is not tight.

**GZire** · 12-13-2004, 09:32 PM

B Rod, glad yours fit well. CM had posted some pics a while back and the fit was tight! The big scare was if some gravel got caught up it looked like the finish on the wheels and calipers was history, if something didn't get jammed between the two outright.

Manslayer · 12-13-2004, 10:27 PM

B Rod, I just ordered that exact same setup from Tirerack today. What did you do about the tire pressure monitor system?

I have some concerns:

1) I heard after I ordered that the monitors are very expensive.

2) Do I need to go to the dealer every time I change my wheels for the system to function properly?

3) What happens if I don't have any monitors on the wheels? Light is always on? Car will sound a warning every time I start up?

4) Do the monitors fit on the ASA JH3 17" wheels?

Brock from Tirerack called me and cautioned me about the monitor system. They didn't have the monitors for the G35. I called my dealer and arranged for Tirerack to ship my wheels and tires unmounted directly to them. I figured they could just set it all up. My coworker told me his Nissan dealer said a set of 4 OEM monitors (Titan) is a few hundred bucks! I'm pretty worried now. I don't really know anything about the system. I'd appreciate it if someone could explain about this issue in detail.

**GZire** · 12-13-2004, 10:38 PM

Q#1: Yes, the TPMs are very expensive ($200 to $300 per).

Q#2: So long as you keep the TPMs in the same tire as they were set, you should be OK. Although it shouldn't take the dealer more than a couple of minutes to reset them (they just walk around the car in a certain order and activate the TPMs).

Q#3: If the monitors are not in the wheels the light in your dash should stay on. I've heard of guys where the audible warning goes off a lot and some where it doesn't go off at all (go figure). The light should go on until the tires are pumped back up to the preset pressure. One suggestion was to dump the monitors in your spare and set that at 35 psi....just can't use the spare.

Q#4: I really don't know if they will fit.

Tire pressure monitors are mounted in the wheels at the valve stems and are standard on the 04s and later (G's). The TPMs are typically set at 35psi and should warn you if the pressure drops a couple of psi, though I have heard of them going off with as little as 1 psi drop.

CrazyMike · 12-13-2004, 10:48 PM

Yep, I've got the stock coupe 17's on my car. I had to order a set of 3mm spacers to give the brakes some breathing room. GZire was right about the tight space - but that was only and issue before the spacers. Now there is plenty of room and it would be nearly impossible for anything to wedge in there now and cause trouble. I'm surprised more people aren't doing this...

As for the pressure sensor issue: The light only comes on after at least 20-25 minutes of driving. The only time it has come on is when I've driven between Dayton and Columbus. It resets every time the car is shut off. It really is no big deal, even when it is on. You can ignore it pretty easily.

Here is my original post about fitting the rims over the brakes (I don't think the pictures work though).
http://www.6speed.net/forum/viewtopi...803&highlight=

Here is a link to some photos of the tires, etc.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/agspra...yer1/my_photos

I think I'll probably sell the winter tire/wheel setup after this winter though. I'm moving to Florida in April, so I guess I probably won't need Blizzaks anymore!

Mike

Manslayer · 12-13-2004, 11:27 PM

Thanks for the info GZire and CrazyMike. I had no idea the monitors were that steep. My coworker's Titan doesn't light up until about 90 minutes of driving and it resets if the truck is off. My commute is only 5 minutes and I normally don't drive more than 20 minutes at a time so the 20-25 minute buffer isn't bad at all. Just as long as there is no audible warning every time.

I had my tirerack order shipped to my dealer thinking that I'd have them install a new set of monitors. Change of plans!