Correct Z tire size

[Dan Baldwin]

225/45-16 should work. 225/50-16s might rub the

fender lip. I've got 225/50-15s, no problem.

[Mike]

See my signature line for my tire/wheel combination. But, asking a question like this can really be a hard one to answer.

For example, when a skinny bigger wheel will fit a car, the wider bigger wheel might not fit at all. This is all due to the offset of the center mounting position.

The 7" wide Panasport might fit. But, you'll have to ask someone that owns a set. Anyone?

What sort of center-offset do the Panasports use?

My wheels are fairly wide (about 9") and very deep, so, I had to stick to 15"...

[Saint]

Thanks guys, that gives me a pretty good indicator. Hats off to the site. This makes life so much easier. My 240z should arriving from the States in the next week. I'm mixing to breeds. Body from the US and interior from UK (no sun to destroy dash's etc). There's a company called FourWays Engineering who restore Aston Martin etc.. however, Geoff Jackson used to rally 240z's and started the business up from there. Amazing place to visit. full of the most beatiful machines in various stages of restoration. While I restored a beautiful 260z to original spec many years ago, this is going to be doing at speed with set budget. Totally bespoke. Hopefully complete around June, July. No doubt many more questions to come. Here are some photo's from Geoff's Z surgery.

[Saint]

Op's room.

[Saint]

Immaculate underside.

[Saint]

beautiful engine bay.

[nustad]

BTW that green 240z from Fourways appears in the Classic Car mag from the UK compared with a Ferrari Dino and one other car - might be a 911 - we haven't got the mag in New Zealand yet. One of the previous editions did a short profile of Fourways Engineering and he had a Z432 in there for restoration.

In terms of tyre size I am also interested in width and have just moved from 205/70/14 on some old wheels to 195/60/15 modern rubber on some Watanabe wheels. My standard Z doesn't have enough power to overwhelm the 205 series tyres (Dunlop Daytonas) so thought I would lighten up the handling/steering with grippier but narrower rubber. Personally I have not heard much debate about the "REAL" need to move to wide tyres 225+ unless you have heaps of HP.

I haven't got the wheels on the car yet but are looking forward to lighter steering and perhaps a more agile car that doesn't tramline as much.

THOUGHTS?????

Cheers

Glenn

Auckland

New Zealand

[2ManyZs]

Personally I would stick with what you have. Why not try a set of the quick steering knuckles? They don't "lighten" the steering but they sure do make it responsive! I have used 225's and 205's on a couple of cars, there isn't much difference in "tramming" or such as long as the front end is aligned correctly, and all the parts are good. Perhaps when you wear out the 205's try a set of 225's in a one profile lower than what you have now. You will have a little more tread width but lower sidewalls for less flex. In terms of the best handling you want the lower sidewalls for less sidewall deflection. Horsepower isn't really a concern, But by lowering the sidewall height you effectively lower the overall gearing and will actually increase your performance.

BTW, I never was a fan of green on a Z-car, but darned if that color doesn't look great. Course it helps that it's on a cherry car too!

Ps. by going from 205/70's to 195/60's you are probably at the very same tread width you had before, just a little less sidewall height.

[bpilati]

How old is that Fanatic board you have hanging from the ceiling? I have a Fanatic Ultra Cat from 1989. Nice car, is that original paint color?

Originally posted by Saint

Thanks guys, that gives me a pretty good indicator. Hats off to the site. This makes life so much easier. My 240z should arriving from the States in the next week. I'm mixing to breeds. Body from the US and interior from UK (no sun to destroy dash's etc). There's a company called FourWays Engineering who restore Aston Martin etc.. however, Geoff Jackson used to rally 240z's and started the business up from there. Amazing place to visit. full of the most beatiful machines in various stages of restoration. While I restored a beautiful 260z to original spec many years ago, this is going to be doing at speed with set budget. Totally bespoke. Hopefully complete around June, July. No doubt many more questions to come. Here are some photo's from Geoff's Z surgery.

[Saint]

I'm guessing you're referring to the windsurf board in the first pic..sorry this is hanging in Geoff's garage and not mine and I'm also not aware if it is original, however, I've just got my donor Z in from California so will be in contact with Geoff quite a bit. I'll get back to you shortly.

[Guycali]

Is that a "work area" underneath your car? Geez, I'd would think it takes you at least 5 min to properly align your car straight before pulling into the garage. Did it cost an arm and a leg to have that setup in the garage?