Tire conversion??

[cremmenga]

I have a 1972 datsun 240z, it currently has Rear-p215 60 R14 and Front-175 Sr14 tires on it. I was looking at getting larger rims bc i saw a z with similar rims on it and it actually looked really good. They were american eagle 169 rims http://www.eaglewheels.com/index.htm I know these are front wheel drive rims, but i have heard if you put a spacer or adapters on it they too fit. Just wondering if anyone has any info on this subject and how big of rims and tires i would be able to go with, on a stock z. I was hoping for 17 inch rims? At have looked through the fourms and haven't found much about the spacers and fwd rims. Please Help.

[seerex]

I researched this quite a bit and yes you can put 17 's on the car with no probs as long as you haven't lowered it too much , but if you used coil overs its fine. If you search under wheel offset you will find lots of ideals. The 16 and 17 inch wheels in a rear wheel drive offset say 6mm or under are very expensive unless they are made. The 15 inch wheels can be used and heard of peopling using 8-9 inch wide rims without flares. I have a 15 by 7 with 225 50 15's and have no probs and I am lowered about an inch. Alot depends on your budget you can switch hubs if you want to or have someone mill you some wheels < boyd cott, or ccr > . Found those to run about 1700-2200 for a set. But yes front wheel drive offset can be used as well as 240sx wheels as long as the offset isn't to much. Good luck

[cremmenga]

Thanks for the info. Budget is a factor right now but i thought i could atleast look into it. Thanks again for you info.

[cremmenga]

ok so the 240z's lug pattern is 4 on 4.5 right? I think i found some rims for that, but does anyone know what offset means? and what it is for the 240's, i see alot of rims at +38 and + 42?? oh and one more thing what is BSM, it says BSM 5.88. THANKS

[Curtis240Z]

Backspace measurement - distance from the rear lip to the hub surface.

[speedyblue]

The Z offset measurement is 0, but can accept up to about 15mm if the wheel isn't too wide. It's a try and see thing. Search offset and backspace in these forums.

[zguitar71]

A wheel with an offset of 0 means the mounting surface of the wheel is in the exact center of the wheel. A +38 offset means the mounting surface of the wheel is 38mm toward the outside of the wheel from the centerline of the wheel. So a +38 wheel that is 7" wide would have a BSM of approx. 5.5" (including .5" for wheel lip) which is too much for a Z. The 0 offset 7" wheel would have a BSM of 4". As the wheels get wider the offset go to the negative side to keep the BSM in the correct area. 4.5" of back space would be about the maximun a stock Z could have.

[cremmenga]

Thanks for the info. zguitar71!!! by the way from your name, do you play guitars??

[cremmenga]

i like the series 169 on the link i posted above. i know they ar fwd but i heard it will work, does anyone think any of these 17" 169's would work? and if so what size?

Thanks again guys!

[ezzzzzzz]

I installed 17x7 Racing Hart C2's with 215/45R17 Wanli tires on my 71 240Z. These wheels are FWD and have an offset of about +40. These were originally on my 94 Honda Accord. Spacers (4x114.3 to 4x114.3) purchased from Ross at MM were used. These are about 32mm thick (?). He told me that the offset on my Z is actually about +10, not 0 and my request for 44mm spacers would push the tires out too far. He was right on the money with that statement. My tires are just inside the lip and under compression should clear the sheetmetal without a problem. I haven't lowered the car yet but just ordered Tokico Illumina's, Eibach Pro's and poly bushings to do that upgrade. If I get the drop I'm hoping for the gap will be about 2" at the top of the tires. Right now it is closer to 3.5" and looks okay but not agressive enough. I'll post pic when I get the opportunity. I'm leaving for St. Croix in the V.I. tomorrow morning for a week...gotta get away from the bitter cold and snow!

[zguitar71]

Yes I do play the guitar. I have been at it for the last 22 years. I have 6 of them right now but I am getting ready to sell one of them. One day when I have a high speed connection I am giong to post pictures of the Z and the guitars. Do you play too?

[sblake01]

I play bass, keyboard, and woodwinds, mainly tenor and soprano sax. I have often thought of positng a picture incorporating my Z and my musical instruments.

Sorry for the digression here but you asked about guitars. Back to wheels and tires guys!