i have a 71 z which is a inch lower because of the springs i put in. i found a rim i like on the net. i want 17 inch rims, and the smallest width this one will come is 7.5. will that fit on my car without going to coilovers and trimming the wheel well? i have searched thru the threads and cant seam to find an answer. tks for any help!

I can't answer your question, but someone else can. They'll need to know what offset is the rim? How big of tire will you put on it? It's a package deal as to whether they will "fit" or not.

well it is a 38mm offset and i will get a tire to make it fit.

Positive or Negitive 38mm? (will make a HUGE difference) IF it can be made to fit, it will no doubt require spacers to do so. That's about all I can tell you.

if the offset is correct for a Z, 7.5" rims will fit no problem whatsoever.

That's the thing, 38mm ISN'T correct for a Z!

Tires will not make a difference on a wheel with that much offset. The inside of the wheel will hit the spring perch even with a very skinny tire. You will need spacers to get the wheels to fit properly. You want the wheels to be as close to 0 offset as you can get them. So go for a 38mm spacer if you can (giving a 4.25" backspace). I would not go with any more than 4.5" of backspace either. IMO a 205/45/17 would be best size, that way you should be able to aviod any rubbing issues. If the offset is + or - a little from 0 then the 205 width give you a litte room. A 32mm spacer will yeild a 4.5 back space (+6.35 mm offset), any smaller than that and you will probably have problems. IMO life would be easier if you went to a 16x7 or 15x7 with a 0 offset and correct bolt pattern such as Panasports or Konig rewinds or any of the custome wheel makers out there. the smaller wheels and tires are better because they weigh less, and wheels that fit right with out spacers are the way to go. A 15x7, 0 offset with a 225/50/15 will handel as well or better than a 17 with spacers and 205/45/17.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a definitive answer! I was hoping that you'd see the thread and post.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a definitive answer! I was hoping that you'd see the thread and post.

I like to operate a calculator, not as much as a Z, but more than most. I once bought a set of race tires and wheels, The tires were Goodyear cantilever slicks, they measure 264/36/15 but are made to fit onto a 7" wide wheel so they stickout 1.2" past the wheel lip. They are tricky to calculate the correct offset needed for the right fitment. I went with what I thought would work and perchased the wrong offset wheel that were non returnable. They were Diamond wheels so they only set me back $250 (as compared to $1000+ for light weight custome wheels). So I learned how to measure wheel offset pretty fast after that.

I have a set of 14 by 7.5j wheels for the rear that I am going to be putting on very soon. The offset is +1.5mm. Zguitar, do you think 195 by 70 is too much of a stretch? the tread width is 6.1" and the overall width is 8". I don't mind it to look like there is a little stretch, but I want it to be safe. 205 by 60 would have been fine, but the height is a little to short as I have stock suspension.

Thanks in advance,

Ben

There is a standard for tire rim widths. But the only table I have seen is for tires with a 50% aspect ratio and lower. I believe the 50's called for a max wheel width of 85% of the tire width so a 225 could go on a 7.5" wheel, a 195 would use a 6.5" wheel. 6.5" seems a little conservitive to me. I have a friend that runs 195/60/14 on a 7" wheel and the tire does not look very streached at all. My guess is a 7.5" wheel would work but that would be the absolute limit of a 195. If you go too far the sidewall will be weakened. The overall carcass of a 195 is 7.67" so the tire is still wider than the wheel measurement. I have seem many pictures of 9.5" wheels with 225's which is more of a streach than what you are looking at. Watch out for curbs since the wheel lip will hit before the tire. I am not an expert on this so I could be wrong, I bet the tire rack could answer you though.

I have a over all tire width of 10 inches wide and rubber height of 26 inches with coil overs and nothing rubs anyplace and it has the stock back spacing that nissan rims have