i have a stock 73 240z. i have a chance to buy CHEAP a set of universal fit 17"s rims that have 224/40 tires on them. would these fit and if not , could i go lower say 215/40 or 205/40. how would i be able to tell?

We need to know the width and offset of the 17s to be able to give you an answer. By universal, you mean 4x100 and 4x114.3 right? It's not a 5-lug universal right?

The original diameter of our tires are ~25". If you keep the overall diameter between 24 and 25", your speedometer will stay close to accurate. A 215/45 or 225/40 would get you close but 225/40 is not a common size. A 225/45 will be close as well and that is a common size tire. If it is 225/50/17, that is probably too tall at nearly 26 inches. I suggest playing around on tirerack with different tire sizes and checking specs.

i don"t know width or offset. i found the sle on craigslist. they are four lugs. thanks for the advice, i think i'll go take a look at them. they are only 200 bucks.

you get what you pay for..

end thread.

Here is a tire size calculator. I believe the original size was 195 70 14 (someone here will correct if I'm wrong). This calculator will show you how to get to the same diameter/circumfrence. This will NOT account for width or offset.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

Edited October 6, 201014 yr by tlorber