proud 240z owner

[gymkey]

Hey.

I just inherited a beautifue 1972 240z. :)

The only thing I want to change is the wheels and tires.

What size wheel/rim and tire best fit this car? I want a good ride and also to fill the wheel well but not too much so.

Any opinions are Welcom.

Thanks,

Jim

[MikeW]

Welcome. Post some pictures. If you're lucky the wheels you want to get rid of are valuable to someone else. What size fit best depend completely on what you're trying to do. Some people like the stock look. Others like rolling around on 18" rims and tires that look like black rubber bands.

[=Enigma=]

As Mike said a lot of it depends on your goals, but personally I'm partial to the 225/50/15s with a 7" zero offset rim. That said, the selection and variety of desirable 14" and 15" tires is becoming pretty slim.

[Jeff G 78]

Like the new wheels Enigma. The brown/gold looks cool together.

[guy_geo]

14'' are very rare. And Bienvenue!

[Travel'n Man]

There is a ton of information on this site dealing with wheel size and offsets. Be sure to do your research and NOT have your tires rubbing. Wheels are a very personal thing (what I think looks great you might think are just OK). Scan through pictures and find what you like and then double check to make sure they do not rub!!

Arne is the resident expert on wheel and tire size.

Welcome!

[=Enigma=]

Like the new wheels Enigma. The brown/gold looks cool together.

Thanks Jeff. It goes with the subtle gold pin stripes the PO put on the front and rear of the car back in the day. I plan on preserving the look if I ever re-paint this thing, but for now, I like the patina look of the original but still glistening Metallic Brown #114 paint.

[Jeff G 78]

Jim, I believe that tire availability is the key. I gave up on 14" wheels and skipped over 15" wheels as well due to dwindling availability of quality tires. While there are still some 15" tires in the proper sizes, the selections are getting thinner by the day particularly in performance summer compounds.

I went with tried and true Panasports in 16x7, but there are many cheaper choices that bolt right up. If you like the flat face look of modern wheels, you could go with Honda wheels and use spacers to correct the offset and bolt pattern.

If you choose 16" wheels, there are TONS of quality tires in any style you need. I went with an ultra high-performance summer tire from Hankook and love them. Don't let the name fool you. Hankook currently has the most modern equipment in the industry and they make very high quality tires. They have tons of grip and are inexpensive.

Here is a gratuitous picture

[Jeff G 78]

I plan on preserving the look if I ever re-paint this thing, but for now, I like the patina look of the original but still glistening Metallic Brown #114 paint.

Time to update the avatar.

[Arne]

14'' are very rare. And Bienvenue!

Jim, I believe that tire availability is the key. I gave up on 14" wheels and skipped over 15" wheels as well due to dwindling availability of quality tires. While there are still some 15" tires in the proper sizes, the selections are getting thinner by the day particularly in performance summer compounds.

I don't disagree with much so far in this post, except to say that there's no need to rule out 14" and 15" if you're not looking for tires with state-of-the-art handling. Sure, if you want modern grippy tires, you'll want to go 16" or larger. But for a pleasant weekend drive, don't discount normal 14" or 15" rubber.

The fact of the matter is that the very tame 195/70-14 all-season tires on my car right now probably have as much or more grip than the very best street-performance tires that you could buy back when these cars were new. No, they're nowhere nearly as good as the Hankooks that Jeff is running, but for my driving style, and -- as important -- the way I want my car to look, they are just fine.

We need to bear a couple of things in mind regarding performance tires. One is that the rims that fit early Zs well aren't very wide by today's standards. It's very common for us Z owners to pinch 225 width tires on 7" wide wheels. That's not a problem, but those tires would work much better on 8" or even wider wheels. But we can't really do that, so we're not going to get the most out of these modern tires. Nor is the S30 suspension all that well suited for modern rubber. It does OK, but there is a lot more camber change on these cars than is best for todays tires.

So here's my advice -- decide what is important to you in wheels and tires. Appearance? Ride? Handling/grip? Because the answer to this question will determine what type and (to certain extent) sizes you should be looking at.

For my car, I wanted period-correct vintage looks and fit. I really like the tall sidewall look of the stock height 14" tires/wheels. That's not for everyone, might not even be for me forever, or if I get a second Z...

[a7dz]

I am with you Arne;

Find another set of these around.

Period correct for me.

Same wheels on this Z since 1970.

Never had any problems with this rubber either.

As you said Arne much better handling then with the Z was new with the best tires I could buy. But, then I again my driving is tamer now.

[Zs-ondabrain]

My absolute favorite has always been the 16 X 7 wheel with 225/50R16's

They fill the wheel well beautifully, nice ride, not harsh on the bumps at all, wider footprint on the road for traction and best of all, LOTS of options when it comes to different tires on a 16x7 rim.

Just my $.02 worth.

Dave.

The pics below show how it looks and fills the wells.