I'm in the process of trying to obtain a G37 RWD Sedan. Just started the preliminary talk with a couple of dealers. I have not driven a RWD car in a very long time as my every daily driver. Last one I drove belong to my dad about 28 years ago, I kid you not.

What can I expect from a RWD in reference to tire wear. I know with an all-wheel drive cars unless you need to replace a damage tire I always change all 4 at the same time. With a RWD does this generally apply??? Or will I be changing the rears a lot more frequent than the fronts???

I figured the rear tires will wear out quicker. Although I have no plans to spin tires at take off or drag anyone anywhere.
Thanks.

 

It depends on your driving style but you could eventually go with a "square" wheel setup in the future if you don't like the OEM Sport package wheels. That will allow you to rotate and have it wear more evenly.

 

I'm not familiar with a "square" wheel set up. Is this a non-staggered configuration? If I go RWD I will only do it with the sport package.

 

Yes, square = non staggered.

I believe I saw some BBS wheels off TireRack that would fit a G37 with the dimensions of 18"x8.5".

 

The standard journey has matching rims & tire sizes at all 4 corners, the Sport does not. So rotation of tires becomes impossible.
The performance wheel upgrade option goes to a larger / wider tire combination but still retains a match at all 4 corners. Instead of 55 series rubber or (45 for the S), it is 50 series if I am not mistaken.
I test drove a car with the rim & tire upgrade package and it seemed like a nice balance. however the lower profile might be slightly rougher riding.
The biggest item differences between the S models and Journey in my opinion is the brakes and limited slip diff. Much of the other stuff is nice, but don't really justify the purchase price difference on their own.
I went with the journey, because quite frankly if you drive the car hard enough to need the differences you risk getting arrested anyway. But thats just IMO, and I'm starting to settle down at 52.
I got my G37 to still have some performance without the rough character and noise level of the car I had previously. Besides if I get really bored, I can always upgrade the wheels & tires later. I figure the goodyears will last 40K miles, and I can think about it then.

Oh, and the upgrade option is not shown on the website for anything but for the AWD, but that is not accurate. The G37 I test drove was RWD. The pamphlet will show the info, but they don't make a big deal about it I guess because they expect people to go up to an S instead.

 

Well I'm going to spend the money to upgrade I definitely want sport for the brakes and the limited slip differential. This way 6 months from now I can say to myself "I should of gone sport".

Also I thought I read some place that powerful RWD cars perform better with a staggered set-up. am I wrong???

 

More aggressive rear tires will help keep the rear planted and give more grip for acceleration. Lower profile tires are a help in any location to provide transitional cornering grip and response due to less give in the sidewall. It would seem that there may not be any real advantages in having different sizes front to rear if you could have the same size tire in the front as well. After all, the G has a tendency to understeer when pushed, and having more grip up front should tend to make it more neutral. The problem is that extreme tire sizes do put more stress on steering components and you might have contact issues during full lock turns. I don't have any idea what the ideal tire size would be for the G37, but it doesn't necessarily equate that following a fad to the biggest & baddest is better.
My preference would be something in a 235 or 245/50 - 17 perhaps in a goodyear F1 a/s Z rated.
I had them on the car I traded and liked them a lot, plus they were very reasonable in cost. I don't know if they come in that exact size, but when they time comes for new rubber I plan to find out.

 

If it were me, I would go with a 18x8.5 wheel since you'll be able to mount 245/45/18 which offer a LOT more choices than any 50 profile tire.

 

I agree, but part of the reason I bought the car was to get an improved ride. 45 series rubber gets a bit rough. The pot holes in my city are not improving any.
The modified 04 Spec V I had drove like a go cart, and would have been great for autox, but it suk'd as a daily driver ride wise.
I actually could have gotten an G37S easily, and even liked the idea of paddle shifters but i found the Journey w/ premium did what I wanted for less money. Plus I wanted the rosewood interior trim, I didn't really care for the Washi metal look. You cannot get the rosewood in an S.
I guess I am just getting old.... LOL.

I know that it is popular right now for extreme wheels and rubber bands for tires, but real world use for these makes them a bit ridiculous. I have heard of numerous cases of rim damage because people hit surfaces with low profile rubber that simply can't absorb the impact. In fact one the original rims from the Spec had a small bent area in the inside bead lip, and it was running 215 / 45's at the time.

It also is not a trend that is readily supported by racing, but is simply a style thing.
Look at any pure race car, whatever the field or venue, and real low profile rubber won't be seen... unless it is possibly drifting.
But I don't consider drifting to be racing either, more like a case of showing off how fast you can waste tires. There are faster ways of getting around a track without burning off rubber. In fact most races get won by preserving rubber and avoiding the pits.
Nobody in racing gets points for style.
Lower profile rubber never seems to last as long either, so lets just say I am trying to think more practical as I get older.

 

45 series is not consider "ultra low profile" or "extreme wheels and rubber bands". You would need 20" wheels on a G37 to qualify for that.

A quick look on Tirerack shows that BMW runs 225/40/18 on the 2008 335i sport and 225/45/17 on their nonsport. If anything, a 245/45/18 is going to have a taller sidewall than any of their offers. BMW is regarded as having near perfect ride quality.

My 2008 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT currently rides on 215/45/17 which is fine. However, when I do need to buy new tires I'm going to be running Bridgestone Potenza 960AS PP in 225/45/17 because it is a size that has way more tire offerings.