I've been reading a lot here since I bought my 2009 G37X coupe back in May and I'm toying with the idea of getting a nice set of rims to add a bit more style to the car. The stock wheels are 18" and I'd like to move up to 19" or 20" but it seems that without a drop the bigger wheel size decreases the visual appeal. I would like to keep the height of the car after the bigger wheels the same as it is now, which is stock. Has anyone done this and/or can anyone offer some possibilities in terms of how much of a drop would be needed with the bigger wheels?

My instincts tell me that if I move from 18" wheels to 19" then I would need to drop the car 1" and 2" for 20" wheels. Is it that simple or is there more to it?

Thanks.

Nick

 

If you install along with the larger diameter wheels you can control the amount of drop from negligible to several inches.

 

Thanks for the response and my mistake for posting in the wrong forum.

Nick

 

If you change the wheels you will HAVE to drop it. The way the car sits now the wheel gap is not nice to look at. If you go 19's which I did the wheel gap will be even bigger and make the car look more like a truck..20's and no drop will be even worse. IMO these should have be dropped from the factory. Stock height is

 

Why not get some eibachs and call it a day. The drop is just enough to get rid of the wheel gap

 

I like the stock height, visually, with the exception of the gaps between the tires and the body. I'm probably being naive but I don't want to lower it for fear of having to deal with speed bumps, driveway lips, snow, etc. all of which are a factor in my area. Thus, my question about dropping with bigger wheels.

To answer Doggy, based on the countless photos I've seen here I'm partial to the bigger wheels. Maybe it's something along the lines of bigger = better = more bad ***.

Nick

 

err noob question

but, isnt this true:
bigger wheels without dropping = better fill the wheel well?

 

Right, but then the car will sit higher off the ground, hence the thought to drop back to stock height.

 

Exact opposite is true. Bigger wheels without drop = more wheel gap.

What OP is trying to achieve (I think) is a slight drop to make the wheel gap like it was before adding the bigger wheels.

 

hmm, still having a hard time imagining that. If suspension is unchanged, then chassis to center of rotor should remain constant, regardless of wheels.

So, if change to bigger wheels, then the edge of the wheel would extend closer to the chassis and hence reduce wheel gap?

maybe im missing something

 

Correct.


I think BB is referring to "wheel gap" as the distance between the ground and the bottom of the body of the car while you mean it as the distance between the tire and the body.


To clarify I want to reduce the space between the tire and the body while hopefully maintaining the height off the ground.

Nick

 

No, by wheel gap I mean the space between the outer circumference of the tire and the fender. It will increase with larger diameter wheels. Put some 20s on your car without lowering it and you'll see what I mean. Or even easier, look at photos of others who've done it.

 

Interesting. I never would have thought that. Thanks for clarifying and I'll check out some photos.

Nick

 

BB, thanks for your help. I see what you mean with the increased wheel gap. Now time to decide on springs or coils...

Nick

 

No decision. Coils.