18In Rear Tyres Protrude From Guard?

[sonicii]

just after some advice, I have the 18in Nissan rims with 245/45r18 tyres on the rear of my 2005 sedan.

the top of the right tyre sits almost exactly flush with the outer edge of the guard, but the top of the left tyre protrudes slightly from the guard. It is only about 10mm, so nothing significant.

I am going to get it checked and aligned by a suspension shop, but just want to check if is normal for the 18in factory rims to sit this far out? I can't see how it could be lowered too much without the tyres hitting the guards unless I add a bit of negative camber.

the front tyres seem to sit further in, in relation to the front guards.

[n15m0]

Few questions:

1. which nissan rim do you have? pics?

2. the amount it sits outside the guard depends on the wheel width and offset.

When you lower your car, it will generally produce some natural camber like this / \

The lower you go, the more negative camber you will produce.

BUt yes, get it properly aligned first and then see how you go.Post pics if possible. I'm going to take a guess and say you are running factory coupe 18s, so the rears will probably be 8.5 +33.

[sonicii]

Thanks.

Here are some pics, hopefully they will be helpful.

I have read some posts on g35driver of people using 9.5 wide rims with 0 offset, and can't really understand how they can get them to fit?

[n15m0]

Yup thats about right for those coupe 18s on stock suspension. drop in some 350z springs or suspension/lower it approx 30mm and it will be sweet.

As for ppl running 9.5 +0 offset...with a bit of creativity anything can be achieved. Slammed suspension, -5 degrees camber, running stupid stretch tires + rolled fenders and you will be right. Your car would however look incredibly stupid IMHO not to mention you will be avoiding every road hump and rock on the road and running on only half your tires each side.

[sonicii]

Thanks for your help. I have only had the car for a few weeks, so I am not sure what is factory original for a sedan and what has been changed. The tyre placard shows tyre size and pressures for 18in tyres, so I had just assumed that these rims were standard sedan 18in rims.

I will keep an eye out for 350z springs. Is there anything else you would suggest when fitting these springs? different shocks? Any other suspension components to get the alignment correct?

oh, and just for the record - I have no intention of ever fitting 9.5in rims with 0 offset, I agree that it looks stupid with exessive camber, I was just wondering how they managed to get them to fit.

This is my daily driver, so I don't want anything too uncomfortable, and don't want to be destroying tyres in 5,000km.

Edited September 21, 2011 by sonicii

[n15m0]

I actually have the full set of 350z shocks and springs combo in my V. If you can find a decent set with low Kms, it would be a bang for buck mod. You shouldn't need any other suspension components for this mild drop, just a normal wheel alignment. Aftermarket coil overs are another option but will set you back more than $1K and majority will have higher spring rates which will compromise ride comfort.