Larrio

iTrader: (10)

Thanks to Top Element Tuning for the great hookup. Excellent company to deal with. After some careful measuring and engineering, it was decided that I can safely run 17x9 wheels with 265 tires. The car handles awesome and looks freakin' bad azz!
Wheels are 35 offset and only 15.5lbs each. Amazing how much lighter wheels help acceleration and ride comfort.
Some pics:


More pics here:http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrow...elected=817080

Also installed the new Carbon Fiber front underbody diffuser with small strakes that extend out of the sides to prevent the ingress of air to the low pressure underside region. Should help high speed stability and wind noise from the engine area. Waiting to prototype the rear diffuser soon too.

Thanks slammed95!

NT2SHBBY

love wide azz 17's

Quicksilver

iTrader: (1)

Damn, that looks awesome! What kind of tires are those??


EDIT--> Actually, if you would/could, provide all the info for the wheels, tires, and Top Element Tuning (like a link to their website, if they have one)...

1phtmax

iTrader: (1)

that looks nice

how much did you pay for the wheels

Hamy

Woah!! Now thats the nicest looking set of 17's I've ever seen on a Max. Those wheels own, what a classy setup.

Cubanato

im def loving it i didnt even know we coudl safely run X 9 wide...good info to know

and awesome set up

YO HAMY did u get my PM??
-J

LithiuMax

Oh wow.. that's hot as hell. I wanted 18x8.5'sv, but this may change my mind.

NT2SHBBY

u need an azz shot bro.....how much did this set u back??

1phtmax

iTrader: (1)

r they 17 x 9 in front and rear

AcidReflex

Very, very nice ...

1FSTMAX

iTrader: (29)

Damn Larry, shiet looks off the hook!!!!

Larrio

iTrader: (10)

I'll take some more pics when I wash the car. They're the same size all around so I can still rotate the tires.
Can't disclose a price as I got them through Top Element at a discount for the sponsorship. PM slammed95 if you want anymore info on the wheels or custom CF parts.

Thanks to everyone for your input.

Ammi

iTrader: (26)

Are you able to turn your steering wheel all the way?

1phtmax

iTrader: (1)

may be at the next meet i can come along and check out them wheels

Larrio

iTrader: (10)

Yes, it doesn't rub even though I'm on Sprints. You can see how low it is in the pics.

Maxxxed

iTrader: (3)

Larrio,
I have been saving my money for the exact setup! I will be buying my before summer. They look great!

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

Looks great! Just don't go over any bumps!

Larrio

iTrader: (10)

Why not? The car accomodates them perfectly.

I just hope a bunch of people don't start using 9" wide wheels. I'll have to go wider...

Maxxxed

iTrader: (3)

Don't worry... I was planning on getting 8/8.5" ones...

LithiuMax

I looked at some prices online, and found that most 17x9 rims are about $200-250 a piece, without rubber. That's quite a price for 17's..

How much are tires that can fit that kind of rim? More than tires for 18x8.5?

Quicksilver

iTrader: (1)

Heh heh, I may not go that wide (265's), but I would like the ability to do so if I wished. I was going to go with 17x8's with 245/45-17's, but I really like the 265's you have on there.

Triple8Sol

iTrader: (29)

Looks good. How about some distance shots (sideshots, 1/4 shots, etc...)

Larrio

iTrader: (10)

Well, any decent rim will not be under $250. These wheels were considerably more than that. The have cast insides, while the outer part is forged. I don't want to be driving on crap, so the extra price is well worth it. Considering that I paid just a little more for all 4 wheels, than some local guys paid for each Blitz wheel, I don't feel bad.
When you start using tires wider than 245's, the price starts climbing quite a bit. Tires is one thing you can't skimp on, it's the only thing keeping you on the road. Surprisingly though, this wheel/tire combo weighs just 39lbs, while the stock ones weigh 52lbs. Talk about weight reduction!

No more pics for now, can't show some prototype parts from Top Element.

2k3TitaniumSe

iTrader: (3)

Wow, those are nice! I want 19x8.5 better. Or maybe go for the staggered steup 9" in the rear and 8" in the front. Just for the cool look.

maximadave

iTrader: (10)

looks sick Larry!!!

Larrio

iTrader: (10)

i'm more go than show, so I opted for this setup. I was looking for a lightweight rims to clear my brakes (soon to come) and some beefy rubber. I never thought that 17x9's would fit till we were messing around one day slapped a 35mm offset rim onto my car and it turned without rubbing. This is probably the limit though, because there is not much space left on the front fender nor the inside between the rim and strut mount. Btw, the tires are Falken 415's high performance summer

This enables me to keep some money in the bank for my engine build up and other mods.

and no it does not rub because the 5th gen fenders are a little flared, so the tires tuck just right underneath. I took some big dips and speed bumps with a couple ppl in my car, no problem. First gear winds up much faster, considering that i'm losing 13lbs of dead weight from each wheel

1FSTMAX

iTrader: (29)

So Larry with your 265's in the front, do you have any tractions probs having 15 PSI of boost?

95emeraldgxe

wow, those are WIDE! nice, very nice

Larrio

iTrader: (10)

the motor will give out before the tires do

more pics to come after i'm done with finals and sober after spring break.

Quicksilver

iTrader: (1)

Still won't help. Wider tires does not equal more overall traction...

KLOOGY

iTrader: (12)

Nice.....TET, where's my CF shiznit !....

IceY2K1

iTrader: (3)

I hope you're ready for this....you just opened a BIG WHOOP *** size can of worms.

2k3blk6spd

nice setup

Larrio

iTrader: (10)

yea... contact patch tech article from tirerack (wider is better)

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...al/contact.htm

MaxedOut

iTrader: (4)

damn larry,.. good ****.. haha hook up an eastcoast bro heh!

FanaticMadMax

They look really good, I like to get my tire to be wider, more aggressive looking. Thumbs up for the props.

Lumbee1

Please discuss.

Personally I have never heard this before but I am open to your comments and explanation.

Dave B

The contact patch area stays roughly the same regardless of the tire size you have on there. The contact patch area is related to weight, not tire size.
Lower profile/wide tires stretch the contact patch width wise giving you better lateral grip, but less straight line grip. Narrower and taller tires have a long, but narrow contact patch that gives better straightline grip, but gives up lateral grip.

Running super wide tires on a relatively light car like the Maxima may actually reduce overall handling because a lot of the tire tread isn't getting used.


Dave

Quicksilver

iTrader: (1)

Yes, that's exactly what I am saying. It's a simple matter of physics. The only way to actually increase the tire patch area is to change how the vehicle weight is distributed on it (by either changing tire pressures, changing vehicle weight, changing weight bias, suspension components...etc). The ONLY thing you can change by going wider (and not changing anything else at the same time) is the orientation/shape of the contact patch, not the actual contact patch surface/contact area with the pavement. I'll attack a picture that I have roughly drawn (got the idea from Miata Performance Handbook) that shows the change...


Imagine the "tires" I've drawn going left to right motion wise...


Those two tire/wheel combos have the exact same contact patch area, just with a different shape. One wheel/tire combo would give you more initial bite, while the other would give you more sustained traction (while slightly sacrificing initial traction/bite). The best bet for everyday performance street driving is to get the contact patch as square as possible. That way you still have decent acceleration traction, and still have decent continued driving traction.

If someone can post the other link which I explained this, please feel free as I can not for the life of me remember the thread title...

(I can't remember the actual area of the contact patch for the tires I have shown, based off a 1994-1995 Mazda Miata usage...something like 16.34 inches squared for both examples).

Quicksilver

iTrader: (1)

That article is very vauge. In order for that article to make sense, you need to compare two different tires on the same vehicle. They make what I call a "leap of faith", and just assume that you'll truly believe everything that they say/publish. I know it's not true b/c I've tested the very "theory" myself.

I'll use my truck as an example. My truck came with 255/65-16's originally, and even when I did all my mods, I couldn't hardly do long burnouts. I would chirp the tires, make 10-15' marks, and then catch and go. I also could not take any sharp turns at moderate speeds b/c my a$$ end would come flying out all the time. So, when those tires were spent, I went with some 275/60-16's. I found that I could start to launch better from a stop, but soon thereafter (while still WOT) I would break loose and lay a wheel, well, basically forever! I also found that I could handle turns at speed without the rear end trying to smack me in the face. So, I did some research, and this is what I came up with. I tried measuring my own contact patches from both tires, but it was difficult to get a good "print". The shapes were stretched (with the wider tire), though, just like my poorly drawn picture shows...