350Z wheels on a 2g explained

[TuRBoTaLooN]

My buddy sold me his 18" 350Z rims for cheap and I'm putting them on my 1998 Eclipse GS-T. I've seen a few threads on here that are basically "what if" discussions, so I'm hoping to start this thread with some real answers and some real information.

Here's some basic info I've found out.

1) The wheels are NOT staggered, they are all 18 x 8".
2) The offset is 30mm whic is less than what is recommended for street use. The tires do stick out a bit, but not by much. I have some pics below, but will get some better ones to outline this.
3) The hub size on the 350z wheels is 66.06mm. I found this on a 350z forum, but I wouldn't mind someone confirming this information. In any case, it is different than the hub bore on a 2g, so hubcentric rings are necessary. Now I found an article on here saying that the hub on a 2g is 67.1mm (http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/handling-tech/201701-hubcentric-rings.html ) but that doesn't make sense to me since that would mean the wheels should not fit over the center hub on a 2g. They do though as they are on my 2g right now. The only reason I thought of this was because I went to drive the car and realized the car started shaking when driving because they are not centered.

Please post any more questions you guys have and I will try to answer them as I progress with this.

Here's some quick pics:

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I've read more web pages that confirm the hub bore size for my 2g is 67.1mm and the size for the 350z is 66.06mm. This would mean that the wheels should not fit on my 2g hubs....but they do??

Links to some more sources:
350Z 35th Anniversary wheel hub bore size? - Club Lexus Forums

Lug Pattern - DSM Forums: Mitsubishi Eclipse, Plymouth Laser, and Eagle Talon Forum: DSMtalk.com

Can anyone point me in the right direction of measuring these two sizes correctly so I can verify?

 

[TuRBoTaLooN]

Well I tried to take a wheel off to do some measuring but lucky me lost the damned lug nut key!! Anyone know where/how I can obtain a new one??

 

[tunethis]

Well I tried to take a wheel off to do some measuring but lucky me lost the damned lug nut key!! Anyone know where/how I can obtain a new one??

The local auto store?

The hub sizes are within 1.04 millimeters of each other so they fit but not even and flush. Those wheels won't work safely unless you get the center bore opened up to 67.1mm at a machine shop. They do look good on the car though.

 

[dsmTripp]

looks different but in a good way just take the nissan caps off your sportin a dsm not a nissan

 

[crimsondragon]

Running less than 32mm offset and you'll be putting load on the wheel bearings and accelerating wear.

 

[TuRBoTaLooN]

Running less than 32mm offset and you'll be putting load on the wheel bearings and accelerating wear.

Are you suggesting that this will make the wheel bearings go bad quicker and tires wear down faster? I'm seriously considering abandoning this project due to such issues. I've just never seen anything about these wheels on the car so I thought I'd give it a shot and document it.

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

weird I always thought they were staggered. Anyways thanks for the info, this will help out a lot of people.

i know the 350s are bigger but IMO, the GST chromes and 17" GSX wheels > stock 350z wheels as far as design/style.

 

[crimsondragon]

Are you suggesting that this will make the wheel bearings go bad quicker and tires wear down faster? I'm seriously considering abandoning this project due to such issues. I've just never seen anything about these wheels on the car so I thought I'd give it a shot and document it.

Sorry, it was actually less than 30mm that causes accelerated bearing wear.
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...g-dsm-wheel-tire-fitment-selection-guide.html
Read the offset section.

 

[TuRBoTaLooN]

Sorry, it was actually less than 30mm that causes accelerated bearing wear.
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...g-dsm-wheel-tire-fitment-selection-guide.html
Read the offset section.

Thanks for that helpful info. I recommend everyone read that, especially the link to the offset VFAQ as it has good explanations. So it seems as this should be ok. I'll see if I can't get the wheels centered and test it out and report back. I found a buddy who has some wheel lock keys I can use and then just switch to normal lug nuts.

And no, these wheels aren't necessarily the prettiest, but I personally think they look good as I'm sure other people do as well. You can usually find these wheels relatively cheap, so it's a nice upgrade. I also plan on removing the nissan logo on the center caps and filling in the holes and giving them a nice new coat of paint. Right now I'm thinking gunmetal, but that may change by the time I actually get around to doing it. Right now I'd just like to drive the car around.

 

[GrnZ]

Do yourself a favor and take them off your car.

 

[TuRBoTaLooN]

Do yourself a favor and take them off your car.

Seriously? Can you rationalize your statement? If you haven't noticed I'm trying to do something constructive here and provide information to fellow members regarding the use of these wheels on this car. Obviously they are not a perfect fit and there are some issues, but I am attempting to clarify these issues for other members. Please don't post here if will not be constructive. Thank you.

 

[eclipse-gs-t]

Seriously? Can you rationalize your statement? If you haven't noticed I'm trying to do something constructive here and provide information to fellow members regarding the use of these wheels on this car. Obviously they are not a perfect fit and there are some issues, but I am attempting to clarify these issues for other members. Please don't post here if will not be constructive. Thank you.

man that sucks becausemy friend give me his wheels from a 2008 350 which looks way different still wont fit?

 

[dannyd97gst]

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If you haven't already found the key to your locking lug nuts find one of these. A set would be to your benefit as they will remove any rounded off nut or bolt.
First thing I did when I bought my car, original owner lost the key. Any how as an earlier poster suggested, have the center section of the wheels machined, but that still won't help much with the offset.

 

[97gst_spyder]

Those are definitely 17in rims....

Size: 17x8.0
Offset: +33mm
Weight: 24.14lbs
Tire: 235/50/17

Also, the center bore is tapered if you look at it.

 

[MOTOR-RX]

If you cant get the lugs off use a 11/16 12 point socket and pound it on there.

that works on most aftermarket brand locks. If that sixe isnt it just keep trying other 12 points

 

[MOTOR-RX]

In my opniion its not the best look with the nissan cap

 

[gieri002]

Not my cup of tee either.

 

[gieri002]

*tea*

 

[TuRBoTaLooN]

Those are definitely 17in rims....

Size: 17x8.0
Offset: +33mm
Weight: 24.14lbs
Tire: 235/50/17

Also, the center bore is tapered if you look at it.

Nope, they are actually 18" rims.

Yea, other people have mentioned using either 19mm or 11/16 12 point sockets to get this thing off. I'll do my best today with it and hope for the best.

 

[97gst_spyder]

Mybad, I thought they were the 'base' not 'touring'. I ran the 17x8 on mine with no issues.

 

[TuRBoTaLooN]

Turns out a 19mm 12 point socket works nicely on the OEM wheel locks. Just a pain to get the lock out of the socket when you're done!

I did some measuring and in fact the hubs on the Nissan wheels are smaller than the hubs on the Eclipse. The only reason they semi-fit on the car was because the hubs on the wheels are tapered. I've officially decided this idea will not work. So here are the results of my little project here.....

1) The wheels will fit if you get the hubs of the wheels machined 1.04mm.
2) The 30mm offset is just at the threshold of incurring increased wheel bearing wear, but most people think its ok.
3) Looks pretty bad ass

So even though this didn't work out, some useful information has been posted about these wheels. Hopefully if people have other experiences with these wheels they will also post it up with some good info. Thanks guys.

 

[eclipse-gs-t]

Mybad, I thought they were the 'base' not 'touring'. I ran the 17x8 on mine with no issues.

i got this wheels from my friend for free nice right, but before i get new tires i need to know if will fit my car right without shaking here is some pic, help the brother

 

[TuRBoTaLooN]

Like I stated above (and mentioend a number of times in this post), the wheels will fit if you have the inner hub diameter bored to 67.1mm on the Nissan wheels. Just go to any machine shop and they should be able to do it for you. DO NOT just take a grinder to the wheels because then your wheels won't be round anymore and you'll shake and wobble all over the place.

 

[InfiniteGSX]

OR, if you run a small wheel spacer. We had to get a 1/8th inch spacer for some Lexus IS 5spoke wheels on my buddy's 2g. But honestly the safest way is to have the hub surface bored out on the wheel to the proper spec.

 

[davidmoise18]

if you get the 350z rims grinned down a bit to fit the eclipse can you then use them on the 350z again?