You may not have noticed, but our sport-package-equipped 2009 Nissan 370Z has got some serious wheel and brake hardware. The forged alloy wheels measure 19x9 up front and 19x10 at the rear. The corresponding tire sizes are 245/40R19 and 275/35R19s. This is on a sub-3,400-pound car with 332 horsepower, mind you.
For comparison, BMW's expired Z4M coupe, a car with a similar size/weight/power, rolled on 18x8s up front, 18x9s in the rear and 225/45R18 tires up front and 255/40R18s in back. Even the base Corvette (18s up front and 19s in back) has 245-width tires in front and 285s in back.
The Z's braking performance during testing was a little controversial, but in terms of specs -- 14-inch rotors up front with four-piston calipers -- there's nothing to complain about.
When it's standing still, the 370Z really looks the part thanks to those 19s, big brakes and wide tires. And with an as-tested 70.4 mph slalom speed and 0.93 g on the skidpad, it's got the numbers to back it up.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor @ 4,186 miles
clarkma5 says:
07:20 PM, 03/30/09
I like the 18s more and they are what I would buy.
dougtheeng says:
06:08 AM, 03/31/09
Those rims are pretty overstyled, IMO. But then again, compared to the 350z, a lot about this car is overstyled. If I was looking for a 370z, I think I would budget for some new rims right off the bat.
felonious says:
08:30 AM, 03/31/09
Well, I like the rims. I have a whole new appreciation for them after reading that recent Straightline article too - thanks Edmunds!
http://blogs.edmunds.com/straightline/2009/03/an-mv-agusta-f4-750-inspired-the-nissan-370zs-sport-package-wheels.html