08 SE-V8 - The 20" Wheel Story <Saving U the Pain>

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Birdbath8
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08 SE-V8 - The 20" Wheel Story <Saving U the Pain>

Postby Birdbath8 » Sat Apr 26, 2008 8:31 am

A while back I posted about ride quality concerns with custom 20" wheels and 285/50's that I had installed and received a lot of great advice. The advice was mainly to go back to the original 18's and call it a day. I've never been good at listening to advice until I've explored all possibilities. Call me stupid, stubborn, persistent, insane...whatever, it's just the way I am.

For those still looking to upgrade to a plus size wheel/tire combo I'd like to share my experience to save you the painful trip down the road I've traveled to get this all straightened out. I believe that I, for whatever reason, have really bad luck when it comes to aftermarket mods on vehicles, but my pain could be your gain, so maybe it's worth it.

While some will recommend that you not #$$% with your wheels and their advice has some great merit, you just can't beat the look of a nice set of 20's with an aggressive tire. Hey, what can I say, I live in So Cal where everyone expresses their personality through their rides. Vanity is alive and well here.

About 2 months ago I went searching for custom wheels. I went to a major tire franchise (conveniently a few blocks away) and met with some great people (I will refer to them as "pros" from here on out) who gave me a bunch of wheel selections to choose from. The first red flag should have been the fact that the bolt pattern on the Path is not all that common according to the so called "pros" (i.e. 6 x 4.5" or 114.3mm). They did find a couple wheels that I liked, ordered them, installed a set and off I went.

The first problem i noticed was the vibration in the steering wheel at 60+ mph. I figured it was a balancing issue so I took it back. I also noticed that the vehicle seemed hypersensitive to bumps but realized after posting here that's what you sacrifice for the larger diameter wheel and lower profile tire.

To make a long story shorter, I took the vehicle back 9 times....9 times! The "pros" switched out the rims for different types 3 times, the tires 3 times and finally figured it had something to do with the centerbore of the wheel not matching the hub diameter (hmmmmm....you think?). So, these guys order a set of hub rings that supposedly fit the vehicle hub while the outer diameter of the ring is supposed to fill the gap in the wheel bore. They installed them and off I went. Guess what, still had the vibration.

By this time the "pros" have just about given up. They send me to a true pro who balances wheels on the vehicle and after an hour drive to them they have an answer within 5 minutes. This real pro tells me that the hub ring isn't the right fit for the vehicle. He says that it doesn't matter how many times they balance my wheels, they will never be true without a perfect hub fit (i.e. either with rings or via a hub centric wheel). I didn't know the first thing about wheel bores, hub rings, etc. but I'm a smart guy so I start taking notes and jot down the hub diameter of the pathfinder (66.1mm) and also have the guy I went to visit call the "pros" to tell them exactly what they need to do which you'd think is standard procedure.

So, I have a lengthy discussion with the "pros" and they say that nobody makes a hub ring with a 66.1mm inner diameter (and that nobody in this area builds custom rings), and that the best bet is to go back to 18's and find a hub centric wheel with a bore of 66.1. At this point, I don't buy what I'm being told so I do some research. Guess what, within minutes of online surfing I find a ring that fits the vehicle perfectly. I find out what wheel distributor this tire franchise uses and speak to a guy there who is very knowledgeable in wheel fitments (there not used to speaking with the actual end customer but was very accommodating) and you know what, within 10 minutes I found a 20" wheel with a wheel bore of 72.6..where they also have a hub ring with an inner diameter of 66.1 up to 72.6 for a perfect fit.

Needless to say, I was numb (beyond angry, just floored) that these "pros" wasted so much of my time (about 9 hours now) for something that, had I been educated enough on this stuff, would have known exactly what to ask when ordering. But that's why we go to "pros" right?

The moral of this story is, when getting custom wheels for your late model pathfinder (or really any vehicle for that matter) don't rely solely on what the "pros" say is a good fit. There are some vehicles out there that seem to do okay with a wheel bore that is slightly different that the hub, but not the pathfinder. Find out for yourself, do the research and make sure the perfect fit is found. And just as a side note, the ride quality, once the wheel actually fits isn't bad at all. Yes, the bumps can be felt in the steering wheel, but the vehicle doesn't stray from it's course and rides just fine.

Thanks and hope this helps.


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Mr Mayor
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Postby Mr Mayor » Sat Apr 26, 2008 8:46 am

Great story! We have quite a similar personality...not leaving "well enough" alone...

Now, show me the frikkin wheels ya got!!! Image Image

MGJ

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Birdbath8
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Thanks MGJ

Postby Birdbath8 » Sat Apr 26, 2008 9:05 am

I'll have pics up by Friday. I'll send them your way. The Moto Metal MO951's are what I've gone with. They are 20" x 9" Chrome. Nice looking wheel. Have a great weekend!!


:D

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08Datsun
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Postby 08Datsun » Sat Apr 26, 2008 9:09 am

Wow! I'm surprised tempers didn't flare with the original "pros". It seems it's hard to find anyone that knows jack about their own trade anymore.

I guess we know who to come to now for wheel advise. After 20 years of putting aftermarket wheels on my cars, I'd never even heard of a hub ring. I had to look it up to see what you were talking about.

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Fofiddy
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Postby Fofiddy » Sun Apr 27, 2008 11:35 pm

Good info Bird Bath, Also Nice wheel choice. Black or chrome?

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Captain
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Postby Captain » Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:42 am

Im glad you found a correct rim for the PF. I would lik to see some pics when you can ge them online.

mkaresh
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Postby mkaresh » Tue May 27, 2008 9:11 am

Too typical in too many areas.

Reminds me of the time an airline employee at the ticket counter told me a certain flight or seat wasn't available. There was a pay phone a few feet away (this was before I had a cell). I walked to the pay phone, called the airline, and got the ticket/seat I wanted.

You'd think that people who do something every day would be really good at it. But too often this is not the case.

Mister V
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Postby Mister V » Thu Nov 20, 2008 11:59 pm

So does this mean that it will be a bugger to fit these on my '08 SE?

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/7793 ... s03rn9.jpg

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/9296 ... 003py9.jpg

They are the 20" X 8.5 Rota Grid Offroads (TE-37 knock offs) in Sports Bronze. I haven't ordered them, but have never had any issues swapping rims onto and off of my Hondas. This is the first SUV I have owned and I really don't feel like dropping 3000gs on rims and rubber only to have to go through a bunch of shit to get them to work. I don't want to mod the suspension yet either. maybe down the line, but right now this is all I want.

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MonkeyMike
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Postby MonkeyMike » Fri Nov 21, 2008 6:49 am

Mister V wrote:...I really don't feel like dropping 3000gs on rims and rubber ...
wow. $3,000,000 for wheels and tires... i think you are getting ripped off :P:lol:

here is the actual product page... http://www.rotawheels.com/wheels.asp?wheelid=21
stock wheel offset is +30, these are +20. i believe the stock rims are 16x7 or 17x7.5. compared to the 17" wheels, the offset and the rim width are going to add almost 1 inch to the back of the wheel/tire (over 1 inch when compared to the 16" wheels). this may cause problems during a full lock turn. i know people have had issues when they increase their tire width on a stock rim.

also, i have no clue on the hub-centric / bolt-centric issue.

i do like the TE-37 style rims though... too bad the Grid Type X was not available in our size requirements... those would look amazing on a PF.

~mike

nvrdun
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Postby nvrdun » Fri Nov 21, 2008 2:11 pm

Ive been running 20" wheels on my 05 Pathfinder since Mar 06.

I ordered them through Tire Rack with some 285/50/20 Yokohoma tires. They are ASA and I do not remember anything other than they are 20x8.

I do not have hub rings nor do I have a vibration. At the time I simply could not find "specific wheels for the Pathfinder", through my own research I did find out that wheels for certain model year Durangos would fit. So that is what I ordered, and like I said, for me they have worked for 2 years now.

The only issue was the lug nut size that came with the wheels. They sent lugnuts for a Durango which was a different thread pattern from the Pathfinder. So again, I did research, and ordered some correct lug nuts.

Billy T.
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Postby Billy T. » Fri Nov 21, 2008 4:53 pm

My liquid metal 22s roll perfect on my truck... no vibrations, no hub centric rings... 265/40/22s

I contacted Rota about the grids. As of now, they aren't being imported. They would let me order a set of each size if I could wait a few months to get them... no thanks. They were on display at SEMA, though. Maybe they will get over here eventually.

nvrdun
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Postby nvrdun » Fri Nov 21, 2008 5:10 pm

Here is a pic of the ASA RK-1 20"


Image

Mister V
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Postby Mister V » Sat Nov 22, 2008 3:17 am

I was quoted 1100 shipped for 20 inch Grid Offroads in sports bronze by 18 Racing, the North American Rota distributors. And I'm in Canada if that makes a difference. The tires are 1200 in 275/55/20 and this is with a Direct Buy membership...so 35% off regular retailer price. They would be fairly aggressive all terrain tires. Kumho I think. I'd have to double check.

So a month ago it would have been less than the equal amount in US dollars. But now that the Canadian dollar has dropped I'm not sure what the equivalent dollar amount would be in USD.

I do like them in 16s too.

http://bp3.blogger.com/_Xa5le1OezQU/SI_ ... anTE37.jpg

But I think that if I'm gonna splurge on rims and tires that I should get something special (and we don't really do the off road thing) so I'm leaning towards the 20s.

Is there an R51 rim thread cuz I'd love to see what types of rims people have used on their Pattys?

Leigh

Mister V
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Postby Mister V » Sat Nov 22, 2008 3:21 am

Yeah and it would be a five month wait cuz they'd have to be custom from Rota. I have five months of winter left to deal with anyways. I wouldn't want them till spring summer. Still...looming recession and all. Maybe I should just pay off some debt before I look at this type of mod. I already have a grille guard, rear bumper guards and taillight guards coming in anyhow. I like that look...what can I say. I don't plan on ramming stuff, but I always like having that option open to me!


:D

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Captain
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Postby Captain » Sat Nov 22, 2008 7:25 am

What did you do with the stock rims?


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