Meli1313

Hello people,

its my first time here and I am the new owner of a 2002 Nissan Maxima GLE and I have been having trouble with comprehending the whole tire size to fit the Rims I got for it. I got them on Kijiji, 17 inch Nissan Rims apparently came off a maxima as well. My maxima right now has 215/55/16 for the winter. I do know the Rims I got are a little bigger and I am wondering what size of tires to get for it. Someone told me it should be 225/50R17.. Would that be true? Others tell me to ask Nissan, but I am not able to reach them unless I pay to get that simple information... Of course Im a girl and people tend to think I have no clue what I am talking about, but I have been trying to learn about my Car and understand it, but the tire size, I just dont get it... Someone can help me please?

SSJRICH

225/50/17 will work fine


225 is the width of the tire


50 is the series or profile of the tire (the height from inside diameter to outside diameter)


17 is the rims size (in your case 17")


225/55/17 or 235/55/17 or 235/50/17 They all will work fine. as long as you have a factory maxima rim.

Meli1313

well its not the rim on the attachment you have posted. I really appreciate your answer, that will help a lot, the rims I have are Nissan 17 inch Rims with bolt pattern of 5X114.3, which I know is supposed to fit my car. But then why can I put 3 different sizes? Not sure which size would be the best in order to get a good grip in the summer especially when it rains as last summer it kept sliding and I hated it...

nissandrvr98

iTrader: (3)

tires stretch, you have a little play with the actual size. we're talking about millimeter size differences. i also have the 17" wheel and i personally did away with the 225/50's that came and run 235/45's now. bit of a rougher ride but much better handling and with my drop, it just looks better.

Meli1313

Thanks! Now I feel better in knowing what kind of tires I have to get, finally I found somewhere where there is people able to answer your questions on nissan maxima. Thanks again

foodmanry

iTrader: (15)

I'm running 235/50/17 on my 2k max. They work just fine.

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

Aspect ratio.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiret....jsp?techid=46
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiret....jsp?techid=45
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/tiretech.jsp

DOODOOCHIP

225 55 17

Meli1313

Ok I have been getting conflicting info.. Now its time I get the tires and apparently 215/55/17 is the size I should go for and not 225/50/17. Im not trying to have the car look like a sport car, its just not a sports car... Its just a normal maxima 2002 GLE.. So, can anyone answer that? I have 17 rims from Nissan.

Thanks for your honest replies everyone, I appreciate.

ateick

iTrader: (1)

Both will work. I have had both sizes in the past. I have an SE and I bought it with 215/55/17 on it. IIRC the GLE came stock with the same size. When I was due for a change I went with 225/50/17 which was stock size for the SE. Minimal difference visually between the two of them. I would say if you lean towards comfort go 215/55/17. If you lean towards slightly better handling 225-235/50/17. Or if you are driven by budget compare which is the cheapest. You have lots of options.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

215/55/17 is OEM for your car, so yes, it fits, and is exactly what Nissan did with your maxima from factory.

215 means that the tire is 215mm wide.
55 is the aspect ratio. in other words that tire is 55% as tall as it is wide.
In this particular case the height of the tire is 215 * 0.55 = 118.25 mm
17 means its for 17" rims or wheels.

All the other tire sizes that have been suggested will work, with subtle changes. For example, take the 225/50/17 tire.

That tire is 10 mm wider than OEM.
The aspect ratio 225 * 0.5 = 112.5 mm...approx 6 mm shorter than OEM.

The 225/50/17 tire compared to OEM 215/55/17 would offer better performance in the dry, and better road feel. At the same time the 225/50/17 tire would sacrifice a bit of road comfort and a little road driving confidence in the rain when compared to OEM.

Generally, start with OEM and go from there.
Wider tires have better dry grip, but may sacrifice wet grip.
Shorter tires have better road feel, but may sacrifice riding comfort.
Pick the the tire that best suits your tastes and preferences.

If you want normal, go OEM.

Additionally, the tire sites like discounttiredirect.com and tirerack.com offer very helpful tools to find the right tire. You just put in your year, make, and model, and the tire configurator will show you original tire size that came with your car and also list a slew of options available to you.

A picture is worth a 1000 words and the site below has good pics explaining the above(be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page);

http://www.trazano.com/t-tire-sizes.aspx

Hope this helps.

Meli1313

Wow thank you dwapenyi for your detailed answer, and so fast, Im so glad Im on this site. So yeah I guess if I dont want t super slippery ride, like I had last summer, I will go with OEM. 215/55/17 it is

svillegas2253

My 03 se has 245 50 17. Not sure if they are the OEM size but they look a bit big lol

Runs very smooth on them though, but what should I use when I lower the car??

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

Your OEM was 225/50/17 so those 245s are wider and taller. As for what you should use when lowering, it depends on what you want. Since lowering increases performance potential, you could increase it further with lower profile tire. You might also consider bigger rims which look better, and may feel like they are better, but performance does actually suffer because of increased unsprung weight, rotational mass etc. Generally, start with the OEM size, and if you want more, upgrade the wheels/tires after the suspension lowering.

colt149

iTrader: (1)

The following OEM specification came from Nissan Maxima 2002 Brochure

Wheels and Tires

16 5 spoke aluminum alloy wheels (GXE)
17 6 spoke aluminum alloy wheels (SE)
17 7 spoke aluminum Alloy wheels (GLE)


P215/55HR16 tires (GXE) (overall height:56.3 inches, turning diameter:34.5ft)

SE and GLE have turning diameter: 40 ft
P225/50VR17 Performance tires (SE) (overall height:56.7 inches)
Stabilizer Bar thicker: 23 mm bushing, Sport tuned suspension, higher rear spring rate
P215/55HR17 tires (GLE) (overall height: 57.1 inches)
Stabilizer bar:22 mm bushing

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

Interesting that the turning diameter increased by over 5 feet due to the bigger rims.

Meli1313

I went with 215/55/17, just as the manufacturer actually says it should be. Purchased new tires, I was so tired of wondering if used tires would do the job and if I was getting good ones. Looks great with bigger rims and Im happy. I would not have been able to do all that, purchasing 4 17inches RIMS for 100 bucks on Kijiji and New tires, without you guys help. Thanks so much!

ateick

iTrader: (1)

Hey congrats and now enjoy the purchase. Nothing better than a set of fresh rubber.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

Nice

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

It's because the SE's and anything with 17's have larger bump stops due to the increased tire width. Some people remove them or trim them down.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

For the longest time I was under the impression that the Maxima turning radius was decreased to protect the CV joints from being destroyed by the torqier Vq35 motor. Applying 210+ hp to the front wheels in a right angle turn must be absolute murder on the CV joints.

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

Write-up on replacement, but this is the thing. Also, most of us are lowered with lower offset wheels albeit a bit wider which potentially gives us better clearance, in any case, it wont improve much.

http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...placement.html