frnx Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 After owning my 2004 LE since new I have finally decided to uprade the squishy suspension with some OME springs, and KYB struts/shocks. I would like to put on some bigger tires after I get the suspension put on. I have the 17" platnum edition wheels and would like to put on either a set of 245/70/17 or 265/65/17. I am leaning toward the 265/65/17 but I'm concerned about the distance to the strut in the front. Is anyone currently running this size tire on the 17" rims? I have searched this and sveral other pathfinder forums but there isn't a lot of information on the 17" rims. Thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoesandsocks Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 okay first off welcome to the site always good to see new memebers on here second search harder its all there tire size is realative the fact u have a 17 in wheel does not make a difference example i have 31x10.5 r15 and i have a ome lift kyb struts and i dont rub at all now if u convert you metric tire to a standard via. http://www.extremeterrain.com/wrangler-jeep-metric-tire-conversion-calculator.html you get: 245/70/17 = 30.5x9.6/17 265/65/17 = 30.6x10.4/17 so they will fit no problem in my opinon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonianwalk Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 Yes, welcome to NPORA. If Shoe's metric conversion is correct, you should have plenty of clearance between the shoulder blocks of the tire and the lower spring perch on the strut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoesandsocks Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 just thought of something backspacing of your wheels may make them rub a lil but i bought my lift from stioc and he had oem wheels he has 31 inch duratecs and i dont belive he rubbed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceman2989 Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 (edited) shoesandsocks, on 16 May 2013 - 15:22, said: just thought of something backspacing of your wheels may make them rub a lil Bingo. More than the tire size, what will make them hit or miss the strut is the backspacing of the wheel. Lower backspacing means the tire is pushed further away from the body of the vehicle. Of course a taller tire is more likely to rub, but you can fit a taller tire and NOT have rubbing as long as the backspacing pushes the tire out enough to clear everything. As far as what the stock back spacing is on your 17s, I have no idea. Regardless of backspacing, however, if the tire diameter does not exceed what anyone else has done on stock wheels with the OME lift, you should clear the strut just fine. Does that make sense? If the overall diameter is the same as someone on 31x10.5R15s wether its metric or standard or whatever you decide, you'll clear it just as well as they did with the 31" diameter tires. I have 265/70/R16 on my stock suspension and clear the strut just fine. Edited May 16, 2013 by Iceman2989 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluewulf73 Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 (edited) I currently have 30X9.5X15 and have tested 31X10.5X15 on the truck. They fit no problem. (other than rubbing in reverse) I have aftermarket 15" wheels with 3.75" Backspacing. My original wheels couldn't fit anything larger than the 235/75/15's it came with so, as shoes stated, it is more about the backspacing on your wheels than the actual tire size (unless you are trying to get monster mudders in there) Try this. http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html It might give you an idea as to the difference in sizes between the 245, 265 you mentioned and a 31" tire. 245/65R17 = 29.5X9.7R17 265/65R17 = 30.6X10.4R17 265/70R17 = 31.6X10.4R17 Got the above measurements from here...shoes was ROM! http://tire-size-conversion.com/how-to-read-tire-size/ Edited May 16, 2013 by Bluewulf73 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frnx Posted May 17, 2013 Author Share Posted May 17, 2013 Thanks for all the info guys, that is pretty much the conclusion that I came to. I was hoping that someone would have put the 265/65/17 on the 17 stock rims and could confirm that they fit. Maybe I'll go out tonight and measure the backspace on the 17"rim. Does anyone know what the backspacing is on the OEM 16" wheel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frnx Posted May 17, 2013 Author Share Posted May 17, 2013 Backspacing on the OEM 17" wheels is 5.5". My springs are supposed to arrive next week sometime. I'll post some before/after pictures after everything is installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoesandsocks Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 soooo discount tire will do a test fit of a size for u Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frnx Posted May 17, 2013 Author Share Posted May 17, 2013 soooo discount tire will do a test fit of a size for u Thanks. Here is a before picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluewulf73 Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Grrr..anticipation = don't make us wait much longer... BTW, I just thought you should know that those rims are my favourite OEM Pathfinder rims for the R50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frnx Posted May 20, 2013 Author Share Posted May 20, 2013 Got the new tires installed today. They Are BFG Rugged Terrain AT in 265/65/17. I have only driven home from the tire shop but there was no rubbing or other problems and so far I like the look. The only problem that I had heard of with these tires is that they are noisey, but they are barely louder than my old HT tires. What do you think? Here is the distance to the strut mount, not too close is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonianwalk Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 You are fine with the tire/strut clearance. That distance is static (tire and spring mount move together) when it comes to suspension travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoesandsocks Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 (edited) mine are closer and i never had a problem devonianwalk is right your good to go Edited May 20, 2013 by shoesandsocks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluewulf73 Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 lookin' great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blevinger Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Looks good man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frnx Posted May 23, 2013 Author Share Posted May 23, 2013 Got started on the install last night. The rear was no problem, it only took me about an hour and a half. The struts were more of a problem. Is the connecting rod bolt that mounts to the back of the strut always such a problem? It took me longer to get that nut off than it did to get the rest of the strut out. Once I got the struts out I made a weak attempt to take the old struts appart with one of those cheap rental spring compressors but soon realized that even if I did get it apart there was no way I was going to get the new heavy-duty spring back in so I gave up for the night. Total time to get the rear done and the front struts out was about 4.5 hours. I dropped the struts off at a shop this morning and piled all the boxes right under their wall mounted heavy duty spring compressor, the mechanic said it will take them less than an hour. I shoud be able to get the struts back in tonight and dropped off for an alignment tomorrow. I'm going camping in western Maryland this weekend so I'll be able to give everything a good test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frnx Posted May 23, 2013 Author Share Posted May 23, 2013 Another question. The FSM references a part they call a spacer-Front Strut Insulator. It sits on top of the strut assembly between the strut and the fender. Is this something I need to replace? It is part #1 in the diagram below. I've never seen anyone mention it on the forum when talking about replacing the struts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoesandsocks Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 (edited) its just a gasket it doesnt do anything but keep tiny noises down u dont need to replace it. Edited May 23, 2013 by shoesandsocks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patqx4 Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 (edited) those tires look great! Your truck is clean man.. is it an LE platinum? what color is the interior? I'm looking forward to the lifted pics. Are you thinking about adding manual hubs? I have the same wheels as you and I'm trying to figure out how I'm gonna make them work. Edited May 24, 2013 by patqx4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frnx Posted May 28, 2013 Author Share Posted May 28, 2013 (edited) those tires look great! Your truck is clean man.. is it an LE platinum? what color is the interior? I'm looking forward to the lifted pics. Are you thinking about adding manual hubs? I have the same wheels as you and I'm trying to figure out how I'm gonna make them work. Thanks. It is a 2004 LE Platinum with black leather interior. It has almost 100K miles but I have only been averaging about 5-7 thousand miles a year for the past 3 years. There was a picture of a 02 or 04 with the 17" wheels and manual hubs. I can't remember where I saw it but I think he said he had to grind out the hub opening on the wheel to make them fit. I probably won't put manual hubs on unless I notice a dramatic change in mileage. EDIT: Here is the link http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/34029-02-pathfinder-project/?do=findComment&comment=648210 Edited May 28, 2013 by frnx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoesandsocks Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 he did that to have access u dont have to grind the wheel to make them fit u could just leave the hub caps off or pop them up everytime u need to lock the hubs he just did it for convienence u will see in the picture u posted only the center of the cap was cut to make a hole. u will notice a increase in mpg plus less wear and tear on your cvs i have them on both my r50 pathfinder and i got 2-3mpgs from both of them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluewulf73 Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 (edited) he did that to have access u dont have to grind the wheel to make them fit u could just leave the hub caps off or pop them up everytime u need to lock the hubs he just did it for convienence u will see in the picture u posted only the center of the cap was cut to make a hole. u will notice a increase in mpg plus less wear and tear on your cvs i have them on both my r50 pathfinder and i got 2-3mpgs from both of them I have had the hubs on for only two weeks and I am noticing a difference of about 50-55 km/tank and that is in the city, with the RTT on top. To me that is HUGE. So, yes, you will notice a difference and daily driving, the Pathy is easier to drive, especially in tight U or three-point-turns. Edited May 29, 2013 by Bluewulf73 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonianwalk Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 ... So, yes, you will notice a difference and daily driving, the Pathy is easier to drive, especially in tight U or three-point-turns. This! The first thing I notice when I re-engage my hubs is how heavy the front feels when turning and coasting to a stop feels heavier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frnx Posted May 29, 2013 Author Share Posted May 29, 2013 (edited) Finished the install last week and was able to take the truck camping this weekend. I have to say that this is exactly what the pathfinder needed. I loaded it up with the family and all of our camping gear and you couldn't even tell it was loaded by looking at it (it used to sag when I would fill up the gas tank). I didn't do any real off-roading this weekend other than the short trail up to the site, so I can't really report on that aspect yet. Since I did the lift there has been no rubbing at all with the 265/65/17 tires. I haven't had a chance to take some really good pictures, but here is one from right after the install. I don't think this picture does this lift justice. The stance is perfect and the tires fit the wheel wells perfectly IMO. I'll post some better pictures and the before and after measurements when I have some time. Let me know what you think. Edited May 29, 2013 by frnx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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