# B14 Tires



## Russia (Jul 24, 2003)

Ok, in the past few weeks there have been a few threads and a few arguments about different places to buy, and different sizes for tires for the B14, fitment and all different stuff...I just wanted to make a thread to sum it all up together and to help me, and anyone else looking to buy tires....buy tires.

Ok the first question is the right size for the B14. I have 17X7.5" rims that now need tires. The debate was whether to get 215-40-17 tires or 205-40-17...Now things in question were whether the bigger tires were too big and would rub, or wouldnt fit, or look bad...for pro's it was that they would give more traction and more cushion for the ride. Now my suspension is completely stock and will probably stay like that so which one would be the setup with no rubbing problems...and the least amount of "uncomfortableness" in the ride? My first concern is messing up the suspension and everything else is second.

Ok now the second question is what kind of tires to get...Im around a $300-$350 budget and looked at a few places to get tires. Now my main question is would it be cheaper to go local and find good tires at a store and pay $350 for all tire or go to Ebay where Im guessing they are cheaper and pay around $270 for tires and close to $100 for shipping?

Now for some links, I dont really know what makes a good tire good or a bad tire bad but here are the ones on Ebay...what are your recommendations?

215-40-17 - http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?query=215+40+17&ht=1&sosortproperty=1&from=R10&BasicSearch=

205-40-17 - http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?query=205+40+17&ht=1&sosortproperty=1&from=R10&BasicSearch=

Thanks a lot for your help guys.


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## OneViaVision (Apr 2, 2003)

these are 17" w/ 205 40 17 tires. With factory suspension and there is no rubbing at all. You can put 18's on the b14 with no rubbing but you will need to also put aftermarket suspension exe. coilovers, shocks, camber.. $$$









rear /\









front /\










Also the 17's will give you better performance. However I think i will go ahead and do the suspension thing down the road anyways because i dont really car for that gap in the wheel well... well anyways be sure it hit up b14nissan.org we have been working on ver. 2.0 and it is going to be much better I will keep you posted with the release date.


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## Sethticlees (May 30, 2002)

You can run 215/40/17 on your 200sx (thats what I had) but you don't need to!
Get the 205/40/17 they're the way to go.

As for brands the Potenza's are the best and will last the longest but they cost a lot.
At the recent Seattle Meet I checked out all the tires on each car and ones I liked best where the KUHMO 712's. 
For price/performance IMHO it's the best bang for buck.
So thats what I'm getting.
Just waiting for em to go on super sale is all.


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## viprdude (Jun 27, 2003)

ill stick with my stock alloy 15 inch rims. i love them, i might go 16, but im very content with 15 right now.


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## apachewoolf (Mar 7, 2004)

I have the 205 40 17's on mine and it does come close to rubbing the inside fender wells when you turn sharply. I can't fit my finger inbetween the gap but I have no concern. they don't rub


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## Sethticlees (May 30, 2002)

apachewoolf said:


> I have the 205 40 17's on mine and it does come close to rubbing the inside fender wells when you turn sharply. I can't fit my finger inbetween the gap but I have no concern. they don't rub


Is it lowered?


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## samo (Apr 30, 2002)

205/40/17 is the ideal size on the B14, assuming you're running a normal offset and width.


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## BennittoMallito (May 20, 2002)

Sethticlees said:


> As for brands the Potenza's are the best and will last the longest but they cost a lot.
> At the recent Seattle Meet I checked out all the tires on each car and ones I liked best where the KUHMO 712's.
> For price/performance IMHO it's the best bang for buck.
> So thats what I'm getting.
> Just waiting for em to go on super sale is all.


I had Kuhmo 712's on my B14 (205/50/15) and they weren't all that good. Cheap, sticky, but horrendous the second a drop hit the ground. They don't hold up well to serious abuse. Also they are the root of many a wheel-hop problem. Tire-rack is my first click when tire shopping usually.


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## manuelga (Dec 14, 2003)

viprdude said:


> ill stick with my stock alloy 15 inch rims. i love them, i might go 16, but im very content with 15 right now.


Keep your 15" rims.... those rims have a weight advantage.... check mike kojima's opinion at... http://www.sentra.net/tech/garage/ go to the suspension chapter...

& by the way those are great rims... I want those, specially those the one that you have


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## Galimba1 (Aug 16, 2002)

Straight out of The Comprehensive Sentra Handling Guide!
By Mike Kojima



> *Don’t over tire or wheel your car.* Our cars will go the fastest and handle best with the widest, lightest 15 inch wheel that will fit. 16, 17 and 18 inch wheels which look radical, really slow the car down because they are heavy and the bigger diameter screws up the gear ratio (yes, I know that I run 17 inch wheels on my car but I love the look and don’t mind being a rice boy sometimes). There are no R type tires out yet in these big plus sizes to my knowledge yet either. *The widest tire that you should run unless you have a turbo or some other ungodly power is a 205. Wider tires will result in more drag that our relatively low power engines can accelerate. A 205/50-15 works well in most cases* and a wide variety of R compound tires are available in this size. The maximum rim width that the B14/B15 can run is 7.5 inches with a 35-40 mm offset.


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## Sethticlees (May 30, 2002)

BennittoMallito said:


> I had Kuhmo 712's on my B14 (205/50/15) and they weren't all that good. Cheap, sticky, but horrendous the second a drop hit the ground. They don't hold up well to serious abuse. Also they are the root of many a wheel-hop problem. Tire-rack is my first click when tire shopping usually.



I believe we are destine to disagree... you're a Mac user!


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## OneViaVision (Apr 2, 2003)

Galimba1 said:


> Straight out of The Comprehensive Sentra Handling Guide!
> By Mike Kojima


yeah but the 17's make the girls go... oooooooooo!

It was a scetchy ground... but i think the 17's were justified in my eyes..


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## BennittoMallito (May 20, 2002)

Sethticlees said:


> I believe we are destine to disagree... you're a Mac user!


Well not really. Potenza's are quite good. Having actually owned the Kuhmo's in question I felt compelled to reply. I prefer Toyo's, and Yoko's cause they simplify my life. Unlike PC's, and those Kuhmo's.


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## aminidab (Apr 30, 2002)

I have a similar question. I need to replace my front tires but the rear ones are still ok. I'd like to get bigger tires put on the front as I'm putting my turbo back on soon.
Couple of questions, would that be a bad idea having different size tires on the front/back? The difference would be minimal, so I don't think it would look bad. 
The tire size I currently have is 205/50R15 and I was thinking of putting on some 215/50R15 tires up front. (Ideally I would like 215/45R15 but I don't think this tire size exists)


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## viprdude (Jun 27, 2003)

i had not even remembered that part on mike's garage. i just liked my wheels for looks especially and i like the size for the street. thats awesome that mike agrees, haha


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## Greg200SE-R (Feb 5, 2003)

BE CAREFUL! Many 205/40/17 tires warn NOT to mount on a 17X7.5" rim. Be sure to find out before you buy tires. I think 215s would be ideal since the extra 10mm of tire width would accomodate the extra 1/2" the rim has. 

Keep an eye on eBay... There are great deals to be found. I picked up a set of sweet Falken ZE-512s for $240 + $120 2nd day air. 

These tires would have cost me at least $100ea plus shipping otherwise. Good luck!


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