Tyres & Alignment

Here I hope to help clarify as much as possible when it comes to tyres, it does seem to drag on a bit, but its everything you should know... and this page is currently under construction..please be patient.

The factory standard fitment tyres are 205/55/16 91 V. What does all this mean?

205 is the width of the tyre from sidewall to sidewall, and is measured in milimeters, meaning 205mm width.
55 is the aspect ratio / percentage of the tyre width, also measured in milimeters.
16 is the size of the tyre, and measured in inches.
91 is the load index of the tyre - in this case 615Kg per tyre, at maximum tyre pressure
V is the speed rating of the tyre, which is 149mph.

What if I want to fit aftermarket alloy / magnesium wheels?

Size is entirely up to what the car will physically accomodate, including if it has been lowered, and there are also caliper clearance to take into consideration.

I have seen R33 GTST's with 19"x9" wheels, but modifications may be needed. The 18"x8" wheels fit nicely on a R33 lowered by 42mm front and 40mm rear. On a standard ride height it feel a bit overbalanced, and drives a bit like a boat.

A typical tyre fitment for 18x8 inch wheels would be 245/45/18 (91-W), 255 tyres may fit, 225 tyres do fit.

The most important things here are  that the load index (91) must remain the same, or go a higher  - i.e 93. The speed symbol may go higher as well, as undoubtedly the engine performance will be being enhanced, but changing these may not give any benefit or noticeable imrpovement with regards to performance and handling overall. As suspension system components may also need to be changed or altered.

Another important note on the speed rating is that the tyre only holds out for 10 minutes at max pressure before it starts to disintigrate.

Tyre Pressures are equally important here, and you should start by using the standard pressure, and then working it out with tyre wear. An under inflated tyre will wear more on the shoulders than the centre tread, whereas an over inflated tyre will wear more on the centre treads than on the shoulders.

Ideally you should use Nitroflate - a 70% nitrogen and 30% oils and air vapour. Why? With normal air, it will expand and contract as the tyre is driven on. The centrifugal force and moving components creates heat , which is passed on through the air (inside the tyre), causing it to expand. If a tyre is out of its useable life (sidewalls showing signs of cracking, splits & cracking along the inner radius of the tyre, between the treads) and the air expands beyond the point that the tyre simply gives. From this any number of things may happen, from the car pulling in to one side, although still controllable, to a rear tyre blowing out and you could end up sideways or worse (its unlikely youl gain control quick enough to avoid an accident).

Heres where Nitrogen comes into play. unlike air it is not affected by heat, and therefore remains the same pressure for longer periods of time. Dont think for one second its the solution to not checking tyre pressures, they still need to be checked monthly because VALVES & valve cores may leak, and excessively corroded alloy wheels may leak air between the bead of the tyre and the rim. More on thi is available under "Wheel care".

The Alignment should also be checked monthly, and wheels should be balanced too. An unbalanced wheel can cause vibrations through the steering, as well as damage to suspension components, wheel bearings etc.

Unfortunately for us modifyers, it is entirely down to us to test different alignment setups and tyre pressures in order to get everything "spot on". And the fact that you could be looking at paying £400.00 for a semi decent set of tyres doesnt help.

What Tyres are the best?

Well, as far as the Skyline is concerned, Avon ZV3 205/55/16 91V and Avon ZZ3 245/45/18 91V are no use. Cut a long story short, tyres start with 8mm of tread, by the time the Avons were down to 5mm across the cars road handling became very unpredictable, and caused me to lose control twice and hit the curb on both occasions, in the wet theyr just plain lethal.
Avon is a NO for the R33 GTST.

A very good combination Ive had is Goodyear Eagle F1 225/45/18 on the front and Dunlop SP 9000 245/45/18 on the rear.
Goodyear are a good make of tyre and value for money

Dunlop 245/45/18 all round is also good, but she does still drift easily if you want it to. Dunlop SP9000 & SMAXX are also good tyres and good value for money.

The best tyres for the R33GTST though, are Bridgestone RE050A 225/45/1 front and 245/45/18 on the rear. Have I ever had these fitted to my R33? sadly no, I havent, ironic how i do what i do for a living, and cant afford the best product we have for this particular car. How do I know these are the best? Look at Formula 1, Bridgestone sponsoring tyres, other leading brands arent. The Nissan GTR, OEM fitted RE050A. If they are good enough for the GTR, then they are good enough for me.

Wheel Care

As you drive along theres always the chance you could hit a pothole at speed, which could throw the balance of the wheel out, so you should go straight to your local Tyre Pro center and have the wheels balanced, and checked for any sustained damage done as a result of hitting the pot hole.

Sometimes the sidewall may have a bulge, this tyre is no longer safe to drive on as the sidewall strength has been weakened, and could blow out. A new tyre is needed. In most cases the price you are quoted for is the price of the tyre, valve, balance and disposal of the old tyre





Important notes on tyre wear



Suspension units have a working life of between 33,000 Miles for McPhearson Struts, and 50,000 Mile for KYB shock struts.

Springs have a longer working life as far as japanese cars are concerned and rarely snap (OEM Parts) unlike other makes such as Renault and GM (Vauxhall).

Anti Roll Bar Bushes & Drop Links - inspect for wear & damage, replace as necesary.

Worn wheel bearings / lower ball joints / upper wishbone bushes or part damaged