After searching through the forums for the past two days, I still have a couple of questions about swapping the stock steel 15x7's with the new 17x8 rims available on the 2002 X. I'm purchasing a 2002 4x2 XE this week and would like to buy the stock 17x8's from www.capitalwheels.com. I'm researching tires available and of course cannot find much as far as 265/65R17. After using some tire calculators, I think 275/60R17 and 17x8 Xterra rims will fit, hopefully without looking ricey.

Has anyone tried this combination on a 4x2? If so, do you have pictures?

Why do 4cyl XE's have small tire height? (see below) There must be a reason Nissan does not use 265/75R15.

I'm worried that 275 is too wide? But it's only a centimeter, so it shouldn't rub anything, right? 275/60R17's can be found for $80/tire, so they're worth a look.

Here are the stock specs...

Tire Size / Rim ./ Overall Height (Diameter)
265/70R15 / 15x7 / 29.61 in - stock 15"
265/70R16 / 16x7 / 30.61 in - stock 16"
265/65R17 / 17x8 / 30.56 in - stock 17"

So, would this size be a good replacement for the 15's?

275/60R17 / 17x8 / 29.99 in - (similar height to stock 15's)

Has anyone tried this yet? I'm not looking to rice out the X, just want a clean look for street driving. I will use the 15's for off-roading (with different tires, of course). Any help is appreciated. Feel free to flame if necessary...