skierd

wait, +42 won't sit flush? I thought thats why its recomended. What offset do ya recommend for a car thats gonna be lowered and daily driven hard?

Random

No 42 will NOT sit flush. 42 is the stock offset, so if you go with a wider wheel than stock, then you will be moving the wheel IN/making it worse!

Keep in mind, you can not, I repeat CAN NOT get the tib's wheels flush with the outside of the top of the fenders. If you did, you would rub/bump the lip of the fenders and rip your tires to shreds. You could roll the fender edge out some...but then the fender is farther out...and you need to change the offset to get them out to the edge again, requireing more rolling of the fenders...which rubs.....so it is a vicious cycle.

The best you can hope for is to TUCK the outside edge of the wheel inside the INSIDE edge of the fenderwell, and since the fenderwells are domed or arched, you will still rub the inside edges of the fenderwells/outside edges of the tires.

In the front, you will rub/hit the fenders when you corner and compress the front suspension (notice how the wheel sticks OUT when you turn your wheels to full lock? Now slam the car 2" and put 17" 225 rubber with a +20 offset wheel...and you've got a recipe for shredded wheels and horked up front fenders.

With a eibach drop of 1.2", and 7" wheels, you can run 215 tires and +35 offset wheels. Maybe +30.

If you go for the H&R 2.25" drop, you would need 7" wheels and 205 tires with between a 35 and 40 offset and you would still probably rub at full steering lock.

The nice photos you see of cars with the wheels all the way out to the fenders and less than .5" gap between the wheel and fender are never meant to be driven that way...or they have a suspenson that is so stiff the wheels never move more than .5"

Etep

+42 offset has different effects on different width of rims. Imagine the sidewall of a 15"x6" stock alloy with +42 will be 1/2 inch further away from the fender than a 17"x7" rim.
Actually, the 15"x6" stock alloy has +46 offset.
Eibach drop, 17x7 rims, +40 offset, 215/40R17 tires WILL rub on hard cornerings. Normal driving is fine. You do want to stay either +42 offset, or 205/40R17 tires, or no drop.
If you look at this picture


The offset is calculated by measuring from the middle of the rim width to where the hub meets the back of the rim. So if your rim has too small of offset, the tire hits the suspension; if too large of offset, the tire hits the fender. So for a narrower rim/tire (15x6), you have a wider range of offset NOT to hit anything. And if you have a wide rim/tire (16x8), you have to be careful with the offset.
Anyway, who make all these up with inches (rim size, width) and millimeters (offset, tire thread width)? kinda complicate things for no reason.

Etep

cringe

But at stock hieght, stock rims, and 25mm adapters - I shouldn't rub right? What about if I drop it 1.75?

Etep

i think the rear is fine. I remember seeing them with my 20mm spacers and they still had room for extra 5mm.
But if you have captive rotor on the front, then u can't add any spacers. the bolts will be in the way. and it's really not a good idea to put spacers on teh front wheels cuz it changes (enlarges) the steering diameter inside the wheel well. while turning, the tire might hit the wheel well where your mud flaps mounted to.

Etep

Random

25mm is nearly an inch. Yes, with the stock wheels you would rub moving them out 1 inch with an 1.75" drop.

25mm spacers change the stock wheels to a +17 offset (for +42) or +21 (for +46).

[ October 31, 2001: Message edited by: Random ]

skierd

OK, a 16x7 wheel, with a +42 offset. Will it rub on the suspension or the fender? Or will it sit nicely between except inder hard driving?

And Random, you don't have to get pissy with people.

Random

The 16x7 +42 will work with a 1.75" drop as long as you stick with a 205 tire. A 215 tire would probably rub on the inside on extreme corners.

And I'm not "getting pissy with you" (is that like getting jiggy with it?), If I was, we'd be in the flame forum now! wink.gif