OK...there has to be enough of you out there that have gone with fatter tires that this whole offset issue should be able to be put to rest quite easily, right? Here is what I want to accomplish...and a summary of what I've read:

I want to run an 18 x 10 or 10.5 with either a 285 or 295 tire (going to supercharge eventually) along with a 255 up front on a 8.5" in order to provide a little more curb protection and keep the "ratio" in line. Now the offsets are critical...but EVERYONE has such different advise....it CANNOT be this difficult can it???

OK...lets just all agree that staying as close to stock offsets as possible will not create unnecessary wear on suspension and should prolong the life of things like tires and bearings. What I specifically want to accomplish is this:

Rear tire: I want to be as close as is physically possible to the fender lip without rubbing even under track situations (although I'll likely have a separate set of wheels and tires for this) and don't want to have to shave or roll the fender...but am willing if necessary when I lower it an inch at a later date.

What offset will accomplish this?? Volks are running 22mm+...but I don't know of anyone running 285's on this without shaving???
Someone else ran 44mm+ with an 11" wheel and a 295 tire...but the clearance seemed excessive for the look I want???

My guess: 10 or 10.5" with a 285 and a 30mm+ would work real nice....but would rather error slightly on the "deep" side than the shallow...so if no one knows....maybe 35mm+????

Now for the fronts: Once again, Volks are running 22mm+, but I think the widest anyone has posted is 245's. Someone ran a 275 on some 9" HRE's...but that's too wide for me. I want to stay as close to stock up front and the depth from the fender isn't as important to me here from a looks standpoint as much as proper handling and wear. I do want to be able to clear bigger brakes in the future...but think 22mm+ may be too excessive and give difficult steering conditions like wandering with the 255's up there. Some people are saying to run 35-38mm+, but this was recommended for a narrower tire and I'm not sure there is enough clearance for the 255 from the suspension and larger brakes???

My guess: 8.5 with a 255 and a 30mm+ here also would work well while maintaining the exact factory offset.


I'd really appreciate feedback and maybe even some closeups of other's rides that have something similar. Or...if you have something close and can comment on exactly how much more room to move there may be????

Thanks.

 

I think the biggest problem is that the parameters you are offering are too specific and all any one can do at this point is guess. The tirerack quy is most likely correct, and getting close to the fender will compromise your suspension and bearing life. But your questions at this point are OUR questions.

 

Well...I research things and become fairly demanding when shelling out the kind of money custom wheels cost. I'm considering HRE, Kinesis...and maybe some that are not three piece...but then the whole offset deal becomes that much more critical. If I buy a custom 3 piece...well, then I would hope I can relay my demands and the distributor could nail things on the head (again...considering how much they cost)...but I want to be informed even in this situation. Now, when it comes to trying to find other options...well, I'm even more on my own and don't understand how this can be so difficult. The biggest variable I can see is the shape of the spokes....in that two wheels could have the same offset...but fairly dramatic different clearances for things like brakes. But that's a question for the manufacturer or distributor....what I'm looking for most specifically is the placement of the tire relative to the fender with "X" as the offset. This should be relatively easy for anyone who has done this already...or a good question for those on this board that have a Z and have had the opportunity to throw a couple differnt wheels with various offsets on it...right??

 

.

 

So...65 hits and not one knowledgeable response? All 65 must be from those that are unmodded???

DiscountTireDirect: You post...but have nothing to say???

 

If you have a little free time on your hands you can take this fitment sheet from Fiske's website and figure out EXACTLY what will work for your car.


http://www.fikse.com/fitment.html

Hope that helps.

PeteH

 

Thanks for the post Audito350,

But I'd be afraid to trust myself on those calculations. I don't know what tolerances to allow for with compression of the suspension and or sidewall flex etc. Anyone trust themselves enough to give some accurate numbers??