yet another wheel question

[tweak666]

so here is my plan, i want to get a set of 18x9.5 rims and run them front and rear. the idea is to avoid running staggered width tires as they are cheaper for me if i get them all in one size (buy in bulk), and if i have 8 rims and tires, track days won't be a hassel if i blow out or need tread for the ride home. say i run a +35 or 38 offset on all the rims, would i have clearance issues in the front? i'm tryin to avoid rolling the fenders. i'd rather run spacers than mess with the body. i tried the offset calculator, but without a visual, it makes no sense to me.

 

[The Reaper]

i would think it would rub like a motha on the fronts with a 9.5 inch rim

 

[tweak666]

i tried to search, i thought i saw a thread where someone was running 9.5 in the front.

 

[The Reaper]

prolly pulled the fenders tho my man

 

[tissimo]

just run a staggered..

 

[MKIIINA]

i was in a similiar situation not too long ago. i really liked the rota p45r's but they only came in 9.5 @ +30. i ended up running 18x8.5 fronts and 18x9.5 rears and it worked out for the best really. if you are serious about tracking your car i would stongly suggest going with a 17in rim as it will give you more space to do ride adjustments overall.

heres a pic of my car with the 8.5 and 9.5's..... i dont rub but damn is it close!

one thing you need to realize that wheel offsets arent a solid thing. its more like buying shoes, nike, vans, converse all might say size 12 but they all fit a little different.

 

[The Reaper]

your car is 4X4 how is it close to rubbing? my friend has same size and his car is lower and it BARELY rubs only on TIGHT turns

 

[MKIIINA]

it rubs some on large transitions (paved to unpaved portions, steep inclines)

yes i know its 4x4 but i havent decided what route to take for my suspension yet.

 

[tweak666]

those rota's are sick, for me, it's a toss up between those and fc01r-c's.

 

[tweak666]

reviving thread, anyone running 18x9 in the front? what offsets? please help :1zhelp:

 

[Keros]

I'm running 9.5x17 +45 up front... I took some pics for you, but I didn't have my keys on me to straighten the wheels, so they're turned a smidge. Your +35 offset will stick out 10mm further and have 10mm more clearance inside.

Also, please excuse my 4x4 ride hight, I was out mud bogging last week...

 

[bowsercake]

Dang man, I can't believe no one thought to do that before. Looks pretty nice. Too bad the rear is a little off now. I'd like to see more pictures if you have any more.

 

[Keros]

Thanks bowser,

I put the 9.5x17 up front and the 8x17 on the back. I only have 225rwhp with which to turn them, so squealing the tires is... difficult. Might as well get serious handling with overkill wide front tires :naughty: I plan to get a second set of MkIV TT rims and put 9.5x17 all around

To go back to the original post, in my opinion, they will not rub on the inside... infact, you'll have an excess of real estate in the wheel well. The problem is that at a +38 offset, you'll poke out 7mm more than my wheels, and that could be death right there. I'll get a tape measure later and snap a pic for ya.

Note; my wheels rub at lock, so yours might as well with a +38 offset... BUT, I'll get you a pic of what it rubs on if I can (without taking off a wheel), loosely put, you may not have my rubbing problem with an 18" rim diameter. If you don't drift and don't spend much time in parking lots, you'll never have a real problem though.

Be back in a flash.

 

[tweak666]

kool, thanks! i do plan on drifting the car, well, drift and road course. this whole rim problem is driving me nuts. think if i run +43 or +45 i'd have a problem?

 

[Keros]

It's not often I get to help out around here, so I snapped a few more pics for ya. Hopefully these will clear up the mysteries of how wide of front rims we can mount without rolling fenders. I don't think my fenders are rolled, I certainly didn't roll them :biglaugh:

Rim size

Tire size

Looking down driver's side, tape is on the top edge of the rim, not the tire.

Same place, different angle

This is where my rims rub at/near full lock, this is shot from behind the driver's side front wheel, wheels turned right. Sorry about the blur, you wouldn't want me for a brain surgeon :biglaugh:

Phat rubber! This is turned over as far as I would go without wanting to grind... Still need to adjust the steering lock :nono:

Clearance shots, can't remember which is which, and I don't think it matters :icon_razz Taken with the steering wheel cranked as far over as I could get it in one direction.

If you wanna see something in specific, let me know. If you want to be able to crank the wheels to lock, I think 9" wide is as wide as you can go and not have a complete headache getting it to work. 9x18 +40ish offset I think would be perfect. for 9.5x18, I wouldn't want to go lower than +40 offset, I think that hitting a hard bump could cause the tire to nail the outside edge of the fender, especially on a lowered car. I don't know much about the limits of our suspension travel, but it sounds possible. +35 I think would leave too much wheel poking out and wasting real estate on the inside between the hub and the strut.

I make no claims to be an expert, but from what I just took pictures of, 9.5x18 +43 or +45 would more than likely work... you'd probably rub at or near lock, so be aware you will not be able to turn that sharp.

 

[flubyux2]

i have 18x9 volks on the front of my car. its stock right height Plus some from weight removal. it doesnt rub on anything, ever. and my tire is a 255/35 Bridgestone S-03, good tire btw. ive test fitted 19x10's on the front of my car too, with 265/30 Continental contisports, bad tire btw. those also fit. i dont think they would clear w/ the fender liner installed though.

you could probably run 18x10's on all 4 corners but the offsets would most likely have to be different between front and rear, so that would prevent you from avoiding the staggered thing because you wouldnt be able to rotate front-to-back.

My volks are for a MKIV fitment and the front offset is +37mm and the rear offset is +44mm. the volks on a MKIV cause a 10" wide wheel with 295's to rub on a stock body due to the offset. it really looks hoss on a mk3 though. the combination of the stock rear mudflap and the sidewall shape make my car look like its all business from the rear and ive gotten LOTS of compliments on its appearance. heres a poor quality pic from my phone on the wrong resolution;

w/ the tire size, wheel width and offset, theres JUST enough sidewall visible past the profile of the car to get your attention.

with a wider wheel or tire on these rims, or LESS offset on this rim, it WILL rub the strut body at full-droop. however, due to the articulation, the wheel moves AWAY from the strut body at normal ride height and even Further away during suspension compression.

 

[Keros]

flubyux2, damn man that looks hot.

I need a clean pair of shorts.

 

[Sawbladz]

I love how the 295 makes the rear mudflaps completely useless. lol

looks great

 

[tweak666]

you guys rock. mad props to keros for going above and beyond with the photos!

 

[flubyux2]

thanks guys. i dont think i can really take any measurements like Keros... im not running the stock fender liners, plus my car is higher than stock in the front. but, next time its clean (maybe tomo if it doesnt rain again, i live on a dirt road) i can get some other pics to show the relation of the tire sidewall and the edge of the fenders and how the wheel/tire combo really accentuates the lines/flare of the fenders themselves.