Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Wheels & Tires Offset

Whats a good offset in 17" and in 18" for my 98 Tour SE?

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there are tons of questions on offset in just wheels and tires.


it depends on what width you are looking at. if you were running a 4" wide rim even in 18 you could run almost any offset. but that's not too realistic. stick to 7 or 7.5" width and the wider you go you have to lookout for the strut tower and the inside of the fender.
bigger (positive) offset means the wheel is moved further inside the car.

...but basically you want about 42mm offset.

I still don't buy the change the offset with increased width arguement. My stock wheels were 6" wide with 49 mm offset. Perfect fit, no rub. I bought aftermarkets that were 6.5" wide, 42 mm offset and the backs rubbed on the fenders cause they were too far out. I bought E1 SVT rims that are also 6.5" wide and have the same 49 mm offset as my originals and I get no rub even with wider tires. Are you telling me Ford doesn't know it's game. The E1 SVT rim was designed strictly for the Contour, so I'm sure Ford would have adjusted the offset if necessary for a wider wheel.
Luke, do you have any info to help me understand all this?

your WIDER aftermarket 6.5" wheel did not have enough OFFSET (so the wheel stuck out too far)

i have to get me a set of E1s for snows. :-)