I have come to the conclusion that each and every Contour will be different. What works for some people, won't for others, regardless of tire size, wheel size, offset, etc.
Here's what I am currently running, as in, I just mounted these tires today and will have pictures up as soon as I can. Maybe tomorrow or the day after.
17 x 7.5 with 45mm offset. Tires are Yokohama AVS ES100
235/40 17. I drove the car around the neighborhood for about 10 minutes and experienced
NO rub. (Thanks to Qbert on the tire selection, including size). My SVT is a 99 and I have HR springs and Konis. chknhwk: I'd say 45mm is correct for a 7.5 rim, but only because it works for me. There are more selections for a 225/45 tire than a 235/40 tire (from what I found). You say you really want quality 235's? Well, it's too early for me to tell you anything on the Yoks. Especially since I've heard that these tires need about 500 miles before they're broken in. The F1 GS-3 is available in 235, as well as the SO-3 and Pirelli's.
My rear tire is really, really close to the Koni strut, but it clears. I can't even fit my pinky in between the two. I'd guess I have the clearance equal to the thickness of a Ritz cracker
(Damn, now I have to find a Ritz and see if it'll fit). If I had a way to measure it, I would. I don't "think" it'll be a problem being so close, but I'll have to wait and see if it rubs when I drive it harder.
Ex. ssmumich00 has the same exact wheels that I do. He's running 225/45 17 SO-3's and rubs in the rear with Koni shocks and stock springs. His is a 2000. (Suneil, correct me if I'm wrong. And BTW, you're tires won't be so "meaty" next to mine anymore
).
Fmr12B: If you're breaking out the Dremel, I'm assuming you're rubbing the fender lip, right? If so, going with a 38 offset will bring your wheel that much further out. What year do you have? What brand tire are you running? All 225's are not created equal, and I'm curious at to what you have.
