Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Wheels & Tires Question on Offset

Looking through pages and pages of online wheel sites I have come to the conclusion no wheel is the same.

Offset ranges from 35 to 45 in the 17x7 size and these are all wheels the websites say fit our car!

I am looking at a wheel that is 17x7 and 38 offset.

Currently running 225/45/17 on 17x7 42 offset and I rub like a biatch. Breaking out the Dremel this week!


Can I run 225/45/17 on a 38 offset wheel or should I stick with 215/45/17 or will it just not fit and rub!


Someone drop some knowledge!

i think u rub cuz of the 225 tire. 17x7 42 offset sounds fine. have u tried 215/45 on your current wheel? i think the 17x7 38 offset will give u problems. i have 17x7 40 offset w/ 215/45 and havent noticed rubbing but it looks close. i feel i'd rub w/ 225/45. 40 offset seems to be the lowest offset for 17x7

I have 18's with a 47 offset and no rub. I have 225/40/18. The higher the offset you can find the better.

Okay,

First of all, and you guys can correct me if I am wrong,

Offset is measured in Millimeters, so 25 millimeters is about an inch.

ZERO offset is dead center in the wheel from outside to inside of the rim.

POSITIVE Offset moves the center of the wheel AWAY from your car,
but it brings the rim CLOSER to the car.

NEGATIVE Offset moves the center of the wheel CLOSER to your car,
and moves the RIM of the wheel AWAY from the car.

Tell us where you are rubbing and we can try to figure this out.
Are you rubbing the strut or the fender ?

What's the correct offset for 17 x 7.5"? I really, REALLY need to run some quality 235's and I won't move up to 18's.

Rubbing in the same place all of us rub. Rear fender lip, I know the issue and I need to trim em down a bit.

But I need to know if a 38 offset is acceptable?

Okay, I got a new set of 17 x 7 wheels with 215/45/ZR17
tires.
I only rub on the Left Hand Rear Inner Fender.

What Gives ???

My car is at my dealership getting new tranny mounts,
and I should be getting it back tomorrow.
If I get a chance between tomorrow and the weekend.
I'll pull a wheel and tell you the offset.
Then we can figure out what the offset should be for 17 x 7.5 wheel.

Funny how wheel width is measured in inches
and the offset measured in millimeters...

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.

your 17x7.5 doesnt rub i think cuz of the 45 offset. i do get this confused but here's what i've come to understand (this is what I understand). the lower the offset number the closer to the fender edge it'll be. so a 17x7 can get away w/ 40 offset (i run this), 17x7.5 should run 42-45 min and 17x8 at least 45. when researching my wheels and tires, i read all the post and who rubbed and who didnt. people that seriously rubbed ended up having too low of an offset for too wide a wheel/tire like 38 offset on 17x8. i think 17x7.5 38 offset will cuz problems. how much i dont know. maybe rolling the fenders and cutting the liner will solve it or get rid of most of the rubbing. i know some will disagree w/ me. this is based on what u guys have said previously and thats where i got my info. short of taking a class on offsets, this is the method i used. i did wait to do my suspension before putting my wheels on. i still wait to roll my fenders to lower some more, maybe i would get some rubbing then and also why i'm waiting to roll them.

Also, like I said above, ssmumich00 has the same wheels as I (17x7.5) and he rubs with 225's. Hopefully he'll chime in hear also, but I think he rubbed slightly with his 215's, also.