hello guys
so I'm stuck between +38 or +44 all around on 17x9.5. nt03+m

I'm looking foright square setup that's not gonna require modding the fenders/rubbing fender liners or too much camber

I believe the +44 is more conservative then +38 ? if so. what size tires is best for that width
255 40 17 ?

I'm dropped on ohlins DFV is that makes any difference .

thanks.

Dave

 

44 is more conservative than 38. I run 17x9 +45 with 255/40/17 and the fronts occasionally rub on big dips and going up steeper driveways (like at gas stations).

The rears could use a spacer to get more flush looking goodness - which I'll probably do soon.

 

well that sucks cause every single gas station is super steep here in socal

what wheels do you have ? you mind posting a few pics of your front and rear so I can see how much more flush you liked it to be ? kind of get an idea how mine will look

 

No pics handy. You could always add 5mm spacers to get the 44 offset wheels to get a 39 offset.

 

I'd probably go +44. I tweaked my fender lip (before I had them rolled) and also wiped out my fender liners running 255/40-17 on +40 up front at 25" ride height (ground to top of fender opening).

You might consider running 245/40-17 up front (or all around if you want to keep front/rear rotatability). A little narrower, but also shorter and less likely to be an issue while allowing lower ride height.

 

I have 17x10 +38 and I love the fit. I have 255/40/17s so there is a slight stretch. I live in socal and don't have issue with steep driveways because my fenders are rolled. 17x9.5 would be 1/4" more inward than mine.

 

nice setup. thanks for the reference. if I can find 17x9 +44 fronts and +38 rear I'd roll with that
and put 245 40 on them all around

right now I got my eyes on a set of regamaster with the number of. 17x8 +45 17x9 +45. at a good price >_< so close to stock numberso but wished the offset of slightly more aggressive

 

Hi, can you post some side shots of your setup? I'm considering getting 17" rpf1 and want some reference on how they look in the fd, I have found some but they sometimes looks small and other times looks proper :/ btw nice looking fd there

 

Hmmm, is this offset still available? Enkei site only shows +38.

Thinking about some 17x9.5 - 10.5" wheels with +45ish offset to run 275 Hoosiers up front at the track this year...

 

they are still available through other outlets lIke ravspec or autornd

 

I have 17x9.5 with 44 offset and backs are great but bad rubbing on the fronts. would you not want that 38 offset to keep it from rubbing or is you ohlines set up stiff enough to prevent that??

 

these bad boys are 17x9.5 with 44 offset and rub in front real bad. Also have a set of NT03+M that are 18x9.5 with 44 offset and trying to sell cuz of the same problem and i don't need 4 sets of wheels.

 

thanks for the response , my ohlins are setup to be more for street comfort

i guess i can get away with the +44 in the rear and ill just have to look for 8.5 for the fronts and a slight smaller tire for them . thanks

are those TE37 ? looks great man

 

Mazda Aspec, what is your front tire size? Are your fenders rolled at all? Azenis run pretty wide

Kensin, do you not want to roll your fenders? What size tires would you like to run? That's really the question.

 

Fenders are not rolled and tires are 255/40/17 all the way around. i am also on a soft suspension set up which hurts me but i am unable to afford any Ohlins at the time. grr

 

are those TE37 ? looks great man[/QUOTE]

My buddy bought them for his Evo and were orange and when he sold the car he kept the wheels to sell separate. here we found out that they say TE37 on them and have Volk centers that they really are knock offs. I bought them for cheap with different tires and sold the tires off them so, I had them sandblasted and power coated "Maxi black" I have been trying to sell with the tires less then 1 mile them along with the wheels since they were done. They look great but i just wished the front would not rub and don't want 2 different looking wheels on the car.

 

You can get a nice roll done at a body shop for pretty cheap. Less than 100 for sure. Problem solved, soft suspension and all.

I had RSR down springs before my Tein flex and they didn't rub. They were 6 KG in the front.

 

I don't really want to but if I must I will. not a money issue just a little ocd issue.

I have my eyes on a few sets wheel in Japan auction. 17x8 +35mm fronts. I can do 225s?

 

Shouldn't be a problem.

 

so my last concern is rather the front will appear to stick out more then the rear
if I go with this setup 17x8 +35. 17x9 +40

 

Not an issue, front wheel outer lip is +15mm out relative to stock, rear wheel outer lip is +23mm out.
If you run 225/45-17 fronts and 255/40-17 rears, the front tire sidewall is +15mm out vs. stock, rear tire sidewall +25mm out.

Here's my car with the same width and offset stagger as what you are proposing, 8.5x17 +40 fronts and 9.5x18 +45 rears, with 235/40-17 and 275/35-18 tires:


That's with -3 degrees front, -2 degrees rear camber.


You could run 225/45-17 or probably 235/40-17 up front without having to roll fenders. I wouldn't try 235/45-17 though... And some negative camber will give more clearance to fender lip and is a good idea in any case, I'd say around -2 degrees up front.

 

Even professionally rolled fenders can end up a little bit wavy. Sheet metal is thin on this car...

Unless you just have to run wide front tires (255+), you shouldn't have to roll the fenders *if* you run appropriate offsets for tire widths and run some negative camber up front.

 

I found the front is super easy to roll on the FD with good results because the sheet metal is so thin- if you take a couple precautions.

1) Trim off the two upper fender mounting tabs so the lip is continuous width and strength!
2) Score the paint so it only cracks from the lip to the score line.
3) Only roll the top of the arch between 10:30 and 1:30 on a clock face with the transition to stock profile/lip at 10:00 to 2:00.
4) Go slow. Many repetitions at low pressure until the metal fatigues and then you can start laying it over and moving the roller wheel toward vertical.
5) Make sure the roller wheel rides on the lip (really just the outer edge of the lip for rolling without a pull) and not against the inside surface of the fender.

If you butch up the front anyways you can just buy new fenders and repaint if you are really picky on color match.

You stand more chance f-ing up your front fender lips playing chicken with your tire sidewall and stock lips using any wheel/tire besides stock +50 offset and 225 width.

The rear is much harder to roll without changing the outer fender profile because the sheet metal is 2 layers welded together and more robust.

If you have skill the result is a pleasing arch that forms on the sheet metal.

With no skill you can get creases, buckles and bulges.

 

Offset only means something in the context of width, you can't compare offsets directly when the wheels are different widths. You have to crunch numbers and determine the back and front spacing.

 

GoodfellaFD3S

Posts: 29,426
Offset only means something in the context of width, you can't compare offsets directly when the wheels are different widths. You have to crunch numbers and determine the back and front spacing.

No, offset is what determines what tire width will fit under the fender, not rim width as offset centers the tire between the fender lip and suspension.

The ideal offset for the FD is somewhere between 45 and 50 depending on camber and whether fender lips are rolled.

Back space only matters when you approach 7.5" to 7.75" and start to get close to the suspension.
That translates to- backspace matters in relation to ideal offset once the wheel widths exceed 10.5-11 nominal width. 18x11 +45 good to go, 18x11 +50 hell no.

The further you deviate from the ideal offset the narrower tire you have to run. For every 1mm of offset deviation you have to run 2mm less wide tire.

This is because offset is measured from wheel center and you have tire outboard and inboard of the center, but will only face interference with the tire either outboard or inboard side.

---------
Real world example-

A 235/45-17 to 245/45-17 will fit a stock unrolled fender FD up front on an 17x8.5 +30 with stock camber adjuster maxed. You can do 255/40-17, but it will catch the stock fender lip if raced or up steep drive ways.
I know this as I used this fitment and alignment on my stock FD.

A 255/40-17 to 265/40-17 (hard to find) will fit safer to the fender on an 17x10 +47 (or 8.5" or 9.5" etc etc +47) while placing the outer wheel lip 2mm further out (more "flush") than the 17x8.5 +30.

Note, a 275/40-17 would fit slightly safer to the fender on the 17x10 +47 than the 245/45-17 on 17x8.5 +30- but 275/40-17 is too tall a tire to run up front.

Yeah, I would rather do this example on 18" wheels where all widths come in heights that fit, but I am staying relevant to the original thread.

You can play around with this website and see how offset fits the tire.

Online Wheel and Tyre Fitment Calculator. Offset, Tyre Stretch and Speedo Error | Will They Fit