From the first post:

For the front:
[SIZE=7][B]6.5

 

Thank you very much Ken for your help.

 

My pleasure.

Regards,
Ken

 

hey, i know this sounds dumb because its clearly written what size offsets are needed, but it just sounds weird to me and i want to clarify before i drop a couple grand on wheels. to run 17x8 (245's) front and 17x9 (275's) rear i would need +63 in the front, and +60 in the rear? it sounds weird to have a higher offset in the front. and i know this relates to stock height, but would running that size offset make my wheels look sunken in? thanks for you time especially with these repetitive questions.

 

The front has less clearance, so yes, you might need a little bit higher of an offset for a tire that wide. That's very wide for the front of the S2000.

The wheels won't look sunken in. The guide gives the minimum offset, meaning the tire is "out" as far as possible without rubbing.

Regards,
Ken

 

is 245 considered too wide for the front? i dont want to be pushing the limits on what can fit in there without rubbing, especially since i plan on dropping the car at least 1 inch. thanks again ~_~

 

I can't speak for lowered cars, sorry.

 

ok, well thanks again for your input. ~_~

 

Hey Spa-zz

How are you doing? I wanted to first say your contributions are priceless. I am beginning to understand this offset thing finally...

I was thinking of getting the Volk GT-S in 18s. As much as I have seen the charts, I would like to get your opinion on how the car would look (your opinion on the rim), as well as fit. I have read the guides but I am hesitant to drop the $$$$ without an expert blessing

The wheels would be:

18 x 7.5 Front +49
Tires 225x40R18

18 x 9 Rear +62
255x35R18

The car is stock height, but I would like to lower the car by about 1/2 inch to 1 inch in the near future with Bilstein Coilovers

As much as I would love to get your opinion on the above fitment, I would like to ask you if you think these tire sizes would not fall outside the fender lines. (aka stick out). I think from the calculations, the front would stick out 1/2 inch and the rears would be 1/4 inch..Am I way off?

Do you think I should try and get the 18x8 in the front instead? The 18x8 has the same +49 offset.

Thank you Doc .


We in South Fla love your info and use your advice in many conversations.

 

Hey Craig,

Thanks for the kind words. I hope I can help. In general I don't have much experience with lowered cars, because it depends on what the owner does with the alignment after the lowering. For instance, with the stock ride height and stock alignment, the Guide works pretty well. When you lower the S2000, it gains negative camber, just like when cornering or hitting bumps. Now if you go to the alignment shop after lowering the car and ask them to return the alignment settings to stock, the tops of the tires will move closer to the fenders, and rubbing becomes more likely.

The specs you list for the front are aggressive for a car with stock ride height. With a 225 tire you may get an occasional rub. If you lower the car you may need to stick with the additional negative camber you get from lowering, because if you reduce it in order to get back to stock specs, you will increase your chances of rubbing.

The specs you list for the rear are not aggressive. In general there is more clearance back there and the tires you chose should not have danger of rubbing. I would think that it should be fine even after lowering and camber correction. You could use a wider tire if you wanted to.

Neither the front nor rear should stick out; in fact, it should look very nice... if the Guide is followed pretty closely the tire will never be sticking out because that would certainly be a recipe for rubbing problems. The front is borderline and you may have to play with the negative camber to suit. The tire will be very near the fender but shouldn't stick out. The rear should be inside the fender by about 10 mm (before lowering!) and should look just about perfect IMO. Again, it will depend on what you plan to do with your alignment after you lower it.

If you want to know exactly how much further your tires will stick out compared to the stock setup, you can use an offset calculator. If you need help let me know.

By the way, I don't think the 18x8 vs 18x7.5 will make much difference. The difference in tire fitment there will be minimal, and most 225s are fine on either width. Perhaps take a look at the wheel width specs for the particular tire you are looking at. If they are a tire that tends to run wide, get the 8". Otherwise you might as well save a few ounces and dollars and get the 7.5s. It won't make any appreciable difference on tire-to-fender clearance.

Hope I've helped and not made matters more confusing.

Cheers,
Ken