8" wide wheels when lowered. . .

[Yukonart]

Okay. . . been searching. . . maybe I'm just blind, or no one's really tried this, yet. Just wondering if anyone who's lowered has tried any 8" wide rims and 235mm tires. The reason I ask is I've got my set of 18x8" Prodrive PFF7s and 235/40-18 Bridgestone RE750s I'd LOVE to put on the LGT wagon when I get around to trading-in. Question is. . . will lowering the car a couple inches really pose a problem? I've done some investigation, and it seems the the 51mm offset on these rims should work just fine, given what Tirerack lists for other 18x8" rims for this car. They recommend 225 width tires, but IMO that's just not quite wide enough tread for 8" wide rims. Tried that on my STi. . . looked like ass and I KNOW I had too much positive tirewall camber on hard cornering. With the 235s everything seems perfect . . . but I just don't know if this combination is "stuffable" under the wheelwells of a lowered GT. If anyone's got some input on this. . . it would be very helpful. If I won't be able to use this combination, I can look to sell them in favor of buying-back some stock STi rims for the sale/trade-in. Thanks in advance. :)

[Xenonk]

I am putting, err, cramming a set of 255/35/18 Toyo T1-S using SSR GT7-H 18"x8" rims.. and I dont think I'll have a problem fitting them in.. it might come out FLUSH with the fender, but I can camber the front wheels in a bit and the rear I can roll the fenders a bit if neccessary. I'll take pics of them once I get them on the car on Thursday.. on a side note, I run 225/40/18s with a 18"x7.5" rim with a lower offset (42mm) when I was at the last track event with the GT (which was this past Friday). Also, my Legacy GT is already lowered with Endless/Zeal V6 Coilovers.. 2" drop in the front, 1.5" in the rear.. you can see pics of my GT of them in my thread here: [url]http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4036[/url] The pics show my 18"x7.5" 42mm offset R1 Racing rims with 225/40/18 Yokohama Advans.. there's plenty of room to cram in a wider tire so long as you get the right offset for the rim. You can run a set of 245/35/18 tires which is my default choice if you want all the rubber you can get on the road without sacrificing the oversizing aspect of the overall diameter. For overall tire diameter, you want to be within 24.6" to 25.2".. Try not to go higher than that, cuz the fender well isnt that big to accomodate anything larger than 25.3" with suspension travel in mind. Keefe

[Yukonart]

Well crap. . . maybe I'll just have to part with my Prodrives when I get rid of the car. I'm sure I'll have no trouble doing so. . . just finding a replacement that looks as sexy will be hard for me. I'm looking for a simple solution overall, that will still give me some performance edge over stock. Perhaps a good set of 18x7.5" will be a much more reasonable size combination to aim for. Still, post those pictures once you cram the 8" wide wheels on. I'm still anxious to see how it all fits under there.

[SFGR415]

How the hell are you goin to get 255's in there? I thought you couldnt go wide on subarus. I would love to run some 245/35/18's. Also, I would like a phat lip so i need to know what offsets would work. Btw, the wheels would be Volk Gt-7's

[SFGR415]

Oh yea.....YOUR CAR LOOKS SWEET with 18's on

[Xenonk]

[quote name='SFGR415']How the hell are you goin to get 255's in there? I thought you couldnt go wide on subarus. I would love to run some 245/35/18's. Also, I would like a phat lip so i need to know what offsets would work. Btw, the wheels would be Volk Gt-7's[/QUOTE] Well, I got them to fit without a problem.. Because of the rims offset is soo high, my rims are actually more than 15mm away from the fender in the rear!! Meaning I can cram in some 275/30/18 if there is such a size! (I will also need a 18"x9.5" rim as well with the correct offset to make that happen). I guess you missed out on my pics of me test fitting a set of 18"x10" with an off-spec offset with 265/30/18 tires. The fenders needs some flaring to keep the wheels under there for stock suspension. [img]http://www.speedoptions.com/members/38458/40461/pic12.jpg[/img][img]http://www.speedoptions.com/members/38458/40461/pic15.jpg[/img] [url]http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=607083[/url] Well, the problem with a lip is that you need a lower offset.. but since the GT runs on high offsets (or HIGH DISK 'JDM YO'), you'll have to pick a rim style that has a 'fake' lip.. like the ENKEI RP07s or RP0Ms.. 'fake' lips are made when you curve the spokes to make a lip, but the mounting surface and the edge of the rim is very close in distance.. there isnt much room for you to go with a lip since the distance from the hub mounting surface to the fender is very limited. However, a good lip in 18"s would be the Gram Lights 57Pro. Whoever told you that you cant go wide on Subarus need to do some more homework. The "Conebasher" WRX ran on 285/30/18s with custom wheels made with the correct offset and a set of fender flares to keep the car race legal. I am pretty much there running a set of 275/30/18s if I really wanted to.. it's just a matter of spending money and time to make it look right with the car.. anyways, I'll be posting a few pics soon after I get the car washed up. Remember all, I already test fitted about 10 sets of rims on the GT. And I know what to expect out of the car for fitment issues.. now I have to do some homework on caliper clearance issues. Keefe

[SFGR415]

Thanks for the info man. What im wondering is what offset would i need to go with in order to run 245/35/18 and still have the wheels inside the fender so i can dump em on coilovers. So you dont think i would be able to get a decent lip on volk gt-7's...not even 2 inches? thanks

[Xenonk]

The two rims I know off the top of my head that offers 2" of lip on a 7" wide rim are the Enkei RP07 and RP0M. Those two I know would fit under the GT. It's going to be very hard to find a rim with a 2" lip at a low cost and that is mass produced with a high offset. To run a set of 245s, you need AT LEAST an 8" wide rim.. so in your case, you are looking for a set of rims that are: 18"x8" with an offset from anywhere at +44 to +51 and your tires would be: 245/35/18 (narrow side). Narrow being a sectional width of 9.2" or less.. not all tires are built the same size. A famous tire like Falken Azenis RT-215s are 225/45/17, but they are built wide to almost match the size of a typical 245 tire. Just becareful on your tire choices if you get a rim at +44mm offset. I can get you a list of rims you can look at with polished lips if you let me know which rim spoke style you like and color.. oh yea, and pricing too ;) Keefe

[05LegacyGT330Ci]

[quote name='Xenonk']Well, I got them to fit without a problem.. Because of the rims offset is soo high, my rims are actually more than 15mm away from the fender in the rear!! Meaning I can cram in some 275/30/18 if there is such a size! (I will also need a 18"x9.5" rim as well with the correct offset to make that happen). I guess you missed out on my pics of me test fitting a set of 18"x10" with an off-spec offset with 265/30/18 tires. The fenders needs some flaring to keep the wheels under there for stock suspension. [img]http://www.speedoptions.com/members/38458/40461/pic12.jpg[/img][img]http://www.speedoptions.com/members/38458/40461/pic15.jpg[/img] [url]http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=607083[/url] Well, the problem with a lip is that you need a lower offset.. but since the GT runs on high offsets (or HIGH DISK 'JDM YO'), you'll have to pick a rim style that has a 'fake' lip.. like the ENKEI RP07s or RP0Ms.. 'fake' lips are made when you curve the spokes to make a lip, but the mounting surface and the edge of the rim is very close in distance.. there isnt much room for you to go with a lip since the distance from the hub mounting surface to the fender is very limited. However, a good lip in 18"s would be the Gram Lights 57Pro. Whoever told you that you cant go wide on Subarus need to do some more homework. The "Conebasher" WRX ran on 285/30/18s with custom wheels made with the correct offset and a set of fender flares to keep the car race legal. I am pretty much there running a set of 275/30/18s if I really wanted to.. it's just a matter of spending money and time to make it look right with the car.. anyways, I'll be posting a few pics soon after I get the car washed up. Remember all, I already test fitted about 10 sets of rims on the GT. And I know what to expect out of the car for fitment issues.. now I have to do some homework on caliper clearance issues. Keefe[/QUOTE] I'm sorry but from those pictures you posted on the other board those wheels look horrible, hopefully this is just a test fitment to see how they would look. HREs are awesome rims but it looks horrible sticking out like that. Looks a low rider pickup truck. Unless you put on a wide body those wheels definately don't fit the car.

[Xenonk]

Yukonart, you can bolt up your Prodrives on the car without a problem.. it's the lowering portion that may pose a problem for you in the future. 235/40/18 on your Prodrives would be a little bit too oversized for the GT, but it'll probably still fit under stock suspension.. the concern isnt the fender well or lining, it's the clearance of the spring perches in the front suspension. The rear is a piece of cake with that kind of offset. What you can do is sell off the tires to an STi owner.. keep the rims, and get a set of 245/35/18 tires for it. Another thing is that I dont know how much of a difference there is from a Sedan to a Wagon. I know that WRX wagon rear fenders can't go as wide as a WRX sedan.. it's also another thing to consider as well.. all my test fits were done on my Sedan GT. Keefe

[Xenonk]

[quote name='05LegacyGT330Ci']I'm sorry but from those pictures you posted on the other board those wheels look horrible, hopefully this is just a test fitment to see how they would look. HREs are awesome rims but it looks horrible sticking out like that. Looks a low rider pickup truck. Unless you put on a wide body those wheels definately don't fit the car.[/QUOTE] Yes, it was just a test fitment.. and remember, it was a 10" wide rim, not 8". IF I WERE TO KEEP THEM, I would have done a lot of body work for fender flaring.. and trust me, I would have done it tastefully and it would have looked very intimidating. The wheels fit the car, that was the main point.. how it just "looks" is a matter of opinion. It's only sticking out 1.25" inches, so I am not worried about that at all. I lip on the fenders and some body work would have fixed that little problem.. besides, I would have a set of HRE 540 rims instead, or better yet, a set of Fikse Profil 10s in full polish finish and I would have ran a set of 285/30/18s instead. Keefe

[SFGR415]

Thanks Xenonk for sharing are your knowledge with us. Actually, I want to run VOLK SF WINNING 18x8 with 245/35/18 Bridgestone S-03's (Brother has em on his WRX and they handle well). What offset (44mm) should I go with and how big of a lip can i get on 18x8's? 2-3 inches? I will probably have to do custom body work and that might be an option(then I would go 19x9). What is stock offset?

[Xenonk]

[quote name='SFGR415']Thanks Xenonk for sharing are your knowledge with us. Actually, I want to run VOLK SF WINNING 18x8 with 245/35/18 Bridgestone S-03's (Brother has em on his WRX and they handle well). What offset (44mm) should I go with and how big of a lip can i get on 18x8's? 2-3 inches? I will probably have to do custom body work and that might be an option(then I would go 19x9). What is stock offset?[/QUOTE] Does your brother have an STi?? From my knowledge, SF Winnings are only made (mass production) in 5x114.3 bolt patterns. There are a few rims that Volk makes in 5x100, but most of them are 5x100 for 18"x7.5".. unless you are only talking about the tires that your brother has on the WRX, that would make sense. Here is the chart for SF Winnings that Volk makes on a general basis: [url]http://rayswheels.co.jp/cgi-bin/cgi/english/sizeGuide.cgi?modelName=SFWIN[/url] notice that they are all 5x114.3 bolt patterns.. I am sure if you are willing to pay the $$$$, they can make a custom set for you (usually it's a 3-month wait). Dont expect a 2" lip.. it's going to be under that since the high offset of the stock rim and minimal expansion of growing the tire out. Stock offset is +55 on a 7" wide rim.. if the car had something like +0mm offset on a 7" wide rim, you would have PLENTY of room to have a 3"+ lip. Just look for a rim that is 8" wide with an offset between +44 to +52mm.. then you can cram in a 245/35/18 tire OR 265/30/18 tire (if you can't find a 8", find a 9" rim with a similar offset at +45 to +49mm I believe). Tenzo Rims makes some pretty nice lips for their rims on a 7.5" rim.. they curve the spokes from in to out and back in to give the rim the lip.. this is known "fake lips" to creating a lip. It's just an illusion. See the Tenzo Passion 5 rim and you'll know what I am talking about.. also check out the Privat Farhen Rim as well. Gram Light 57Pros also achieve that lip with the same curving process to give it a lip on a 7.5" lip. I doubt you can cram in a 19x9 due to the overall diameter of the tire.. you would have to run something narrow while keeping the overall diameter of the tire around 25.3".. I can't imagine going any bigger than 25.5".. you have to allow for some room for turning and suspension travel.. unless you decide to replace your springs and struts with solid rods of metal. I think the cutout of the diameter of the fender wells are somewhere around 27.5" to 28" front and less in the rear. Remember, I have aftermarket Zeal V6 coilovers to allow such clearances for a 255/35/18 with a 8" wide rim at +51 offset. But you can be safe and run a 18"x8" with a +44 to +51mm offset and run 245/35/18. I wont know how a lowered car would run for you (if you decide on springs or whatever). Keefe

[05LegacyGT330Ci]

[quote name='Xenonk']Yes, it was just a test fitment.. and remember, it was a 10" wide rim, not 8". IF I WERE TO KEEP THEM, I would have done a lot of body work for fender flaring.. and trust me, I would have done it tastefully and it would have looked very intimidating. The wheels fit the car, that was the main point.. how it just "looks" is a matter of opinion. It's only sticking out 1.25" inches, so I am not worried about that at all. I lip on the fenders and some body work would have fixed that little problem.. besides, I would have a set of HRE 540 rims instead, or better yet, a set of Fikse Profil 10s in full polish finish and I would have ran a set of 285/30/18s instead. Keefe[/QUOTE] 545Rs and call it a deal.

[SFGR415]

Keefe...one more time.....BBS LM.....18x7.5....offset 49, centerbore 56....will it work on a gt? I dont really want to do custom body work b/c it will cost alot of $ and I hear that since the gt isn't designed for fat lip wheels, having wheels stick out like that can mess up parts in the long run. I would probably only get a 1 inch lip on those wheels but its okay because they are so clean. One of my customers (car audio shop) has 19" LM's on his 1999 MB C43 AMG with a Kleeman Supercharger. Looks very nice. Classy wheel. Oh yea....would probably run 235/35's since we dont need that much traction on an awd car unless you want to break 1 lateral g on the skidpad.

[SFGR415]

This would be a big enoug lip for me..........[url]http://www.wheelsdirectonline.com/iforged/cars/Audi/12.jpg[/url]

[SFGR415]

Although i would like a lip this big......lol.........[url]http://www.wheelsdirectonline.com/iforged/cars/Subaru/2.jpg[/url]

[Xenonk]

[quote name='05LegacyGT330Ci']545Rs and call it a deal.[/QUOTE] I am a more of a mesh kind of guy.. so 540s for me.. oh yea, mesh is also the strongest type of wheel design as well.. that's what most GTLM race cars use all the time. Keefe

[SFGR415]

I take that back....Called a few shops and they said that size is no longer produced....man....gotta love rwd cars...seriously....5 inch lips.....well....i think the Axis 7 mod will work (not with maxis lip). Thanks for puttin up wit me...

[Xenonk]

[quote name='SFGR415']Keefe...one more time.....BBS LM.....18x7.5....offset 49, centerbore 56....will it work on a gt? I dont really want to do custom body work b/c it will cost alot of $ and I hear that since the gt isn't designed for fat lip wheels, having wheels stick out like that can mess up parts in the long run. I would probably only get a 1 inch lip on those wheels but its okay because they are so clean. One of my customers (car audio shop) has 19" LM's on his 1999 MB C43 AMG with a Kleeman Supercharger. Looks very nice. Classy wheel. Oh yea....would probably run 235/35's since we dont need that much traction on an awd car unless you want to break 1 lateral g on the skidpad.[/QUOTE] I am not sure if the center bore is big enough.. I forgot the actual measurement, but 56.2 mm sounds right. That rim would work, just make sure it comes in 5x100 bolt pattern. [url]www.racecompengineering.com[/url] can get you that rim if you desire it. If you are looking at 7.5" wide, you can go as low as +40mm offset, but run a 225/40/18 tire.. oh yea, take off that stupid rubber strip on the rear fender, you wont need that. 1" lip is very doable, especially if you go with a 18x8. If you are going with 7.5", just save yourself the trouble from bending up the wheel by going with 225/40/18 (I think it has a higher load weight than a 235/35/18 by well over 100 lbs). If you desire more rubber (and maybe some weight) go with 245/35/18 on an 8" rim. Keefe

[Xenonk]

[quote name='SFGR415']Although i would like a lip this big......lol.........[url]http://www.wheelsdirectonline.com/iforged/cars/Subaru/2.jpg[/url][/QUOTE] Yea, that's the [url]www.gtfactory.jp[/url] car... it runs on custom made iForged (iF) rims.. I believe they are running a 275/30/19 tire on a 19x10 rim. Another Mag with a WRC-widebody kit WRX is Doug Parks car.. he runs a set of custom made Boyd Coddington 20x9 rims with 235/40/20 tires. That car was in Super Street Mag.. I just forgot, [url]www.tirerack.com[/url] is selling the SSR Professor SP1 in 18x8 configuration with a definite 1"+ lip.. comes in silver or black, both are polished lip. Keefe

[Xenonk]

[quote name='SFGR415']I take that back....Called a few shops and they said that size is no longer produced....man....gotta love rwd cars...seriously....5 inch lips.....well....i think the Axis 7 mod will work (not with maxis lip). Thanks for puttin up wit me...[/QUOTE] Axis Super Mesh may work at 18x8 with the 38mm offset.. (made for VWs and Audi fitments).. you'll have to roll the fender for that one and you'll have to run 225/40/18 tires. Just let me know which style of spokes you like (mesh, split 5, 6, 7, 8, or solid (skinny or fat) 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, spoke, color, and with or without rivet/bolts for the multi-piece look.. since you are naming some high dollar rims, I am not going to worry about asking you about the price limit. You might want to check up iForged, Fikse, HRE, or Boyd for some custom made rims for you with a forced lip. Keefe

[SFGR415]

I always wanted to do HRE 545R's on a IS300 (19x8 225/35/19 and 19x11 275/30/19) but since i dont have that car I dont know. I mean...there really is no point in spending $3500 plus unless you do custom body work to be able to put a fat lip on. I mean...look at this STI...[url]http://www.wheelsdirectonline.com/iforged/cars/Subaru/5.jpg.....Those[/url] IForged's just dont look right on the car. Cmon, like 1 inch lip. So, I realized that all wheels I liked for the GT didn't curve back. Then i remember that Axis has the 7 mods (always loved em). The spokes curve back. I talked to a few shops and they told me that i can go 18x7.5 with +42 mm offset and have a 2 inch lip (spoke design). I would like to have a 8 inch wide wheel but they only make that for the 19in model. I dont want 19's b/c I wont be able to tuck the wheels too much under the fender like 18's. So I think I will go Axis mod. Not sure if I will go with the 3 piece of 1 piece. I have a wholesale liscense and have been quoted very attractive prices. Then, i would probably go 245/35/18's on Bridgestone S-03's. I know...you are saying that the sidewall is not big enough and i might bend the wheels buy 225/40/18's would yield a 3.5 inch sidewall whereas the 245/35/18's would give me 3.4 inch sidewall......not too much difference......0.1 inch.....Give me your opinion....Man...i love this site......i-club's the same.....on IS300.Net.....no one tries to help....they always say..........do a search newb...........and they main guys only show respect to the other "main guys"....You know.....the ones with 400+whp turbo kits, wheels, and fat systems.

[SFGR415]

Also, the overall wheel/tire diameter would go from 24.6 to 24.8. Not a drastic difference...so I can still dump the car like hopefully 2 inces.

[Xenonk]

[quote name='SFGR415']Then i remember that Axis has the 7 mods (always loved em). The spokes curve back. I talked to a few shops and they told me that i can go 18x7.5 with +42 mm offset and have a 2 inch lip (spoke design). I would like to have a 8 inch wide wheel but they only make that for the 19in model. I dont want 19's b/c I wont be able to tuck the wheels too much under the fender like 18's.[/QUOTE] You can do 19"s (and tuck them with the right offset), not a problem with 19"s, you just have to keep the overall diameter of the tire around 25.2".. I choose 225/40/18 and 245/35/18 because of the load capacity and that the sidewalls are about the same. 245/40/18 is a bit too big to deal with in my opinion, and 235/35/18 is a bit thin on sidewall for daily driving, especially on 18". If you look around enough, you can find some fat lips for the car, it's all based on the spoke design. Hey, I was once a noob, and I asked some of the dumbest questions from time to time (and still do at times), but I do listen to some of the moderators and save everyone the trouble of me asking and start reading up on such topics.. eventually I started to look for answers soo much and so fast that the server only allows you to do a search every 30 seconds.. so I gave up with that from time to time and started to use more intellectual websites (not forums) to teach myself of what I need to know. A lot of people hate to read long threads and rather have the answer right in front of them because either they are lazy or impatient. Some questions are legit, and I do my best to help answer them.. sometimes I feel it's a duty to know so much, you gotta to be able to teach it too... "share the wealth.. share the knowledge". Keefe