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How stoopid is running 17x7 et35?


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Not a big deal at all. I had 135k on my WRX and went with 18x8 +35 and eventually 18x9 +35 for the last 3 years... which comes out to about 60-70k miles with +35 offset. There's nothing that says it'll go in 5k or 80k miles. You may increase the chance of wearing out a bearing, but it's a game of chance. It may happen, it may not.
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in about 5 miles

 

seriously...where did that myth of running lower offset wheels will cause wheel bearing damage come from?!

spacers yes!

lower offset wheels no!

 

that offset is only medium offset anyway

 

so you'll be fine

just make sure it's 5x100 and the center bore is big enough b/c usually 5x100 medium offset wheels are for scion

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Ah, wonderful. I got my info from the Wheels/Tires subsection, in the FAQ it lists the offsets for 7" width wheels as only going down to something in the low 40s. Not sure why, but good to know that 35 is fine.
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where did that myth of running lower offset wheels will cause wheel bearing damage come from?!

spacers yes!

lower offset wheels no!

 

How do wheel bearings know the difference between, say, 5mm spacers and 5mm lower offset wheels?

 

I keep hearing people say this, but no one can explain it.

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when you are running spacer, the wheel and the hub are not touching

 

the stress from the wheels are transferred from the wheel to the spacer, spacer + wheel weight --> hub

 

it's hard to explain

 

think of using a stick to lift something, it'll be much easier to lift something that is near the end you are holding than the end that is all the way out, meaning less torque required

 

get the picture?

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If you are referring to how spacers can place more leverage on the wheel bearings from moving the wheel centerline farther out from the bearing centerline, then a lower offset will act exactly the same way.

 

Both are increasing axial loads placed on bearings designed primarily to handle radial loads...

 

I can see how spacers could add stress to lug studs, increasing their likelihood of stretching and breaking, but I still can't see how they affect the bearings any differently from a wheel with an equal amount of lower offset. They both move the wheel out.

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From my understanding what matters is the distance between the wheel hub and the bearing, because I see no difference holding a low offset wheel vs high offset wheel by the center of the wheel. The weight of the wheel + tire is just there. Only difference is the amount of stress that's on the wheel spoke

 

Am I understanding this right?

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What is the factory offset anyway?

 

Does going for a lower offset affect camber?

 

No it doesn't directly affect camber. The reason why you see all of those guys with wheels that are on a 45 degree angle is because they're trying to stuff a 10" wheel with a +15 offset into the fender. The only way to make it fit is to angle the wheel in and leave it like that. Completely retarded IMO. That's the trendy super cool thing to do at the moment. Hopefully it passes soon.

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If you are referring to how spacers can place more leverage on the wheel bearings from moving the wheel centerline farther out from the bearing centerline, then a lower offset will act exactly the same way.

 

Yes

 

From my understanding what matters is the distance between the wheel hub and the bearing, because I see no difference holding a low offset wheel vs high offset wheel by the center of the wheel. The weight of the wheel + tire is just there. Only difference is the amount of stress that's on the wheel spoke

 

Am I understanding this right?

 

No, it's the centerline of the wheel to wheel bearing distance which matters. Running a +35 or a +55 with 20mm spacers has the same effect.

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Dude, you'll be fine. Don't worry about it. It's not a game of Russian roulette... you're worrying about "what if". There's no definitive answer. YES, it could possibly theoretically potentially wear out a wheel bearing faster than a stock wheel. However, no one can tell you if it's going to be in 10k miles or 100k miles.

 

I see people posting this question all the time but have yet to read someone posting that it actually happened to them. I had 18x8 +35 and 18x9 +35 for years, driving 20k miles per year, with 400hp. No wheel bearing issues.

 

You're beating a dead horse.

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So what ^^ you're saying is running +35 WILL kill my bearings faster?

 

No, I'm just saying that IF it did, it doesn't matter how the centerline moves, as long as it does

 

Dude, you'll be fine. Don't worry about it.

 

Right, I've never heard of wheel bearing issues due to offsets of wheels or spacers until I joined this forum.

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