Looking into new rims, been reading and searching and TRYING To understand all the info. Some rims I have in mind are 8" wide, now I know offset is key in this but I was just wondering if anyone can tell me things that I should be also thinking about to make them work. Such as control arms, spacers? What do I need to know?

 

my favorite website for such a thing is
http://www.willtheyfit.com/

Find out your existing wheel specs and use them as a base point to find how much room you have to play with. Typically you align your car first to get the camber angles you want. Measure clearance between wheel and fenders then use spacers to fine tune since it would be unlikely to find a wheel with the offset that is the exact number you want or need for that proper fitment. If going really low you might want to cycle your suspension to make sure measurements at closest point of contact are used.

 

Thank you very much! I saw you posted in another thread and got excited to see you are in Tempe. I hope to drive by the shop to check t out in the next few weeks thanks again!

 

It would help more if you can provide the following:

What specific 8" rims are you considering?
Is your suspension lowered? Any plans to lower?
What are you going to use these 8" rims for? Street only, track, car show?
What tires are you considering and what are you going to use these tires for?
What is your budget for tires and wheels?

Obviously if you can get 8" wheels to fit without changing suspension, camber or alignment and add spacers then great but you will have more success if clearance is greater using stock suspension or at least fully adjustable coilovers which can be set to the ride height you want.

Using front adjustable camber plates and lower rear control arms to dial in more negative camber is good for fitment but can lead to faster wear on the inner treads of the tires.

Are you trying to get a stretched tire fitment? Narrow tires on a wide rim? If so then your needs are more fitment and cosmetic and you may have to go through more extremes than if you want wheels and tires for general street use.

 

Assuming you have an R53 MCS with 17x7" wheels or similar OEM wheels-

16x8" et32 places the wheel 3mm closer to the inner suspension and pokes out 35mm which is alot so increased negative camber will tilt the top of the tire tread inward under the wheel arch. Using spacers a 16x8" wheel et 38 with 5mm spacer (with longer wheel bolts or wheel studs) is about 1mm closer to the suspension. Using a narrow 205/50-16 or 205/55-16 tire on an 8" rim will make the tread section width a little less which can fit the wheel arch better. Otherwise 225/50-16 is a common tire size for 8" rims.

17x8" et42 places the wheel 6.7mm closer to the suspension and pokes out more than OEM by 18.7 mm. 215/45-17 is fine for stock suspension, 235/40-17 will also fit and is extra aggressive looking (wide) but also firm riding. Tire selection is much more limited.

In general you can use no or minimal spacer for 17" wheels when it is wider than OEM.

All wheels should be 4x100 bolt pattern and have a hub bore of 56.1mm, if not then centering rings are needed which come in hard plastic or alloy for about $30 a set of four.