Newb post by a newb. Just another wheel/tire fitment question; this being for my '11 MCS (Horizon Blue) on stock suspension.

I'm looking to pick up a set of 'budget' wheels (max of ~ $140-ish/wheel) for summer use. No HPDE/track/auto-x. I'll likely pick up some high perf A/S tires as well (not for winter use, though)...maybe summer tires if I find something I like that isn't too expensive since the MCS is not my main summer car.

Being that these would be for spring/summer/fall use, I was looking at 17's to allow for a slightly lower profile tire (45's). The few wheels that I liked, at Tire Rack, were mostly 7.5" wide w/ 38mm or 40mm offset. For a 7.5" tire, I figured a 215 or 225 wide tire would be about right. I'm not a fan of poke so 205 is out of the question.

Given that, my long winded question would be if a 17x7.5 wheel w/ 38 or 40mm offset and a 215 or 225 tire would fit okay on a R56 w/ stock suspension...w/o rubbing, of course.

I've mainly been looking on Tire Rack since I've bought from them for years and have always been happy with them/their service. The reason I'm not looking to go to $$$ is, as mentioned, the MCS won't be my main summer car. It is more of my winter mule and hauler since I can't fit much in my other car.

The wheels I liked were Enkei perf Imola or EDR9, Sparco Drift or Pista, and Sport Tuning T6. Not sure about black wheels on my car. I've always been more traditional when it came to wheel color. I've haven't been able to dig up enough pix of Horizon Blue w/ black wheels to make up my mind. Inputs are most appreciated. Thanks!

Pic of the MCS:

 

I'd stick with 215/45R17. You may need to work the rear bumper brackets slightly with a Dremel, or it will rub clear on it's own. I have had 225/45R17 rub issues.

 

You can go with 38 or 40 on offset.

As noted if your not doing AutoX go with a 215/45 or 215/40. Both will work.

 

Thanks for the input, guys!

Alex, so a 215 on a 7.5" wheel would not require any Dremel magic?

Old81, in the event the MCS happens to find it's way into an auto-x...what would you recommend? Lower profile, I'm guessing.

On a side note, I've been considering moving to a narrower snow tire but am kind of in the air. The thought would be to sell the Sport Edition CD wheels (16x7) + tires (Blizzak WS60 in 205/50R16) and get the same tire in a 195 or 185 but use the OE wheels that came w/ the MCS. I'm not sure how much of a stretch/poke the 185 would be on the 6.5" wide OE wheel, though, and going from a 205 to a 195 width doesn't seem like it would be of too much benefit since the difference is barely more than 0.25" per tire. Thoughts?

 

The 215';s at stock ride height may rub on the rear bumper brackets, requiring a dremel, or ignorring the brrrp sound until they rub clear.

225/45's I have had rub both on the outside edge and the top.

I'd say the 185's will be at their max on a 6.5" - but still acceptable. Its hard to quantify if the .2 " a side will make a difference, but its a logical progression I personally have chosen to use. I drop down 20 mm on my winter combination. I always think of a butter knife, the skinny side is much easier to use

 

Ordered a set of 17x7 Sparco Assetto Gara wheels (bright silver) wrapped in 205/45 Kuhmo Ecsta 4X's. On a whim, I sprung for TPMS. I added you as my contact during the checkout process, Alex. Thanks for the feedback!