WIDTH of RIM matched to WIDTH of TIRE

[IMICEMAN]

OK, I went to a reputable speed shop here and wanted them to put 235/45/17 TIRES onto a 17x7 RIM.
They told me that it would not work well, and that it would not LOOK good either.
They said that even the 225mm width tires that I have now (stock RSA's) should be on at least a 7.5" WIDE Rim.
I was told that, at a MINIMUM, I should be looking for a RIM size/WIDTH of 7.5 inches.
They said that it is better that the RIM is WIDE to avoid the "sidewall bulge" that happens when the Tire is wider than the Rim.

So then, you experts: (keeping in mind a 17" diameter)
-What is the WIDEST RIM that we can put on our GA's (WITHOUT any rubbing at all) ?
-What TIRE WIDTH would FIT/LOOK the BEST on "that" Width of Rim ?

Ideally, I want a "non-bulging" look for the wheel/tire combo.

For example:

RIM WIDTH..........MIN Tire width..........MAX Tire Width
17x7......................???/45/17...................???/45/17
17x7.5...................???/45/17...................???/45/17
17x8......................???/45/17...................???/45/17
17x8.5...................???/45/17...................???/45/17

Thanks !
Kent

[mfuller]

Sure you can put a 235mm tire on a 7" wide rim. It'll bulge out fair amount, but it will work.

About the widest rim you can use is 8", providing you can find an offset that'll work (look for +35mm to +38mm). Either a 225 or 235 tire will look great on 8" wide rim, but the 225 will have a bit less bulge.

But rim width should always be less than a tire's section width.

Here's a decent pic of a 225/45R17 tire on a 8" wide rim:

[RAZE]

Originally posted by mfuller
(look for +35mm to +38mm

I may be wrong, but I thought our offset was 38mm to 42mm

[AMRAAM4]

Originally posted by RAZE
I may be wrong, but I thought our offset was 38mm to 42mm

When you increase the width of your rim you generally want to decrease your offset a tad to make up for that small increase in rim width.

However, for example..an RX7 has an 8" wide rim and 50 mm offset, but in the rear, you can fit a 10" wide rim and still keep a 50mm offset. It's all about how much space you have, and in teh GA, we don't have much.

[SpyhunteR]

Originally posted by AMRAAM4
When you increase the width of your rim you generally want to decrease your offset a tad to make up for that small increase in rim width.

However, for example..an RX7 has an 8" wide rim and 50 mm offset, but in the rear, you can fit a 10" wide rim and still keep a 50mm offset. It's all about how much space you have, and in teh GA, we don't have much.

WHICH FREAKIN BLOWS!!!

I wanted an 8.5 rim.. but they came in the crappiest of offsets... simply they wouldn't fit.

[IMICEMAN]

Originally posted by mfuller
Sure you can put a 235mm tire on a 7" wide rim. It'll bulge out fair amount, but it will work.

About the widest rim you can use is 8", providing you can find an offset that'll work (look for +35mm to +38mm). Either a 225 or 235 tire will look great on 8" wide rim, but the 225 will have a bit less bulge.

But rim width should always be less than a tire's section width.

Here's a decent pic of a 225/45R17 tire on a 8" wide rim:

Hey that looks good !
So you don't have any troubles of rubbing, etc with the 8" Rim all around the car ?
Also, are those Konig Tantrums ?
Kent

[AMRAAM4]

uhmm, tons of people here run 8" wide rims. You can run a 235 or 225 tire with them. I prefer the 225 which doesn't give you the rounded sidewall..and that is what you want from what I can tell.

[mfuller]

Nope, no rubbing problems....although it did get close at full-lock. Those are 17x8" Konig Tantrums with a +35mm offset and 115mm BCD.

[zhd1000]

what do each set of numbers mean?? like 225/45/17? i know the 17 is the diameter.. what do the other numbers stand for??

[IMICEMAN]

Originally posted by mfuller
Nope, no rubbing problems....although it did get close at full-lock. Those are 17x8" Konig Tantrums with a +35mm offset and 115mm BCD.

Its kind of weird the way GM would put 6.5" rims on the GAGTs when we can fit (up to) an 8" rim on there ! Especially since (from your picture), it looks a helluva lot better to run the 225mm width tires on the wider rims.

Just one last question....what do you mean when you say "it did get close at full-lock" ? Will 8" rub or cause any other problems ?

[95-GT]

Originally posted by zhd1000
what do each set of numbers mean?? like 225/45/17? i know the 17 is the diameter.. what do the other numbers stand for??

The first number is the width of the tire in MM.

The second number is the profile, or aspect percentage of the tire width. Example: Say the width is 225, and the aspect ratio is 45.....its actually 45% of 225. So the profile hight of the tire is 45% of 225...or 101.25.

The 3rd number is the size rim in inch's it can fit on. Thus, this tire would fit a 17" rim.

[mfuller]

Originally posted by IMICEMAN
Just one last question....what do you mean when you say "it did get close at full-lock" ? Will 8" rub or cause any other problems ?

That means when the front wheels are turned all the way to the right or left - that is what we call full-lock. It gets a bit close, but no rub.

[PontiacGTboy]

Just to give you an idea of how close it is,,, my wheels couldnt balance with the stick on weights on the inside of the wheel... they simply wouldnt do it. I had a Pontiac Vibrator for a good while. I finally asked them to put hammer on weights (crazy i know) and the inner weight on the back rim tapped my strut every time the rim went around! the fix? 10 thin washers from Lowes,,, one for each stud. it was just enough to pull the rim out MAYBE half of a centimeter and no rubs what so ever. I also run 225 45 17 on my 17x8s.

[snwman]

ive got 245's on a 7.5 inch wide wheel with no problems.

[AMRAAM4]

Originally posted by snwman
ive got 245's on a 7.5 inch wide wheel with no problems.

What the hell do you have those balloons on there for?? What is the point of going to a larger rim if you are going to increase tire size?

[mfuller]

I can't really fathom how you managed to squeeze 245s in there, but I suppose with the correct offset......I'm still of the opinion that things are pretty tight down there.
The point of going to a wider rim with a wider tire is so that you maximize the tire's contact patch (the small square-shaped part of the tire that is in contact with the road). If you put a wide tire on too narrow of a rim, the tire will have a more rounded (instead of flat) contact patch, effectively decreasing available traction. 245mm tires really need a 8.5" wide rim.

My 2 cents.

[snwman]

Originally posted by mfuller
I can't really fathom how you managed to squeeze 245s in there, but I suppose with the correct offset......I'm still of the opinion that things are pretty tight down there.
The point of going to a wider rim with a wider tire is so that you maximize the tire's contact patch (the small square-shaped part of the tire that is in contact with the road). If you put a wide tire on too narrow of a rim, the tire will have a more rounded (instead of flat) contact patch, effectively decreasing available traction. 245mm tires really need a 8.5" wide rim.

My 2 cents.

things are really tight down there, . I bought the wheels used from another member with 245's already mounted on them. now knowing this I may replace them with 235's when the time comes.

EDIT: while the wheels were off today i mesured and they must be at least 8" wide. i guess thats what happens when you buy used items not correct details.

[IMICEMAN]

Originally Posted by snwman

ive got 245's on a 7.5 inch wide wheel with no problems.

What is your "offset" ?

[rennation]

Hey guys while we are on the topic....17x8, 5x115, offset of 38 will work right?

[xxbackhillxx]

yes