OLDSCHOOLFOOL Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 Thinking of putting together a set of 17s and I was wondering if anyone had ever run 245/45R17s on a Gen 2. They are virtually the same diameter as 245/50R16s which I have run but they were pretty close in the front due to the width. Also the wheel would have +45 offset thus pushing the tire a little farther out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted October 28, 2019 Share Posted October 28, 2019 Old School, How many sets of wheels and tires have you experimented with so far? I've lost track. I like that. You are willing to try new things. What are the specs on the wheel? What is the width? What is the backspace? 5150 OLDSCHOOLFOOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLDSCHOOLFOOL Posted October 28, 2019 Author Share Posted October 28, 2019 10 hours ago, Fifty150 said: Old School, How many sets of wheels and tires have you experimented with so far? I've lost track. I like that. You are willing to try new things. What are the specs on the wheel? What is the width? What is the backspace? 5150 Truth is I have also lost track, I think somewhere round 8, 9, maybe as many as 10 sets. Maybe even some more if you count different combos of wheels to tires. I've tried different tires on the same wheels and vice versa. I am without doubt a Wheel Whore. I have given most away but still have on hand 4 different sets. Specs on the wheel are 17x7.5, +45 offset, backspace is 6.02". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted October 28, 2019 Share Posted October 28, 2019 I would be more concerned about the backspace. It seems like all that anyone talks about is the offset. The backspace clearance is what makes a difference. A lot of wheel specs online don't even mention the backspace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrm223 Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 On 10/26/2019 at 5:17 AM, OLDSCHOOLFOOL said: Also the wheel would have +45 offset thus pushing the tire a little farther out. If you know the width and the offset, you can calculate the backspace fairly accurately. Online info for the stock wheels on my 2015 show 6.5Jx16 ET50, which calculates out to 5.2185" backspace. But the website shows backspace of 133mm (5.2362 inches), web link here. Slightly under two-hundredths of a difference. Positive offset pulls the wheel in, negative offset pushes it out of the fender. You're moving them out 5mm/0.2" (+50 vs +45), but the wheels are also a full inch wider overall than stock, so the inside edge will be about 0.3" inward of stock (half the difference in wheel width, minus the 0.2" change in offset going outward). I think you'll find that you'll be going in a slightly straighter line with those wheels and the reduced steering angle. Then it's up to you, Old School, to decide if the reduced angle is acceptable or if you want to try some thin spacers (quarter-inch would nearly bring the inside wheel edge back to stock location) or whatever. Problem there is that the wheels would then be sticking a full inch out from stock location, not accounting for any tire width difference added on. OLDSCHOOLFOOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLDSCHOOLFOOL Posted November 4, 2019 Author Share Posted November 4, 2019 All very good info and as you say given offset and width the backspace can be easily calculated. I know there's adequate inside clearance and I am comfortable with the tracking of the wheel. My concern is with the reduction of offset and the width of the TIRE that the clearance on the outside back of the TIRE might not be adequate at full on turn. The change in the arc radius might cause rubbing at that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrm223 Posted November 5, 2019 Share Posted November 5, 2019 Seems like you're the wheel & tire trailblazer here, so you'll have to let the rest of us know what happens, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLDSCHOOLFOOL Posted November 6, 2019 Author Share Posted November 6, 2019 23 hours ago, jrm223 said: Seems like you're the wheel & tire trailblazer here, so you'll have to let the rest of us know what happens, lol. I don't know about all that. I seem to recall you hold the record for largest diameter tire on the front of a Gen II.? I was hoping someone might have already run this size. It occurred to me that I could possibly simulate the 245/45/17 size with what I already have by using 245/50/16 with a 5mm spacer effectively setting the offset to +45. The diameter is almost identical. Being on a fixed income now I need to be sure before buying something else that I can't eat. The simplest and probably best choice may be to simply run 235/45/17 which will DEFINITELY work and gives no speedometer error. jrm223 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrm223 Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 I do hold the record for largest diameter (not that's it's all that much larger, lol), but they're still on OEM steel wheels, haha. Another member was thinking of running the same tires as me, can't recall who it was now. In your shoes, I'd go with those 235/45R17 if the particular tire you want to run is available in that size. You're still moving them outward, but it may cause the least amount of other problems? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLDSCHOOLFOOL Posted November 17, 2019 Author Share Posted November 17, 2019 17s only offer marginal better options than 16s. I will just stick with what I already have. jrm223 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.