It turns out that if I want to put my new wheels on, the centreline is extended by 10mm all round. Is there anything one can do to bring the centreline back in as it should be, or is it just better to get the right frigging offsets!!! :lol:

have you tried them on the car yet or just compared them to other wheels? what sizes and offsets are the wheels in question?

Thanks for that, yes, I put them on and it really didn't feel right at all, especially at speed.

 

It's a Jspec, and has 225/50/16's ET45 on 7.5J's all round. I want to replace them with 245/45/16's ET35 on 8.5J's and having looked at it in a bit more depth (after the fact :thumbdown:) I realise that the offset difference of -10mm pushes the wheel out 23mm (which isn't the problem) but this would extend the centreline of the wheel by +10mm compared to the standard JSpec wheels.

 

Given that then (unless I'm a complete arse and don't understand the whole offset thing) spacers would just make the whole thing worse. Can anything else be done? I mean, adjustable tie rods/cambers, or...? Not sure whether I should ditch the idea or can work with it somehow.

 

I have adjustable tension rods on the front and am planning to remove the HiCAS soon, but I would like an end game in as far as the wheels and setup are concerned.

 

Would appreciate your thoughts, cheers, Alex

I'm not entirely sure what the problem is. So changing the wheels alters the stance of the car pushing the wheels further out.

Most of us have after market wheels on and this is generally the result. My wheels are pushed out close to flush with the arches and all I did was have a 4 wheel laser alignment done to stop the tyres wearing wrong.

I suppose if the car has been lowered you might need to fit adjustable components to get the alignment right, but my car is at a standard height and it adjusted OK.

I've been reading around and one of the problems is that lower offset wheels "could" cause problems. My question is two-fold then, is a +10mm extension to the centreline going to be an issue longer term e.g. excessive tyre wear, poor cornering, significant tram lining, cause damage to bearings, etc., and b) can it be corrected in any way?

 

I'm suspecting that b) is no, and that a) depends on driving style. Since my style is rather sane until it's insane; I don't want insane to be insane at far greater risk :cursing:

 

If I get the geometry sorted, does anyone know if a 10mm extended centreline is significant or not? It might be a dumb question to many... Like I said, I appreciate how to fix a 10mm loss using spacers, just not the other way around.

 

Cheers now, Alex

I will try to answer your question.

The only way to correct the centre line would be to have the alloy hub mount face skimmed to remove the 10mm extension. In reality, this is not going to be possible because you will compromise on strength of the wheels. You can't do any thing on the car to correct it for the same reason - safety.

 

A 10mm extended centre line is NOT significant. Think about the boys running wide arch kits and 60mm spacers!!

 

If you have the geometry sorted the tyre wear won't be a problem (driving style effects this massively).

The wider stance will improve cornering alittle, but yes wider tyres will make tramlining more noticable. There will be more stress on bearings, but how long before this is a problem depends on the current mileage//condition etc.

 

In short, IMO, you won't have any problems with the wheels/tyres you are suggesting. The car will look better for the wheels being pushed out and having wider tyres.

Most folk on here have 17,18 & 19inch wheels with far more aggressive offsets, much wider tyres than your suggesting and have no problems.

My wheels are 18inch//8.5J// offset ET23 and I have no issues as yet with bearings etc and looks much better than stock. My suspension is standard height though.

Just go for it, stop worrying.

Thanks for that, helps a lot. There was me thinking that everyone was hunting for the perfect offsets to get the centreline near enough stock. I'll get it aligned properly once the wheels are on.

No problem.:)