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17X7.5 or 17X8 wheels?

9K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  mosc 
#1 ·
I drive an 05 WRX and am getting new wheels. I currently have 17X7.5 wheels that I am replacing and I'm thinking of going up a size. The 2 options I'm looking at are a 17X8 wheel/tire combo that weighs the same as the 17X7.5's I have right now.....or, a 17X7.5 wheel/tire combo that weighs 1.5 pounds less per wheel than the larger ones.

I know wider tires give more traction and less unsprung weight also improves performance. My car is a DD but I like to have it set up for road course driving. I'm just looking for some opinions on the advantages of going one way or the other. And I assume there won't be rubbing issues with 8" wheels on a slightly lowered rex but tell me if I'm wrong.

Thanks
 
#2 ·
What offset are they?

A wider rim does not, on it's own, increase the contact patch much. It mostly just lets you run wider tires. 17x7.5" is fine if you're planning on 225/45/17 but you'll need 17x8" with a nice offset (at least 48) to run 235/40/17 or 245/40/17.

Rim width is really only a tool to run wider tires. If you have the tires you want, get the lightest rim you can. That and make sure the offset is as close to stock as you can find (generally) which is +53.
 
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