what's the offset?

Looking at getting some 16 or 17 inch wheels. Currently on stock steelies, lowered on wrx racelands about an inch and a quarter.
What offset is best without having to roll/pull fenders? 45 seems like a standard
What's the widest tire we can fit without rubbing?

the 02 wrx wheels are 16" and have an offset of +55. i have them on my GT, but had to get smaller tires than the 225s that were on there. i did run them for a few months with 5mm spacers tho, no rubbing on the fenders. i also have some 17" wheels for my wagon with a +43 offset and they run nicely with 205 tires and stock suspension. i have coilovers on it now, but ended up with stock 15" wheels from my GT on it for now.

so go no lower than 40 on the offset would probably be a good rule of thumb?

if you are using suabaru wheels, offset is a non-issue.
if you are using aftermnarket wheels, ..... it is an issue.

offset changes as the wheel width changes.
there is no one offset for one car.
it is based on wheel width.

subaru steel wheels tend to be narrower than subaru alloys.
but if it is a subaru wheel, the offset will be right.
so if the subaru wheel clears the brakes, turns and does not rub, you are good.

more research is required for after market wheels.

I'm leaning heavily on these http://m.discounttiredirect.com/dire...=Car%2FMinivan
17x7
40 offset
Thinking about a 215 on it but will go smaller if need be
Consensus???

i believe mine are 7.5" wide, so that wheel with a 40 offset would fit fine. now, 215s are about 8.5" wide, and on a 7" wheel may give you some side travel on the tires. i had that issue with the 16" wrx wheels with 225s on them.

oh, here are the tools i use to determine tire/ wheel fitment

http://www.1010tires.com/Tools/Wheel-Offset-Calculator

http://www.1010tires.com/Tools/Tire-Size-Calculator

they come in handy

Proper site twisty! Love the tools they have. I have been misinformed for quite some time now now, thanks to you, I'm not. Knowing this I should probably go with a 7.5 inch wide wheel.
Betcha this 16s with 225's on em looked rather meaty!!
Also, I'm running into inner camber wear now that I've lowered the car. Looked at adjustable lca's for impreza from speedy racer.
I know the coilover for those models will fit cause I have em but you know if the lca's are compatible as well?

they should be, these cars all have the same parts. my GT has a hub/knuckle assembly from a forester on it. i dont have any issues with camber wear so far with my coilovers tho, are you sure its not just an alignment issue?

Cool. All four of my tires have worn on the inside edges and my car is nowhere near slammed. I had it aligned at Napa couple months ago but from the moment I pulled out it was pulling to the right. Pretty sure my rack bushings are gone allowing for a little slop in the alignment but that wouldn't make all of them wear inside quicker than the rest.

New inner and outer tierods when I had it aligned AND the guy assured me there was plenty of camber adjustment and I shouldn't be worried. Well I guess he was misinformed cause now they are worn and I'm worried.

Gotta solve the fronts and rears...... You know of any reputable affordable pieces?

if it pulled right out of the alignment shop, id probably get it checked on a different rack. my rack bushings are actually half busted and hanging out, so i havent taken it in for an alignment at all yet. i set it myself with measurements and it rolls straight. most of the time. i have about 4000 miles on it since then and no sign of wear so far. rack bushings are online for less than 50 bucks, but ive had to fix a few things on the GT and civic for kids to be able to get to work and school before i take care of my toy.

i went local for my parts, called a company called lkq and they pulled one from a car in their private lot. http://www.lkqonline.com/ looks like they do quite a bit online as well, may be a good spot to check.

My bushings are also hang in out plus my p/s pump is leaking so that needs to be replaced. So here's a thought, with the bushings bad it allows the whole steering rack to move enough that my car pulls in the direction that I last turned? Sound legit? I'm not sure myself but in my head it works out that way ��.
Also, how do you replace the bushimgs ?

I had 17x7.5 +45 rims with 205/45/17 tires on my 98 wagon with stock wrx wagon springs and struts. It rubbed slightly on the 1/4 panels when I had people in the back seat and hit bumps or turned hard.

Originally Posted by dudewerx

Also, how do you replace the bushimgs ?

http://sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?t=867

Good to know 98legwag

Points on resourcefulness twisty!! Seem to be able to count on you for a multitude of things