can rwd/lower offset wheels fit on a fwd car?
since the "looking to find those jdm wheels" started becoming about lower offset wheels on our fwd cars, due to me, i figured i'd create a new thread.
background info on fwd vs rwd... it's all about offset
the thing that really distinguishes fwd and rwd wheels are the offsets. fwd wheels are generally +35 to +45, whereas rwd wheels are generally +0 to +25. this can make a difference, but this is not to say that it is impossible to fit rwd wheels on a fwd car.
the higher/more positive/further from zero the offset, the closer it is to the vehicle.
the lower/more negative/closer to zero the offset, the further it is from the vehicle.
a spacer reduces rim offset (i.e. makes it lower/more negative/closer to zero) and thus pushes it further from the vehicle.
some more info i found on offset for those interested-
Offset is the location of the flat mounting surface of a wheel relative to the wheel's centerline. Negative offset means the mounting surface is toward the center of the car, positive offset means it is toward the outside of the car, or the wheel is "pulled in" toward the center. Offset affects many things other than just whether the wheel has the appearance of "sticking out" past the fender. The wrong offset can cause rubbing problems when the suspension is compressed or the wheel is turned. Offset affects the steering geometry's scrub radius, possibly leading to problems with torque steer or self-centering characteristics. Offset also affects the suspension's motion ratio, which directly determines the effective spring and damper rates. Potentially, in a very heavily loaded vehicle, or with extreme changes in offsets, wheel bearing life can be affected, but this is more often talked about by truck people than by small car enthusiasts. It is very, very important that the proper offset wheels be used.
The formula to find offset located above the photo is incorrect. The correct formula is: Offset = Backspace - (width/2)
While not directly a matter of offset, brake caliper clearance is a related issue. If you have, or plan to have big brakes on your car, be sure that your wheels, or the wheels you are going to use, will fit over the calipers. Spacers are available to solve the problem if they don't, but it is best to get a wheel with enough dish to meet your offset specs and still fit your brakes. Consulting the wheel and brake manufacturers ahead of time is wise. Many aftermarket brake companies even have templates of their brakes available that you can easily check against any wheel.
source: http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/te...cc_wheelguide/
getting back to the original question: can a rwd/lower offset wheel fit on a fwd car?:
in my search for information, i searched a lot on www.vipstylecars.com . since vip style, at least in some people's eyes, is about running huge wheels with huge lip, i figured i might be able to find some info. i asked a guy (one ton vip) on the site, who seems to be very knowledggeable about wheel issues of all sorts, about running lower offset wheels on a fwd car. for reference, this is his car:
his answer about running lower offset wheels on a fwd car:
With a little bit of extra work, you can actually fit a lot wider and lower offset wheels on a fwd car than most people would think. For example, I had always been told that you'd be lucky to fit anything more than a 7.5", +32mm on a honda civic... well, here's some 17x8", +25mm we put on a friend's civic for kicks:
I would reocmmend checking out stylewagon magazine if you're near a japanese bookstore for ideas too, because that's where you'll see most of the crazy fixed up fwd cars, including accords every so often...
the best way to determine how wide/low offset you can go is to take your existing setup, and measure the clearance that you have now, and go from there. Try and see how much room you have between the outer edge of your current wheels/tires and about a few mm beyond the middle of your fender lip. I'm willing to bet that you've got AT LEAST an inch. so if you rolled your fender lips flat... and ran even just another deg of negative camber all around, you could probably fit something along the lines of a 17x8", +20mm or so... just to give you an idea...
so, it seems with some modification (rolling fenders, running negative camber), it can be done.
not sure if i'll do it, but wanted to present the information to everyone interested.
since the "looking to find those jdm wheels" started becoming about lower offset wheels on our fwd cars, due to me, i figured i'd create a new thread.
background info on fwd vs rwd... it's all about offset
the thing that really distinguishes fwd and rwd wheels are the offsets. fwd wheels are generally +35 to +45, whereas rwd wheels are generally +0 to +25. this can make a difference, but this is not to say that it is impossible to fit rwd wheels on a fwd car.
the higher/more positive/further from zero the offset, the closer it is to the vehicle.
the lower/more negative/closer to zero the offset, the further it is from the vehicle.
a spacer reduces rim offset (i.e. makes it lower/more negative/closer to zero) and thus pushes it further from the vehicle.
some more info i found on offset for those interested-
Offset is the location of the flat mounting surface of a wheel relative to the wheel's centerline. Negative offset means the mounting surface is toward the center of the car, positive offset means it is toward the outside of the car, or the wheel is "pulled in" toward the center. Offset affects many things other than just whether the wheel has the appearance of "sticking out" past the fender. The wrong offset can cause rubbing problems when the suspension is compressed or the wheel is turned. Offset affects the steering geometry's scrub radius, possibly leading to problems with torque steer or self-centering characteristics. Offset also affects the suspension's motion ratio, which directly determines the effective spring and damper rates. Potentially, in a very heavily loaded vehicle, or with extreme changes in offsets, wheel bearing life can be affected, but this is more often talked about by truck people than by small car enthusiasts. It is very, very important that the proper offset wheels be used.
The formula to find offset located above the photo is incorrect. The correct formula is: Offset = Backspace - (width/2)
While not directly a matter of offset, brake caliper clearance is a related issue. If you have, or plan to have big brakes on your car, be sure that your wheels, or the wheels you are going to use, will fit over the calipers. Spacers are available to solve the problem if they don't, but it is best to get a wheel with enough dish to meet your offset specs and still fit your brakes. Consulting the wheel and brake manufacturers ahead of time is wise. Many aftermarket brake companies even have templates of their brakes available that you can easily check against any wheel.
source: http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/te...cc_wheelguide/
getting back to the original question: can a rwd/lower offset wheel fit on a fwd car?:
in my search for information, i searched a lot on www.vipstylecars.com . since vip style, at least in some people's eyes, is about running huge wheels with huge lip, i figured i might be able to find some info. i asked a guy (one ton vip) on the site, who seems to be very knowledggeable about wheel issues of all sorts, about running lower offset wheels on a fwd car. for reference, this is his car:
his answer about running lower offset wheels on a fwd car:
With a little bit of extra work, you can actually fit a lot wider and lower offset wheels on a fwd car than most people would think. For example, I had always been told that you'd be lucky to fit anything more than a 7.5", +32mm on a honda civic... well, here's some 17x8", +25mm we put on a friend's civic for kicks:
I would reocmmend checking out stylewagon magazine if you're near a japanese bookstore for ideas too, because that's where you'll see most of the crazy fixed up fwd cars, including accords every so often...
the best way to determine how wide/low offset you can go is to take your existing setup, and measure the clearance that you have now, and go from there. Try and see how much room you have between the outer edge of your current wheels/tires and about a few mm beyond the middle of your fender lip. I'm willing to bet that you've got AT LEAST an inch. so if you rolled your fender lips flat... and ran even just another deg of negative camber all around, you could probably fit something along the lines of a 17x8", +20mm or so... just to give you an idea...
so, it seems with some modification (rolling fenders, running negative camber), it can be done.
not sure if i'll do it, but wanted to present the information to everyone interested.
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