Offset shimming and tire recomendations.

[bolverkchaos]

I am quite new here, and yes, I have been searching for a few days about this.
I'm thinking of buying a set of Rota G-force for my birthday next month and I had a few questions about what offset to go with and what shimming would be best.

I have stock suspension and though I have been thinking about upgrading it, I'm not so sure about dropping the car very much, as it is my daily driver and it's rather low as it is. If I do, it'll be very little I would guess.

What I'm looking at.

Rota G-Force Or Boost
17x8
5x114.3
Sadly I can't seem to find the G-Force in anything other than a +48 offset
The Boost that I find are +35 and +45.
I think I like the G-Force better, but I haven't seen them on a 2g yet. I know the boost looks very good, it's just a bit simple I guess.

Question is, if I have to go with the +48 do I just try to shim it 8mm to bring it to +40? or whatever is best.
And if I have to go with either the +35 or +45 is it best to get the +45 and shim?

Is shimming frowned upon, or known to cause any issues?

~ Also, if you have any recommendations on where to buy these wheels or have pictures of the G-Force It would be much appreciated. ~

I'm also going to need tires, being a daily driver I don't need much, tire recommendations and size (And an explanation on why one tire size is better) would be wonderful. It's mostly dry here but when it rains, it rains hard. And any bit of water makes my car slide around right now. Long lasting, year 'round performance. No snow or ice, just water.

I know, I have a lot of questions. Please bear with me.
It's hard to justify $700 on something that doesn't make my car go any faster or stop faster. I still need a turbo
I wonder if people ever regret buying their wheels....
Hell, I just need tires. But I may as well treat myself right?

 

[bolverkchaos]

At the least if someone has some answers as to my questions on spacing the offset I would appreciate it

 

[housegsx]

I would try to find something between 38-43mm with a 17x8. 40 probably being about perfect. Alot of wheels seem to come in a 43 and then you could buy 3mm spacers. I personally want the Enkei RPF1's in 17x8, but they only make those in 35 and 45mm offsets.
You could probably space a wheel more than 3mm, but then you're getting into longer wheel studs, hub adapters, centering rings etc.

 

[1512gvr4]

a 8mm spacer will be OK for normal street use, but it is not reccommended at all by most people. a lot of tire shops wont even touch your car at all if you have wheel spacers no matter what size. usually if you go with a 10mm or bigger spacer, youll need longer wheel studs. you might be able to get away with a 5mm spacer which would bring the offset to +43.

As for tires, what kind of tires are you using right now? The Bridgestone RE040 Pole Position's are awesome tires in the rain and especially in the dry. i believe tire rack might have a sale on them right now in a 225/45/17 size but i havent checked recently so dont ake my word for it. if the Bridgestone's are a little out of your price range, look into the Hankook Ventus Z212's

 

[1512gvr4]

oh and check www.subydude.com. i believe that they are the biggest rota vendor in the west coast. although they mainly cater to the subaru community, they do sell wheels for all sorts of vehicles and literally has every wheel style, size, bolt pattern, color etc etc etc in stock. they are located in Northern California.

 

[bolverkchaos]

Ah, thank you very much.

What would be the reason for a shop not wanting to service a car with wheel spacers? Do they cause issues?

 

[bolverkchaos]

Call me dumb. But on the subydude site, where it has the specs for the wheel size, offset, etc.. It says:
17x8, 5x114.3, e48, 51.6hb, steel gray.

Is the e48 the offset?
What is 51.6hb?

 

[roadrunner2176]

At subydude,com their only listing the boost rims to fit an eclipse. Not saying the others wouldnt, it just doesnt list them. Go to non subaru fitment guide. I would call them and ask to make sure. I would assume that their referring to offset with eXX, but I would make sure. Also ask them about center bore. Not all rims have the same size center, or hub opening. As for spacers, their fine. Don't take a spacer over 8 mm without installing longer stronger studs. Anything more than 20mm should be an adapter.

As for spacing concerns, 25mm is basically an inch. so 6.25 mm is a 1/4 inch. If your talking about 3 mm, your looking at around 1/8 of an inch.

 

[1512gvr4]

the e48 is the offset which means +48. i believe the the 51.6hb is the center bore size

 

[bolverkchaos]

Ahh. The bore, huh. never thought of that. Cool.

Yeah, they don't list them, but I don't see any reason why they wouldn't fit, they probably aren't listed because of the offset or something. *shurgs*

Alright then, so spacing it 8mm isn't going to be an issue.
.... Where do I get these spacers?
Has no one heard of or tried spacing a wheel this far on here? Just wondering, it doesn't seem like a big deal to me, figured it would be a common thing.

 

[1512gvr4]

you can get the spacers from subydude.com also.

my buddy is running a 8mm spacer on his 1g with the stock studs still. his wheels are 17x9+45 with 255 wide tires

 

[1512gvr4]

heres a pic of his car if you wanted to see how his wheel sits


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1021/866113352_3f1f3e1c9e_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1343/866113412_41f4280c6d_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1167/866113426_543f1b9045_o.jpg

 

[bolverkchaos]

I don't see them on the site but I'll probably be ordering them off machiii anyway because they have the same thing, for the same price, but the shipping is free. Would there be local place that would carry things like that?

 

[bolverkchaos]

Mmmm. Very nice, thank you. If the 2g's fit about the same 17x8 +40 should fit perfect.

So excited. Just wish I could pick what I want. At least I've got it down to two. >.>

 

[roadrunner2176]

You can get the spacers just about anywhere, just look for 5x4.5 wheel spacers that are your desired width. I would recommend longer studs for 8 mm spacers, so look into a kit as well. Longer studs are not necessary, but your removing 8 mm from what the lug nuts have to hold onto. The universal spacers you can get anywhere, the hub and wheel centric are somewhat harder and get pricey fast. You can pick up the autozone universal brands for 15 or so dollars, but no studs. I usually order my parts from lane automotive, Summit should carry them, give ebay a try if nothing else.

 

[1512gvr4]

I don't see them on the site but I'll probably be ordering them off machiii anyway because they have the same thing, for the same price, but the shipping is free. Would there be local place that would carry things like that?

yeah it doesnt really matter where your order them from. i have dealt with both subydude and machiii before(theyre both local shops for me) and their service is great and the people are very nice. if machiii has cheaper prices because they offer free shipping, then just go with them, but then again, it never hurts to call subydude and see what they can offer.

 

[bolverkchaos]

Cool, that's good to hear. Thanks guys.

 

[bolverkchaos]

Is this what would be recommended to make good fitment, or would it be better to go with +35 and hope for the best? I mean, I'm stuck with +35 if that's what I get right? I can't make that go in any father if it sticks out.

But then again, I guess I run the risk of shimming 8mm and it not being enough and then I'll have issues going any farther than that.

 

[1512gvr4]

i say go with the 48. if the 8mm spacer isnt enough, you can always get longer studs and go with a bigger spacer, or else you can buy the bolt on spacers. if you go with the +35 offset, and the wheels stick out past your fenders, then there is nothing you can do to fix that except buy a new set of wheels

 

[bolverkchaos]

Aye, will do.

Anyone ever see the G-Force on a 2g? Any opinions?

 

[wret]

A. When buying new wheels, it's best to get wheels that fit, without adapters.
B. No one can competently advise you what offset will or will not work without knowing what size tires you will be using, and any existing or planned changes to the suspension.

 

[bolverkchaos]

That seems to be a hard thing to find for our cars, I've looked at a lot of wheels that I would love to have (But can't afford) that don't come in a 40mm offset or close to it. Shimming is about the only option. I would like to hear your reasonings behind why it's not a good idea to shim.

To quote my first post:
"I have stock suspension and though I have been thinking about upgrading it, I'm not so sure about dropping the car very much, as it is my daily driver and it's rather low as it is. If I do, it'll be very little I would guess."

And again:
"I'm also going to need tires, being a daily driver I don't need much, tire recommendations and size (And an explanation on why one tire size is better) would be wonderful. It's mostly dry here but when it rains, it rains hard. And any bit of water makes my car slide around right now. Long lasting, year 'round performance. No snow or ice, just water. "

I do plan on buying a set of coilovers when I can, I'm not sure what kind of a drop I'm looking at. Maybe 1.25" I'm not sure.

I'm planing on ordering a set of Fuzion HRi's off tirerack in 225/45/17.

Hope that helps.

 

[wret]

You will have no trouble with 225/45/17's on +48mm offset.

 

[bolverkchaos]

Yes, but it's the 17x8inch wheel that I'm worried about. And I don't want to looking like it's too tucked in