Jazzer, or whoever else

im really in a crossroads at the moment as to what size wheels to get for the front of my car...

i already decided on 17x10.5 black bullits for the rear, but i cant decide if i want 17x8 or 9's in the front

hopefully you can talk me into one way or the other... here is my story

basically ive been searching the web for like 2 weeks at least and im just trying to get front/rear angles of cars with 8's or 9's up front..

i have noticed that 9's are under the fender, but once you get about halfway down to the wheel by the front bumper, it looks like the wheel or tire really bulges out past the side of the car from certain angles..

i cant really explain it.. and also, someone got 17x9's and wish he had gotten 8's for the front... so that makes me think maybe i should jsut stay 8's up front?

a 255/40 is going up front bc im re-using my tires from my wheels that are on there now

the problem with me buying 8's is that i dont want to regret not getting 9's... and also, 8's dont look too lost inside the fender (they look about half an inch from being flush with the fender), but im taking my isolators out for spring, so i dont want them to really get lost inside the fender once my car drops about another 1/2inch or so

hope it all makes sense.. someone talk some sense into me and help me sway to one side or the other

thanks


cliff notes : im getting new rims.. i cant decide 17x8 or 17x9 for the fronts

 

here are some pics to go along with what im sayin..

these are of 17x8's.





those are basically flush with the side of the fenders and such.. sure they are tucked under the top of the fender, but they still look fine nonetheless..

as for 17x9's-- these pics look flush if not inside the fender by a significant margin..






Now these pics (nobody take offense if you read/see this post as its just my opinion and i cant see the cars in person!) are 17x9's but they look like the stick out past the fender.....


this first pic clearly looks like the wheel/tire is past the fender by far

These next two pics look like the wheel is clearly under the fender, but halfway up the wheel it looks like its bulging out (275/40)


and this pic looks like the tire is bulging out and not the wheel (its a 275/40)

this pic is just idkk.. looks like it has potential to be flush


if you cant tell, i have all these pics bc im so damn **** with my car lol.. i need to make the right choice

HELP!!!

 

OK, what you need to look into is the off-set of a particular wheel. That is to say, you can run an 8" wheel with an off-set of +25mm. Or, a 9" wheel with an off-set of +40mm on opposite sides. The 8" wheel will stick out farther than the 9". This is because the mounting flange is farther from center of wheel width on the 9" rim. Go ***HERE*** for an explanation of how this measurment is taken.

If you look at my front wheels...

you will see they are a bit past the top edge of fender (probably 1/2" looking straight down) and are +24mm off-set. If I was to run a +50mm off-set, the face of wheel would be 1" farther inward. This is a completely subjective issue and you will not find any kind of consensus on what people like, so you are on your own here.

The following would be my best suggestion. Take a look at the wheels you have now. How do you like there placement in relationship to the fender? Too far in? Too far out? just right? If they are too far in, as I suspect, do the following experiment. Jack the car up by the "A" frame so the tire bearly comes off the ground. Loosen the lugs 1/2" and slide the wheel outward til it makes contact with lugs. Step back and take a look from all angles. Is this better? Worse? Just right? Loosen a little more if needed (Be sure to TIGHTEN them back up when done )

Tell me what you find and give me the your wheel info. Model, width, diameter and will need the off-set for sure. It may be stamped on the inside, or try looking up on the net.

LMK

Jazzer

 

sorry im kinda confused by that link you provided its so much to take in w/o being explained to visually!!

but anyway, ill try and do that jack it up and move it out method but than i dont really know how far im going ya know.. ill just eyeball it?.. for instance, if i move it out, idk if that is exactly where a 17x9 will be compared to my 17x8

The fronts for bullitts are

17x8 = +30mm 5.72 backspacing (not sure what this is exactly)
17x9 = +24mm 5.94 backspacing

 

17x8 = +30mm 5.72 backspacing (look at 5.75 on chart below)

Look at the link I provided and see where it says how to measure back-space. The GREATER this number, the LESS your wheel will be sticking out toward fender. Think of it this way, if your wheel is 8" wide and the off-set is 0mm then the back-space is 4". The mounting flange is in the center of the wheel so equal widths on each side of hub or axle.

Your 17"x8" wheel is VERY close to one on this chart, so look below to find it:

Your wheel is soo close to the 32mm (actually, sometimes referred to +32mm), you won't see a difference between these two wheels on your ride (approx. 1/8" difference). Now, if your front wheels are 1/2" to far inward for your taste, you could go with a 17"x8" wheel with at +19mm off-set. This would be the same width of wheel, same size tire will fit in the exact same way. The only difference is the mounting flange of wheel is 1/2" closer to the center of the wheel.

Does that make sense?

Jazzer

 

yes its starting to make more sense thank you

last thing i have to do is ask for your opinion --- what would you get? the 8's or the 9's?

a 255 wont look stretched on a 9" wheel will it?? ive seen pics it doesnt look stretched really

 

I run a 9" wheel with my Winter tires and are 275/35/18". That is really the max, as stated above, for my wheel width in that profile. I also have a bit of a bulge on them and will widen wheel and go 295/30's like my Summer wheels in pic above when need replacing.

I would recommend a 255 for a tiny bit stretched or just less than even with wheel in most cases. A 265 will be even or little bit bulged. Both describe fitment for a 9" wheel and will vary per make/manufacturer of tire. A wider tire like a 275 will ride a little softer as it has a little more sidewall to absorb bumps and such.

Norm can give you MUCH better info on technical things of fitment, load rating and such.

HTH

Jazzer

 

ok thank you for all of your help. i appreciate it