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Old 07-28-2012, 02:42 PM   #1
m4r10
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Default 245/40/17 on 17x9 on bugeye

I'm looking at a set of Rota Grids in 17x9+35 offset. I'd probably go with a 245/40/17 tire. I'm lowered a bit. Just about 1.5-1.75 inches on Prodrive springs. Could I get away with not doing any fender modification with factory camber on my 2002 WRX?
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Old 07-28-2012, 02:54 PM   #2
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You will need to mod the rear quarters. If they were in the +42 range you could get away with rolling the rears flat. I think a +35 would need some more camber in the rear or a little pull and roll.
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Old 07-28-2012, 03:12 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by MD04WRX View Post
You will need to mod the rear quarters. If they were in the +42 range you could get away with rolling the rears flat. I think a +35 would need some more camber in the rear or a little pull and roll.
What are shops charging nowadays for pulling and rolling? I can find these in a +48 offset too.
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Old 07-28-2012, 03:42 PM   #4
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This is my bugeye with 17x9 and 245/40/17s. Offset is +44, and I haven't had to roll fenders. At +35, I'm pretty sure you will, but it also depends on your suspension setup.

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Old 07-28-2012, 04:02 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Torquey View Post
This is my bugeye with 17x9 and 245/40/17s. Offset is +44, and I haven't had to roll fenders. At +35, I'm pretty sure you will, but it also depends on your suspension setup.

I guess I will have to go with the 17x9+42 or 48 offset. I'm wondering if it's necessary to go with a 235 width instead of 245 to avoid rubbing on unrolled fenders and stock camber with about 1.5" drop(Prodrive springs). I really don't wanna have to do fender modification and I don't want to do aggressive camber since I drive so much and tires might wear unevenly. I also don't want to take away too much performance by stretching tires.

What's your suspension setup Torquey?

Last edited by m4r10; 07-28-2012 at 04:08 PM.
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Old 07-28-2012, 04:49 PM   #6
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Mine was JDM STi pink springs w/ 3/8" 'saggy butt spacers' in the back. I think your Prodrive blues will be lower than that. My Conti DWS 245/40s already have a mild stretch mounted on 9". 235s may really be stretching it (pun intended =).
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Old 07-28-2012, 04:54 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Torquey View Post
Mine was JDM STi pink springs w/ 3/8" 'saggy butt spacers' in the back. I think your Prodrive blues will be lower than that. My Conti DWS 245/40s already have a mild stretch mounted on 9". 235s may really be stretching it (pun intended =).
Thanks. I noticed the stretch. That's why I thought they were 235. Is your alignment stock?
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Old 07-28-2012, 05:34 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by m4r10 View Post
I guess I will have to go with the 17x9+42 or 48 offset. I'm wondering if it's necessary to go with a 235 width instead of 245 to avoid rubbing on unrolled fenders and stock camber with about 1.5" drop(Prodrive springs). I really don't wanna have to do fender modification and I don't want to do aggressive camber since I drive so much and tires might wear unevenly. I also don't want to take away too much performance by stretching tires.

What's your suspension setup Torquey?
235 will still rub. When I was running a 235-40-18 on a 18x8.5 plus 48 the tires would rub on the rubber wheel opening molding on the rear. I removed the molding and had no trouble after that.

If you don't want to do any fender mods the above set up is about the biggest you can go with out either fender or camber mods. Some may disagree but I've had my 04 since it was new. I've had 4 different suspension set ups and maybe 10 different sets of wheel and tires so I have a good idea what works with out fender mods.
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Old 07-28-2012, 05:56 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MD04WRX

235 will still rub. When I was running a 235-40-18 on a 18x8.5 plus 48 the tires would rub on the rubber wheel opening molding on the rear. I removed the molding and had no trouble after that.

If you don't want to do any fender mods the above set up is about the biggest you can go with out either fender or camber mods. Some may disagree but I've had my 04 since it was new. I've had 4 different suspension set ups and maybe 10 different sets of wheel and tires so I have a good idea what works with out fender mods.
Thanks for the input. Wouldn't 18x8.5 be harder to fit than 17x9?
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Old 07-28-2012, 06:20 PM   #10
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Thanks for the input. Wouldn't 18x8.5 be harder to fit than 17x9?
No, it's the width of the wheel and offset that maters most. When you go up in wheel diameter you go down in side wall size to keep the same "rolling diameter" (or close to it). Example 225-45-17 to a 225-40-18. There aren't as many 17x8.5 wheels out there so your choices are limited.

If you are set on 17x9 and a 245-40-17 tire. Get a +44 or +42 and roll the rear. If you take a close look at the pics posted above, you can clearly see that those will rub with any significant suspension travel.
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Old 07-28-2012, 06:28 PM   #11
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No, it's the width of the wheel and offset that maters most. When you go up in wheel diameter you go down in side wall size to keep the same "rolling diameter" (or close to it). Example 225-45-17 to a 225-40-18. There aren't as many 17x8.5 wheels out there so your choices are limited.

If you are set on 17x9 and a 245-40-17 tire. Get a +44 or +42 and roll the rear. If you take a close look at the pics posted above, you can clearly see that those will rub with any significant suspension travel.
I know about the wheel rolling diameter and offsets. Wasn't what I was worried about. Just the width. I'm only set on 17x9 because it's the smallest usable size I can find Rota Grids in hyperblack for my car. I just wanted to know if they would fit without rolling the rears. I'm pretty sure the fronts would be ok at a 42-44mm offset.
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Old 07-28-2012, 06:34 PM   #12
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They got them in royal bronze only at 17x8. I would go with this size but I don't care for the color.
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Old 07-29-2012, 12:20 PM   #13
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if you are set against not rolling fenders then honestly you don't need to be looking for wheels that wide.

18x8.5 grids are offered in hyper black - or just pick a different color.
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Old 07-30-2012, 01:56 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by sc00by4life View Post
if you are set against not rolling fenders then honestly you don't need to be looking for wheels that wide.

18x8.5 grids are offered in hyper black - or just pick a different color.
so 18x8.5 would require no fender rolling? What about weight? Anybody know for sure how much heavier a 18x8.5 Grid wheel is gonna be vs a 17x9 Grid wheel? I'm getting all kinds of different numbers on google search.
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Old 07-30-2012, 02:10 AM   #15
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if you REALLY care about weight, you are looking at the wrong wheels, and thinking about things completely backwards.
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Old 07-30-2012, 02:28 AM   #16
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if you REALLY care about weight, you are looking at the wrong wheels, and thinking about things completely backwards.
Yes I know what you mean. Look is my main concern followed closely by handling and cost. Weight/fuel mileage is a distant 4th. This wheel has almost everything I'm looking for. I'm just trying to save a little weight since I drive a lot. It prob won't make that huge of a difference. I think I'll just go with the 17x9's with rear fenders rolled. I think they'll look nicer, are cheaper and might be a little lighter than the 18x8.5's with tires added.

Last edited by m4r10; 07-30-2012 at 02:42 AM.
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Old 07-30-2012, 03:58 AM   #17
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IMO 235/40/17 is THE tire size for a 2.0L / 5 speed combo.

You get the gearing advantage that the engine and transmission desperately needs, and this outweighs advantages of fitting fatter tires.

The added bonus is the smaller diameter means much less need to roll fenders and such.
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Old 07-30-2012, 11:35 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by Concillian View Post
IMO 235/40/17 is THE tire size for a 2.0L / 5 speed combo.

You get the gearing advantage that the engine and transmission desperately needs, and this outweighs advantages of fitting fatter tires.

The added bonus is the smaller diameter means much less need to roll fenders and such.
But how much of a gearing advantage from 245 to 235 are we talking about here? It can't be that noticeable.
I'm also worried about the stretch. I don't wanna be worrying about my tires in a hard curve. Not much difference between 245 and 235 but I thought 245 was already a slight stretch. The tire choices at 235/40/17 are much more limited and expensive. The General G-MAX AS-03 tire I was going with is not even available in that size.

Last edited by m4r10; 07-30-2012 at 11:46 AM.
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Old 07-30-2012, 11:55 AM   #19
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I have 17x9 +42 grids on bugeye running 245/45/17's. Fronts are fine but the rears need rolling, but not much. I run -1.5 camber all the way around and Im not lowered at all.
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Old 07-30-2012, 12:04 PM   #20
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I have 17x9 +42 grids on bugeye running 245/45/17's. Fronts are fine but the rears need rolling, but not much. I run -1.5 camber all the way around and Im not lowered at all.
Oh yeah? Does they ever rub after rolling your rear fenders now?
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Old 07-30-2012, 12:30 PM   #21
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The gearing advantage is huge.

A 235/40 federal is square on a 9" wheel.
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Old 07-30-2012, 12:35 PM   #22
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I currently have the same problem, except I have an 07 Wrx. I have a 17x9 +35 rpf1 and lowered on coilovers, just got all 4 fenders rolled but don't which tire size to go with. Can some one help me outt ?
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Old 07-30-2012, 02:05 PM   #23
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Hey Frank, after doing some reading, I will be going with 245/40/17 General G-MAX AS-03 tires on the 17x9+42 wheels. I know different models vary slightly in how they fit wheels even though they are technically the same size. But I know these will be fine. I'd rather have a more accurate speedometer than the gearing which would improve acceleration a bit but don't think will save me any fuel. I only really step on it merging onto highways nowadays.
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Old 07-30-2012, 02:08 PM   #24
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here's a link I found helpful:
http://www.rimsntires.com/specs.jsp
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Old 07-30-2012, 05:44 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by m4r10
Hey Frank, after doing some reading, I will be going with 245/40/17 General G-MAX AS-03 tires on the 17x9+42 wheels. I know different models vary slightly in how they fit wheels even though they are technically the same size. But I know these will be fine. I'd rather have a more accurate speedometer than the gearing which would improve acceleration a bit but don't think will save me any fuel. I only really step on it merging onto highways nowadays.
Smaller rolling diameters an better acceleration result in less fuel consumption compared to a larger rolling diameter.

I'd say the difference between a 235/40 and 245/40 is negligible, however I probably chosen different tires.
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