Help Me Chose my Summer Wheels
 

As we are about to get closer to the Spring months, I have spent an insane amount of time looking for my warm weather wheel setup. I know what I want for tires, but I can't find an example of my desired setup. My stock rims have some General Altimax Arctic in 215/45R17 and have been a huge improvement over stock in the sub 50 degree weather. I do not plan to drop the car any.

Tires:

My Choice: 245/40R17 The tires I want are 22lbs according to TireRack. OEM: 215/45/17 20lbs according to TireRack (and what I have seen here).


I am stuck between three choices of wheels.

Kosei K4R 17x8 +36 15.8 lbs. With tires -2.2lbs/corner

These would push the rims ~1" farther out on each edge and would only pick up about 1/4" toward the suspension. I fear that my fenders/liners might be at risk with these wheels.


OZ Alleggerita HLT 17x8 +48 15.7lbs. With Tires -2.3lbs/corner

These would suck in closer to the suspension by about 3/4" and only sit 1/2" wider. I don't fear my feners/liners with these, but I am not sure if they would rub on the stock suspension parts.


OZ Formula HLT 17x8 +48 19.75lbs. With Tires +1.5lbs/corner

Fit would be the same as the Alleggerita, but they are cheaper and I love their design. The Alleggetta is lighter and has better color options.


The main reason for the thread is clearance though. I see many people with even more aggressive setups. I don't want 18"s for my own reasons and I want to keep stock height while going pretty wide. I don't want staggered either as I like the neutral balance that the car has on a square setup.

More than 100 views and nobody runs these sizes or similar sizes?

17x8 +36 won't rub for sure, even with a 245/40 on it. The 17x8 +48 with a 245/40 will be really close to the stock front spring seats.

I'm running 17x8 +45 with 225/45's and I don't have much room (maybe 5-6mm tops) up front, but there's no rubbing.

What tires are you looking at? Why 245's on an 8" wheel?

I am not even close to a newb in the change in tire size/gearing game and I want to go wider without having to worry about gearing. I do love the idea of having a wider track width and like the look too, but I don't want to have to worry about rolling fenders or clearance on a stock suspension. Camber is not my idea of a clearance solution. The 245/40R17 is actually a hair small than stock and should provide a tiny bit of gearing advantage actually. I don't want 8.5" or 9" because that is too much wheel and the response is not worth the trade in weight IMHO. I'm looking at the General Altimax GS3 or Dunlop Direzza DZ101 based on price and reviews.

245/40/17 is damn near identical to 215/45/17, so there won't really be any gearing advantage.

Unless you're buying for the look, you're better off with a stickier compound in a 215/45 or 225/45 if you're after better grip.

My 205/50/17 snows are wider than the stock 215/45 primacy's, and my 225/45 ZII's are much wider than both.

That is the whole point. I want the wider tires without having to worry about gearing changing. It would be a different story if I was planning a ring and pinion swap, but I can't believe what people consider to be normal as far as pricing for $150 worth of parts.

All indications are that larger wheels will fit if the correct offset is used.

Toyota fits 18x7.5 wheels and 225/40x18 tires to UK cars with the TRD package.

There's lots of room in the wheel arches if you stick close to stock diameter.

Toyota designed this car with tire wheel upgrades in mind.

My 225/45 x17 winter tires fit with plenty of room to spare.

You can do 17x9 +35 to around +45 with 245/40R17s. My friend runs these and he had clearance even with the stock strut. Me and him did a few autocrosses and he did not rub ever. Plus you will not change the gearing as compared to going 18. Oh and you save weight.

17x9 +45 with 245/40's are hit or miss (literally) on stock struts. Some people are fine, some people rub hard on the spring seat.

If you want 245's I'd go with a higher offset if you can, unless you're ok with the possibility of having to run spacers up front.

I think I'm going to go for the Kosei. I like the look a lot (although I love the look of the formula HLT with centerlock that we can't use and I love OZs anthracite finish). I might consider different wheel, but I really don't want to worry about the perches and springs.

Enkei RPF1's are available in 17x8 +35 as well, they're light and well priced, but lots of people have them (myself included).

Edmunds fit Yoko ADVAN 245/40x17 onto 17x8.5 wheels with no problems. They used stock offset.

Be aware that "245" doesn't necessarily actually mean 245 so it is best to check actual inflated tire section for the exact tire you want.

The critical dimension is usually the maximum width of the sidewall when inflated on the selected rim. The tread width is not usually the limiting factor unless you also increase the rolling diameter. Max tire width is always somewhere down the side of the sidewall and nominal tire dimensions don't give you that number.

The tires I want are 9.8" and the Advans are 9.9" so that means these would actually fit.