Lancerman's Wheel Offset Guide
Jan 24, 2007, 08:51 PM
#1
Lancerman's Wheel Offset Guide
Ok here is everything I have learned about wheel offset on 02-03 lancers. If I have made a mistake please be kind enough to p.m. me and I will fix any errors. Again this is what I have learned, take it as you will.
First: Wheel Offset basics
I got this from Tire Rack, here is a picture Tire Rack
The offset of a wheel is the distance from its hub mounting surface to the centerline of the wheel. The offset can be one of three types.
Zero Offset
The hub mounting surface is even with the centerline of the wheel.
Positive<----what we have
The hub mounting surface is toward the front or wheel side of the wheel. Positive offset wheels are generally found on front wheel drive cars and newer rear drive cars.
Negative
The hub mounting surface is toward the back or brake side of the wheels centerline. "Deep dish" wheels are typically a negative offset.
Second: Stock Lancer Offset
I am not sure the offset of the wheels on an ES lancer but I know that the OZ wheels have an offset of +46. I just went and looked so dont call me a liar.
If you have noticed the oz wheels are sunk in a little and leave a lot of room between the tire and wheel well. Even on a dropped car you can clearly see that a wider wheel can easily fit in there.
Third: Wheel Width and Diameter
I believe the biggest wheel size you should ever need or want to go would be 18x7.5 or a 17x7.5. Dont go any wider. If you go with a wheel thats 7.5 in width you have to make sure the offset is correct or one of two things will happen:
1. The wheel will not stick out far enough and tuck in so much that it hits the strut guard in the rear.
^No good, tire will rub.
Or,
2. The wheel will stick out too far and hit the fenders while driving. The same rules apply to wheels any other width, but with a 7.5 you have to be careful.
^sticks out too far
Fourth: What Fits?
For those with 18x7.5 or 17x7.5
A wheel with the offset of +44 will scrape the inside rear metal strut guard and will probably not even turn. An offset of +42 comes very close. I have an old wheel with this offset and it fits but there is no tire on it, so I am not sure how close it is with a tire.
My wheels (18x7.5) have an offset of +38. With 5 mm spacers they still do not scrape and I am dropped on Tein S techs. So I do believe that with the right sized tire you could fit an 18 inch wheel with a +35 offset. Anything between +42 and +38 will fit, but I think +40 is a very common wheel size and thats what I would reccomend.
Here is a pic of my wheels with no spacer and one with the spacer.
^not much room for error
For those with 17x7 - 16x7 - 15x7
Since its possible (with a smaller width) you could get a higher offest than a 7.5 width wheel. This means you could have wheels closer to stock that tucked in a lot. There is no advantage for doing this and since most afretmarket wheels stick out more than stock all you have to worry about is how far the wheel sticks out from the hub (no deep dish chrome wheels). The max I would ever go is +38.
Lastly: Spacers
If your wheels tuck in too much you can get spacers like the ones pictured below. They are cheap ebay spacers that are not hub centric but they do the job. I bought 5mm spacers for my Racing Harts that have the wrong offset. I would not go any wider than 5mm but thats just me.
Since I tried these on my current wheels and they didnt scrape I left them on. So now my rear wheels stick out 5mm more than the front. I only had 2 spacers. These wheels had a +38 offset before the spacers.
If you have any questions or more info let me know. Once again this is just what I have learned, so this may not be 100% correct.
First: Wheel Offset basics
I got this from Tire Rack, here is a picture Tire Rack
The offset of a wheel is the distance from its hub mounting surface to the centerline of the wheel. The offset can be one of three types.
Zero Offset
The hub mounting surface is even with the centerline of the wheel.
Positive<----what we have
The hub mounting surface is toward the front or wheel side of the wheel. Positive offset wheels are generally found on front wheel drive cars and newer rear drive cars.
Negative
The hub mounting surface is toward the back or brake side of the wheels centerline. "Deep dish" wheels are typically a negative offset.
Second: Stock Lancer Offset
I am not sure the offset of the wheels on an ES lancer but I know that the OZ wheels have an offset of +46. I just went and looked so dont call me a liar.
If you have noticed the oz wheels are sunk in a little and leave a lot of room between the tire and wheel well. Even on a dropped car you can clearly see that a wider wheel can easily fit in there.Third: Wheel Width and Diameter
I believe the biggest wheel size you should ever need or want to go would be 18x7.5 or a 17x7.5. Dont go any wider. If you go with a wheel thats 7.5 in width you have to make sure the offset is correct or one of two things will happen:
1. The wheel will not stick out far enough and tuck in so much that it hits the strut guard in the rear.
^No good, tire will rub.
Or,
2. The wheel will stick out too far and hit the fenders while driving. The same rules apply to wheels any other width, but with a 7.5 you have to be careful.
^sticks out too far
Fourth: What Fits?
For those with 18x7.5 or 17x7.5
A wheel with the offset of +44 will scrape the inside rear metal strut guard and will probably not even turn. An offset of +42 comes very close. I have an old wheel with this offset and it fits but there is no tire on it, so I am not sure how close it is with a tire.
My wheels (18x7.5) have an offset of +38. With 5 mm spacers they still do not scrape and I am dropped on Tein S techs. So I do believe that with the right sized tire you could fit an 18 inch wheel with a +35 offset. Anything between +42 and +38 will fit, but I think +40 is a very common wheel size and thats what I would reccomend.
Here is a pic of my wheels with no spacer and one with the spacer.
^not much room for error
For those with 17x7 - 16x7 - 15x7
Since its possible (with a smaller width) you could get a higher offest than a 7.5 width wheel. This means you could have wheels closer to stock that tucked in a lot. There is no advantage for doing this and since most afretmarket wheels stick out more than stock all you have to worry about is how far the wheel sticks out from the hub (no deep dish chrome wheels). The max I would ever go is +38.
Lastly: Spacers
If your wheels tuck in too much you can get spacers like the ones pictured below. They are cheap ebay spacers that are not hub centric but they do the job. I bought 5mm spacers for my Racing Harts that have the wrong offset. I would not go any wider than 5mm but thats just me.
Since I tried these on my current wheels and they didnt scrape I left them on. So now my rear wheels stick out 5mm more than the front. I only had 2 spacers. These wheels had a +38 offset before the spacers.
If you have any questions or more info let me know. Once again this is just what I have learned, so this may not be 100% correct.
Last edited by lancerman360; Jul 28, 2007 at 09:49 PM.
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Jeffrey Hatch (Jul 30, 2019)
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Dec 12, 2007, 11:22 AM
#11
Ok so I bought 2 more 5mm spacers the other day and put them on the back with the other ones. Now my rear wheels (18x7.5) are spaced out 10mm on the rear and none in the front. I kept them on the back that way I dont bend my front fenders if I hit a bump while turning.
It gives it a barley noticable staggered look, and since I cut the inner fender lip in the rear I do NOT scrape but it comes super close to the fender. Now I can go lower!!!
I just took this pic on my cell phone, sorry its so small but thats all I got right now.
Just a little FYI..... My wheels: 18x7.5 --- 215/35/18 tire --- +38 offset, the rear is spaced out 10mm more on each side
It gives it a barley noticable staggered look, and since I cut the inner fender lip in the rear I do NOT scrape but it comes super close to the fender. Now I can go lower!!!
I just took this pic on my cell phone, sorry its so small but thats all I got right now.
Just a little FYI..... My wheels: 18x7.5 --- 215/35/18 tire --- +38 offset, the rear is spaced out 10mm more on each side
Feb 19, 2008, 09:44 AM
#12
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Wheel and Tire Offset
Ok i read the sticky on this subject but im still a little confused...it said with a 17x7 to not go any bigger than a +38 offset right? correct me if im wrong..thats how i understood it....just wondering if i get a 17x7 with a + 42 offset..if it will rub or anything like that...with this will be 215/40R17 tires..Thanks for the help
Feb 21, 2008, 06:37 PM
#13
Ok i read the sticky on this subject but im still a little confused...it said with a 17x7 to not go any bigger than a +38 offset right? correct me if im wrong..thats how i understood it....just wondering if i get a 17x7 with a + 42 offset..if it will rub or anything like that...with this will be 215/40R17 tires..Thanks for the help
Mar 5, 2008, 12:54 PM
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awesome thread, very helpful! but i have a 02 ES how different is offset? im wanting to get 18x7.5 215/35/18 wheels and tires should i go with +35 or +42 because it's an ES?