Wheel/tire Experts All Call...

[MonStarr]

Alright, I know that this topic has been beat to death on LOC but I am still a bit confused. I have searched this topic on the forums, but I still feel uneducated. Hopefully you all can help me with your expetise.

Oh yeah, I need a 4th grade explanation on this. :P

1. What exactly is an offset? And why it so important?

2. What will be the major difference with going 8.5 all around or the staggered setup, either 8.5 in the front with either 9.5 or 10 in the rear?

3. Why do a lot of people go with 2 different tire sizes in the front and the rear. i.e 245x35x20 & 275x30x20?

3. Is ther a perfect size wheel/tire for the GS w/o any rubbing at all? (stock suspension for now, possible 1" drop in the furure)

4. I know our bolt pattern is 5x114.3. Is this what they mean by a RWD bolt pattern?

5. What would happen if one put FWD rims on our cars?

With all this in mind, can someone give me ultimate set up for a 2nd gen GS300. I want to go with 20" rims that DO NOT stick out pass the fender. I want minimal rubbing, if none with a possible 1" drop or more in the future.

I really appreciate any comments and feed back on this topic and maybe this can clearly define this topic once and for all for the inexperienced such as myself

MonStarr

[SKperformance]

Go to a wheel and tire store and let them educate you as from all the questions your car knowledge may be limited and nothign beats a visual as it will make perfect sense once you see it,

[Neo]

Sorry, no 4th grade explanation. It is a lot easier with visuals and instant question/feedback. But here is some info.

1. Look here on TireRack. It is a relatively simple explanation of offset.

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/offset.htm

2. Staggered setup

Pros

- Looks: Fills wheel well better since the rear is deeper than the front

- Power: More rubber in the back of a RWD car = more grip

Cons

- No wheel rotation since front and rear sizes are different

3. Different front and rear sizes only come into play when you have a staggered setup. Because of the width of the wheels in the staggered setup (for example 8.5" and 10"), you have to get the right tire to fit that width while still maintaining the same outside diameter.

3 (again ;)) - This question should be re-phrased as "What is the best 20s setup?" since this is the size you want to go with. There is no optimal setup. But for you, I would suggest 20x8.5 +38 to +42 offset. This is rather conservative. It will rub very minimally in the front in some circumstances only. It will be recessed in the wheel well in the rear. If you want to go staggered, then change the rear to 20x10 +42 to +45 offset. I gave you a range of offsets. Obviously, the lower ones will be pushed out towards the fender more but you also risk rubbing a little bit. Some wheels don't have custom offsets so somewhere in the range would be OK.

4. I've never heard of RWD bolt pattern before. I have heard of the terms FWD and RWD offsets which are really only offset approximation. For example, the FWD offsets would be high like around +40 while the RWD offsets would translate to lower offsets like 0 or +20 ...

As for bolt pattern, it translates to number of lugs x distance from wheel center to center of wheel lug.

5. See my explanation in 4. Since this is the case, nothing would happen to the car. Forget FWD/RWD, if the offset works for the car, it works for the car.

[MonStarr]

skperformance & Neo, you guys are great.:D

Thanks for the advice and the exlplanation. I will try to get to a shop to actually see this with my own eyes to become more proficient in this area. After looking at tire racks website and this post, I feel that I can go out and pick my rims with confidence.

I think I will go with a staggered setup....I think it will look better. Is this tire size good for that?

245x35x20 & 275x30x20...This size seems to be pretty popular around here.

Once again thank you for your help and hopefully within a week or so I will have my rims on and I will be able to post some pics to share with you guys

MonStarr

[Neo]

I think I will go with a staggered setup....I think it will look better. Is this tire size good for that?

245x35x20 & 275x30x20...This size seems to be pretty popular around here.

Well, it is popular since it is the only real viable option. It is available for one thing. You can go with a smaller series tires. This will keep you in spec, but you will also be driving on "rubber bands". There are always compromises when modding a car. ;)

[MonStarr]

You can go with a smaller series tires. This will keep you in spec, but you will also be driving on "rubber bands". There are always compromises when modding a car.

:D

Think I will go with what is popular...

MonStarr