Wheels sizes for VR6 - its driving me nuts!

[decksla]

tried some wheels yesterday. exactly what i wanted for the price i was willing to pay.

mortified that they didnt fit.

specs were 17x7 et43.

punched the specs into this site http://www.rims-n-tires.com/rt_specs.jsp and it looked like there were ok to fit.

tried them on, only to find the calipers fouled on them.

now ive tried other sizes on this calculator on wheels i know fit according to this site (17x7.5 et35) and from the site, they look ok.

is there a definitive guide for 17's on a vr6?
must it be 17x7.5 et 35? if for a 17x7 wheel should the offset be?

would it be same to assume that the wheels i tried had the incorrect offset put in the ad? i didnt check physically on the wheel cuz i was cut.

and id rather not have spacers. but if i needed one for these wheels theyd need to be at least 15mm (yes the wheels were from a suby)

cheers

[Mischa]

the problem you're having is that the calipers are hitting the spokes, not that the offset/size is wrong.

[Peter Jones]

There's no measurement published that will tell you if a wheel is going to clear the caliper.

Even a wheel with the exact same diameter, offset, width, PCD and centre bore as your original wheels might still foul the brakes.

It still comes down to trial fitting I'm afraid, unless you can find someone who's already got the same wheel fitted to your model car.

So once you've figured out the dimensions you need, you might have to try a couple of styles and brands before you get one that fits.

If all else fails there is some scope to modify wheels and brakes but it's a fair commitment to go there.

Hope this helps

Pete

[decksla]

oh ok, i like those answers.

i thought i was going insane. i thought that years ago, i had grasped the concept of wheels but then i bought a euro car and things werent as clear!

[Lorenz]

The same concept applies no matter what car it is pretty much!
Just run some decent 15mm H&R spacers to clear the wheel from the caliper if need be (plus it looks better having less guard to wheel clearence!)

[rayray086]

There's no measurement published that will tell you if a wheel is going to clear the caliper.

A popular misconception that people think offsets tell them about brake caliper clearance.

Unfortunately, spacers are the only option in this case.

[peedman]

The same concept applies no matter what car it is pretty much!
Just run some decent 15mm H&R spacers to clear the wheel from the caliper if need be (plus it looks better having less guard to wheel clearence!)

15mm is huge, theres no way that the caliper is fouling by that much. A 5mm should suffice fine, the vr6 caliper isnt that huge anyway.

[Pullstarter]

You may be able to get away with sub 10mm spacers, I run 7mm on my fronts and have used those on 2 different sets of wheels with no dramas. Just ensure that you get hub-centric spacers and not those dodgy floating ones, they really aren't safe.

[decksla]

15mm is huge, theres no way that the caliper is fouling by that much. A 5mm should suffice fine, the vr6 caliper isnt that huge anyway.

it was definetly around 15mm. we used veniers(sp?) and a coupla floating spacers to get the measurement.

[Pullstarter]

They must be massively deep spokes! I tried about 4 different styles before deciding on the current ones and the 7mm spacers allowed all of them clear. Any piccies or links of the wheels you're looking at?

[decksla]

nah no piks. they were buddy clubs. im for certain now the offset was incorrectly mentioned.

alas. it means my wife wont yell at me for spending money on the car again

on another side note, thats the sting of 4 bolt on type spacers? im assuming they are the best in terms of safety and yes i know theyre illegal, but was seeing if it were worth getting a set in case i see some cheap suby wheels or better off getting something new (but most likely not as good) with the right measurements?

[Mrk_Mickey]

I'm not sure if this is what you're asking, but depending on what spacer thickness you're looking for, I think a pair can be had for between $100-200 to your door. Don't hold me to that, it could be a little out if someone wants to correct me

Oh, and Soobie wheels are already 5x100....they'll fit! (provided there is caliper clearance)

EDIT: I think Mark (Malteser) has some soobie wheels, might be worth asking him about them.

[Pullstarter]

I think most subie wheels have a smaller centre bore diameter that requires a little machining, ours are 57.1mm IIRC? As long as the spacers are the hub centric type they are perfectly safe, not sure on the legality tho, legal in some states and not others i think.

[Mrk_Mickey]

Oh I didn't realise soobie wheels had a smaller bore. Yeah I'm sure that's not too hard to fix though. And yes ours are 57.1mm centrebore.

[Pullstarter]

Not a lot in it I don't think, just requires a small skim.