2008 STi hatch - current setup 18x8.5 ET55 with 245/40 tyres

proposed new setup 18x9 ET35 with 245/40 tyres, but could go 18x8.5 ET44 with 245/40's

Question - given that this will push the outer edge of the wheel/tyre another 30mm out (clearance is not a problem as arches rolled), BUT will this affect the handling or steering?? to any noticeable degree ??
I am keeping the originals for the odd track day, so it would be road use, Im not after any stanced look - just want to fill the arches more and bring the wheels out as they look too far in (IMO).

But the 9" does look far more aggressive/dished than the 8.5's due to the offset.

Comments from experience would be great.

Thanks

 

I have 20 mm hub centric spacers on standard wheels and it makes the steering a little bit sensitive to camber changes but makes the car look much better.

 

It will change the steering feel very slightly, but in a positive way. Mine feels more stable with wider wheels and lower offset. Just need wider tyres to get the most from my set up.

 

fitting stance **** wheels ruins the handling and makes you look a **** leave the ill fitting wheels to the dubbers.

 

Bore off.

 

why because you don't like my findings.
im speaking from my experience of unfortunately making the mistake of buying xxr wheels.

 

No, because your post was pointless! Posting about your experiences is good, but that's not what you did initially. It would probably be beneficial to the original poster if you explained why you are of that opinion

In my experience, a good quality wheel in a good size and offset and with good quality tyres will make the car handle better

 

Handling will always be better with a lower offset wheel. Just make sure you run the same offset and width all round.
The car will grip more and have the same behavior compared to stock. Just look at BTCC cars, they are all wide track cars!

 

In my findings running lower offset wheels doesnt affect the handling in a negative way, but I havnt exprienced it on the STI

 

ok ill expand what i mean.
people generally fit wider wheels be it xxr or rota crap but run stretched tyres as the wheels dont fit otherwise unless you have large arch modifications.

so they not only look crap but dont improve handling whatsoever

 

XXR actually are very good and lightweight wheels. Rota also has some nice, but they are more fragile.
The problem is not the brand, it's the dimensions! Still, a 225 tire can perfectly fit an 8" wheel (even a 215, but that will look a bit stretched depending on the brand). And an 8" can fit even on a classic Subaru, if you have the correct offset (no less than 48).
If the car is not lowered, you don't have to roll arches even on lower offset wheels (unless you are really going to an extreme).
Extreme and ridiculous:


Fine (on XXR):

 

well ill disagree having unfortunately owned some xxrs, awful cheap crap with dodgy paint finish in my experience, sold them and bought some speedline turinins which are streets ahead in quality.

 

I also disagree, XXR's are gash and the ones above look to have stretched tyres on them anyway.

Buy a quality wheel, Work, Volk, Enkei etc. in the right size and offset and it will improve the handling. The specs initially proposed by the OP sound perfect to me on a hatch

 

Thanks to all of you that contributed to the original question. I guess I am a little more informed, seems like the general opinion is that handling wont be affected to any huge negative degree,
With regards some of the comments about visuals - a 245 fitted to a 9" wheel does not give a stretched look, nearly all the wheel sites recommend 245 or 255 for a 9" wheel,
All 4 wheels will be changed and all will be exactly the same, fitment, offset, tyre size.
As for quality - obviously a wheel costing 200 will be not as high quality in terms of finish as a 450 quid one ! , but all wheels sold in the UK (by reputable shops) must be fit for purpose and pass certain standards. As for quality - the paint is coming off the original Enkei wheels, so I'd not put them up there in the high quality units !! neither were the Ronal ones on my Ford (and these are 350 a pop), even the 19" M3 wheels I had on a previous car had lacquer peel - and these are 650 each !
The finish on the Rota's I have seen on many cars all look pretty good, and like most things - if you look after them, keep em clean, wash off the salt in the winter and they will look good longer than ones which are abused.

Ian

 

With regards to quality, I was thinking more about whether the wheel can take a hit from a pot hole than the standard of the finish