gareth1

I have just bought some 2nd hand Spreedline Chrono alloys 7x17inch.

I just had four brand new tyres fitted today and tried to put the first alloy on the front, but they wont clear the 4 pot calipers on my 1999 Impreza.

The Speedlines have an offset of et 55. This must be the offset for pre 4 pot cars. Can I safely space the wheels so that the offset is reduced to say et49 as i can get 6mm spacers?

What offset should I be aiming to achieve by using spacers?

Thanks for help.

richiewong

Should be OK, my Speedlines are ET48 for a Subaru fitment.

JohnS

iTrader: (1)

The offset should be 53mm for the 4pot equipped cars. However, these wheels will still not clear, as it's the design of the spoke that dictates whether they will fit or not.

These wheels have spokes which are flat from the centre of the wheel (on the inside), whereas the 16 inch wheels fitted as standard curve out around the caliper, as well as having a slightly lower offset.

I'm not sure that a 6mm spacer would be enough, and the best advice would be to fit them to the hub, and measur the clearance needed (give yourself at least 2mm clearance from the caliper to the back of the wheel to allow for movement/flex in the bearings/hub.

Things to be aware of:

You may need longer wheel studs, and different nuts to fit these wheels, as with something like a 6 - 10mm spacer there is going to be very little thread showing.

The front wheels will be sticking out 6 - 10mm wider at each side. Might look slightly odd unless you do the rears as well, though most people probably won't notice.

You'll have a slightly wider track at the front now, so expect slightly more tramlining, steering kickback over uneven roads.

John

gareth1

Your right, they still dont clear the caliper even with 6mm spacer and there is very little thread. Looks like I will have to sell wheels and buy some that fit this time.

I think the moral od the story is try before you buy!