17" wheels that fit the MS3

[Sacrilicious]

Hey, guys. I want to change out my wheels to 17"x7.5" before the winter hits here in NJ, but I was having issues figuring out what sizes would fit. I would like to put either 225/45/17 or 235/45/17 tires on these wheels, but I just don't know for sure what offset ranges I have to play with. I will be staying with 17" wheels, so I would like this to be more than just a winter wheel/tire solution. As far as tires go, I will likely be getting Goodyear Eagle F1's to go with my new wheels.

Basically, how much farther can I safely extend on the outside and how much closer can I be on the inside of the wheel before I start rubbing against the fender? I live in an area where there's a lot of potholes, so I would really like to have a reasonable amount of clearance for my tires in my wheel well. Please post with what 17" wheels have fit well for you...thanks in advance, everyone! =D

 

[akrisamar]

Even I am thinking of switching to 17 inch wheels for good. What are you going to do with your stock 18 inch wheels?

 

[Sacrilicious]

I'm going to sell them on Craigslist or something. Dealing with my stock wheels + tires is probably going to be the most painful part of this process, since I don't really have a place to store them...=/ I don't want to deal with shipping these things around, so I'm just going to ask for people in the NYC area and have them pick up or I'll drop off. Hopefully, it won't be an issue.

 

[Boosted333]

Have you figured this out yet? I am trying to see if a 235/45/17 will fit on my MS3 with 17x7.5 rims, 45mm offset. I ran Winterforce 225/50/17's with no issues on these rims, and I want to put some performance all seasons on and keep them on the car to save weight (I'm figuring 10 lbs per tire/wheel). With the winterforce tires on these wheels, it was about 6 lbs per tire/wheel and the performance (acceleration) was much better.

Looking at the General Exclaim UHP 235-45-17, since they have a low price, decent ratings, they are the lightest tires I can find in this price-range/category, and General has a $50 visa card rebate going on. And, my local Town Fair Tire is matching Tirerack.com's price, no shipping but 6% tax, works for me!

I also photochopped my wheels so they appear to be black-chrome, I might get them powdercoated. Here's a photo, whadda ya think?

 

[Kain]

Are those Kosei K1s? Wow, they look great on the MS3, especially in that color. Hmm...

 

[Boosted333]

Thanks! I'm not sure which Kosei's they are, they are older and apparently a lot of people ask me that... I got them locally with the winter tires on them for a good deal and I love how they look. This is the actual color:

 

[Boosted333]

update, just did a search and yeah they are either called the K1 or the K1R or the "K1 Race". When I search K1 race I see a ton of these coming up on yahoo images.

 

[Kain]

Seckz. How's the clearance on the caliper and strut? If there's room to spare, I might go with 16".

 

[CWPspeed3]

I asked my salesperson about this, he said one of his customers did fit 16" without a problem, I'm a little skeptical because its a salesperson talking. I would like to hear from anyone whose tried 16"s

 

[jam_asian85]

17" rims fit fine.

16" rims would be pushing it but Clos561 has 16" rims on his speed

 

[Sacrilicious]

ok, so i abandoned my plans to go with 235/45/17, but i ended up trying 225/50/16 using RX-7 FD wheels...it fits like a glove and works really well! the speedo is like 5% off, so that's not cool, but i was thinkin about rolling my fenders and going to 245/50/16, but that will be next summer if i even try it...=d

 

[gtlaw]

Have you figured this out yet? I am trying to see if a 235/45/17 will fit on my MS3 with 17x7.5 rims, 45mm offset. I ran Winterforce 225/50/17's with no issues on these rims, and I want to put some performance all seasons on and keep them on the car to save weight (I'm figuring 10 lbs per tire/wheel). With the winterforce tires on these wheels, it was about 6 lbs per tire/wheel and the performance (acceleration) was much better.

Looking at the General Exclaim UHP 235-45-17, since they have a low price, decent ratings, they are the lightest tires I can find in this price-range/category, and General has a $50 visa card rebate going on. And, my local Town Fair Tire is matching Tirerack.com's price, no shipping but 6% tax, works for me!

I also photochopped my wheels so they appear to be black-chrome, I might get them powdercoated. Here's a photo, whadda ya think?

well that does it I'm going with 17 when my stock tires wear out

 

[Boosted333]

235-45-17 General Exclaim UHP's have been ordered.... Stay tuned.

 

[allmotor95pgt]

i aslo run 225 50 16s on fds.

 

[MSLou]

im very pleased with my general tires

 

[udontknowjack]

17x8 50 offset.....245/45/17

 

[Capt Crunch]

Try to find Mazda Millenia wheels. They are 17" fit great, look great, are factory, and they are very light!

 

[dkswim]

i would like to find some of the rx-8 17 they look good but then my car would leek even more like a regular 3.

 

[Kurt07]

17x8 50 offset.....245/45/17

Do you have any rubbing issues with the 245-45/17's? I have the same wheels running 235-45/17's. I like how people think my car isn't a Speed 3 now.

 

[Boosted333]

And how does the car handle with 17x8's on 245-45's ?