42mm offset enough for a 17x8 wheel with 225/45/R17 tires

[brentmc79]

First off, I have a '09 3 hatch still riding on the factory suspension.

I found a killer deal on some 225/45/R17 tires, so I started shopping around for wheels and settled on a set of 17x8's that I like, but they have a 42mm offset. I know the stock offset is 52.5mm and I've read that the minimum safe offset is like 45mm.

Is this true? Would a difference of 3mm make these wheels unusable? I've searched the forums and done a bit of googling, but its hard to find definitive answers to really specific questions.

Thanks in advance...

Also, is a 225 width tire enough for a 8" wheel?

 

[brentmc79]

To answer my own question, a 42mm offset works with a 7.5" wheel, but it's tight. I think if I had gone with the 8" wheel there's a strong chance that I would've had to roll the fenders.