Here is my dilemma: I want the widest wheels possible without rubbing. I want them to be 17's with 8 -8.5 inch tires? Is anyone running a 17 by 8 or 17 by 8.5, and if so what is your wheel brand, tire size, and offset?

do you have a sedan or wagon? and if a wagon you might run into rubbiing issues with a size larger than 215's. Suspension changes need to be factored into the equation as well.

I have an '02 sedan. I have narrowed my choices of wheels down to 3: Velox Pro featherlights, Advan RCIIs, or Gram lights. I want the tire width to be 8 or 8.5. Does anyone know the offset for a 17 by 8 or 17 by 8.5 wheels? I dont think rubbing should be an issue since I've had my rear fenders rolled.

I think with 8.5 you're pushing it - besides, 17x8 will fit a lot of wider tires (>225) already.

Run 235/40-17's on them.

The JUN WRX uses 255/40/17. This means that they have to use minimum a 17"x8.5" rim. This is the rim/tire combo I want to use, Advan RG 17"x8.5" w/Yokohama A032R 255/40/17 anyone see a potential problem, please let me know. I figure if JUN uses them so can I!!!

iirc, according to hyperrev its possible to fit a 9.5" rim +53 offset up front and 9" +50 offset in the rear with 255/40-17 tires. however, this is with coilovers so there's more clearance between the tire and strut.

a 17x8.5" rim with a +35mm offset will have the same clearance between the strut and rim as a 17x7.5" +48mm but it will stick out more by 26mm's. for the same strut to rim clearance as a 17x7.5 +48 rim, a 17x8" rim will need a +42mm offset and it will stick out an extra 12mm's.

whether or not you rub at these widths will greatly depend on the offset of the rim, actual width of the tire, your suspension setup, and your ride height.

since you already rolled the rear fenders, you should be able to run a 18x8" +44mm rim with 235/40-18 tires (235/45-17 if you're going with a 17x8" rim). i'm not sure how much it will rub if you lower the car though.

Won't all the added weight and extra width kinda negate any performance gains?

the advan rg 17x8.5 are like 15 pounds, not really all that heavy. When I am taking a turn at 80 on a track, I want as much of a contact surface as possible. Please let me know if my thinking is correct. Plus it gives that really wide tire look like a skyline.

I just posted this on another thread... but here you go. should be able to use this to figure out the biggest size you could use without rub. good luck.. :)

205/55 R16 for the WRX.
this means a diameter of 24.89in.

Other sizes that are close to this diameter are:
225/50R16 (24.86in)
215/45R17 (24.61in)
225/45R17 (24.97in)
245/40R17 (24.72in)
225/40R18 (25.09in)
245/35R18 (24.75in)

Wide/Asp. Whl Diameter

205 / 55 R 16 24.87795276
215 / 50 R 16 24.46456693
225 / 50 R 16 24.85826772
215 / 40 R 17 23.77165354
215 / 45 R 17 24.61811024
225 / 35 R 17 23.2007874
225 / 40 R 17 24.08661417
225 / 45 R 17 24.97244094
235 / 40 R 17 24.4015748
235 / 45 R 17 25.32677165
245 / 35 R 17 23.7519685
245 / 40 R 17 24.71653543
205 / 35 R 18 23.6496063
225 / 35 R 18 24.2007874
225 / 40 R 18 25.08661417
235 / 35 R 18 24.47637795
235 / 40 R 18 25.4015748
245 / 35 R 18 24.7519685
245 / 40 R 18 25.71653543

the Aspect ratio is the percentage of the width... so
a 200/50 will have a sidewall height of 100mm. So to
calculate final diameter, you take the aspect*0.01(to
make it percent)*width/25.4(mm to in conversion)*2(two
sidewalls in total diameter)+wheel size

so a 200/50R15 works out to:
15"+200mm*50mm*.01*2/25.4 = 22.87in.