Wheels - offsets, tyre diameters, profiles....

[alackofspeed]

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a second set of rims in the near future, the idea being to have a set of wheels with standard all-weather tyres, and another with more track orientated rubber.

With this in mind, I'm looking at the wheel and tyre options, and aiming to bring a better balance the to front / rear tyre widths - more in proportion to the front / rear axle loading.

Looking at the clearances (between both the bodywork and the suspension arms), and giving a gut feel to dynamics clearances , I think a 215 tyre on a 7" rim is feasible on the rear.

The question I'm pondering is whether to go for a 16" rear rim, or stick with a 15", both with a different offset thus bringing the centreline of the tyre inboard about 10mm. In both cases, once I've toasted the rear tyres currentl on my car, they will become the second set of front rims.

Rather than continuing to ramble, what I'd like to know is the array of wheel and tyre options currently being run by other roadworthy cars, and any comments that might assist with my decisions.

Cheers,

John.

[limpabit]

Hi John.

Have a look here:
http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible_pg2.html

It has a calculator to put in combinations of tyre sizes and it tells you the rim width etc.

I'm running 15X6.5 1nd 195 rubber. ET45 (I think. Can't see it the number on the rim. Can only see a symbol of /."

And this only just fits within the wheel arches.

[alackofspeed]

I'm currently runnng 15 x 7, with 195/50 tyres. Need to check the offset (as otherwise I'm blind to working out what the other wheels should be), but whatever it is, it works.

Edit - Offset is ET 35.