wheel offset? (yes i searched.. no answer, please help)

[satur9]

all i need to know is will 45mm offset with 7.5 inch wide wheels fit.i found a calculator that says i lose 20mm clearence from inside of TIRE to strut housing is this very bad or acceptable and is more offset good or bad for big brake kits.

[Stang2Vibe]

The stock offset for the 16x6.5 wheels is +32mm. Most tire sites I visited were recommending replacement wheels of 16x7 with an offset of +35mm. I believe the tolerance for the offset is +/- 8mm variance from stock. 16 vs 17 inch diameter wheels doesn't matter. The offset should have no effect on brake kits, wheel diameter must be sufficient so that the wheel will clear larger than stock brake calipers. The strut housing is pretty much aligned with the center of the wheel so that the wheel kind of pivots around it when you turn the wheels. So moving the inside of the tire 20mm closer to the strut housing shouldn't cause any problems. 20mm is only 2cm (or roughly 3/4 of an inch), so it is not much and is basically insignificant for wheel clearance on the Vibe. The wheels and tires that I plan to put on my Vibe are about 2 1/2 - 3 inches wider than stock, and I should have no problems. The main concerns with putting wider wheels/tires on the car is that it 1.) Does not contact the strut or strut tower and 2.) Clears all points under the wheel well and the wheel well opening when turning the wheel all the way in either direction and as the wheel deflects upward and downward in its full range of motion. Your wheels bounce up and down as you go over bumps in the road and as the body leans during cornering. The tire may clear the space fine when the car is sitting still and the wheels are aimed straight ahead but they may rub the body at the wheel well opening or the plastic linings in the wheel well as you turn and the body leans during turning maneuvers. The small increase in tire width that you are proposing should cause no problems. With such a minimal increase in tire width, the vehicle's performance gains from changing to a different tire will be almost completely due to the quality of the new tires themselves, not the increase in tread width. So choose your tires wisely, otherwise, it will just be a waste of money. Of course, just about anything would be an improvment over the stock Continental tires. Good luck and I hope you enjoy your new wheels/tires!