Wheel offset?

[Plastic_Fork]

Greets,

I'm looking to buy a set of wheels for my car maybe next week and have my eye on a set of 17" wheels. I'm not sure what wheel offset will fit well or what the stock wheel offset is for the '95 Del Sol. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks for any help.

[94SolGrl]

17x7.5... 4x100 bolt pattern. That is all. And before you buy rims, always always tell them you want to see them on the car before you buy them. You don't have a good wheel shop if they won't do that for you.

[Plastic_Fork]

Well, the wheels I want I have to order... nobody carries them around here. That's why I'm getting all the info now before I order 'em.

[94SolGrl]

What wheels are they? I can find a shop that has them and get pics of them on my sol if you want.

[Plastic_Fork]

I've got my eye on the Attacks by Rota. Was thinking gunmetal or steel gray color. 17x7.5 might be a good fit, but what about 17x7? I want to make sure I'm able to get tires easily for them and not have to hunt around for tires to fit the 7.5 width since the 7 width is easier to come by (I think).

My main concern, however, is what is a safe wheel offset would be so that nothing rubs under the wheel wells or rubs the fenders. Most wheels I've seen that will fit the car are usually a 40mm offset. I'm trying to figure out the best fit that looks nice without rubbing or causing problems. I'm eventually going to lower the car a little when I get some coilovers so I've got to keep that factor in mind as well.

Thanks for the help -- it's appreciated.

P.S. My car color is Isle Green Pearl if you can manage to fit the wheels on a Del Sol that color.

[Sol Man]

Dose tire rack carry the wheels you are looking at? If so you could see them on your car.

[94SolGrl]

Tire rack ain't that great because it doesn't show offsets.. just shows what a side shot of the wheels will look like. Most people will wanna see how much inside or outside the fender line the wheel will be. 17x7 should be ok for ya. I like the way the 7.5's look and feel.. talk about a grip on the road. You ain't goin nowhere.

[Sol Man]

True about the fenders, but as I said it will give you an idea of what you like and don't. I personaly run 17x7 and have no problems holding the road. Buy good tires and you will be happy with either.

[Plastic_Fork]

Sounds like a done deal then. 17x7's it is. Now the only question is which one will look better with my car color... steel grey or gunmetal?

[Plastic_Fork]

I hate to dig up posts, I do have one more question though.

What is everyone's opinion on 17" wheels versus 16" wheels on a Del Sol? I like the way both look, but I am concerned that I won't have enough rubber between the wheel and the road if I go with the 17's. There technically is enough tire on the 17" wheels, but with the weight of the car squishing the tire on the bottom, the thickness of the tire between wheel and road is less.

Just want to be sure that I've got enough tire between the wheel and the road so that running over crap on the highway and roads won't cause a flat tire. I need enough tire for some amount of give and play (cushion) with the road and it's "features" because unfortunately, for some reason whatever car I drive always seems to be a debris magnet.