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Question: Will 17x8's rims with a +35 offset fit ok on a NB, that's been lowered 1.5in??


I've found a set of rims I like and can them for a good price, but the offset sounds odd to me for a mx5.


Please feel free to share your thoughts/opions/advice??



What offset are the stock rims? and how little offset can you run before handling or clearance is affected?


btw, the car is fitted with a big 300mm (yes 300!) brake upgrade, so needs 17's the clear them.

What size tyres?

15 x 8 +36 is very common and with 205/50 or 225/45 fits although some need to roll guards depending on ride height so offset will be fine.

As above - wheels will fit, but whether the tyres do is entirely dependent on what tyres you run and exactly how low it is.

they're just rims, so I'll have buy tyres separate. I'll prob just run 205/40's.

I get what offset means, but how much difference does +25 vs +35 +40 have on wheel/guard clearance of a NB?

Well the SE, which was the only model to have 17" wheels fitted standard, had 17x7 with a 40 offset and had 205/40 tyres.

So your option would have rims ~25mm wider with a 5mm greater offset, so.... the rim itself would poke out 5mm more but intrude 20mm further in although I get impression you understand this already.

What does this mean?
The biggest issue I think you may encounter would be clearance inside having dropped by ~40mm and poking 20mm further inwards into the wheel well.
Whether you would get rubbing is uncertain until you try it but tyre size would also play a role.
I think tyres wider than 205/40 would be appropriate on an 8" rim but you'd have to look at something like a 225/35 to maintain rolling diameter and a taller profile (40 or 45) would cause further issues with rubbing.
In all honesty I suspect even standard size tyres would struggle with that much drop!

Without actually trying it I would look at a bit more offset (add a 5 or 10mm spacer), lift the car a bit and possibly roll the guards and you should be ok.

It all come down to what you are trying to achieve?
- stance? -> more offset + heavy guard rolling + extra camber
- track? -> raise + roll + smaller rims and different brakes
- handling? -> see track

^^^^ Your calculations are off.

he would have 8mm less inside clearance and 18 mm more extension on the outside than a stock SE setup.

also a spacer would reduce offset.

i assume you have 17s at the moment?? whats size tyre? What offset? are they the stock SE 17s??

Oops!
Yep, I've not no idea, don't mind me.....

And yes, at this stage I've still got all factory wheels & suspension on my SE -> 205/40-17 on 17x7 +40 rims