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Wheel Fitment Inquiry

By Patron, July 10, 2014



Hi All! I am new to this forum and a newbie on Corollas. I currently own a 2007 Corolla S and I am planning on changing my tires and wheels. I am looking at ESM 004 (BBS LM Replicas) 17x8 +35 offset and 215-45-17 tires. My car is currently lowered on Eibachs (1.2 inch drop all around) and my question is if I install a 17x8 wheel, will I have rubbing problems on my rears and will the front stick out too much? I really like these wheels and they dont come in 17x7.5. Im really not that familiar with wheel fitments. Inputs from experts is greatly appreciated.

It will be pretty close. The 9th gens were specs to handle a wheel with a offset of 35-45mm, but that was assuming it was no wider than 7". With that wide of a wheel and offset - it will push the outside face of the wheel away from the car. You'll clear the suspension no problem, but that fender lip will likely be your clearance issue. The fronts may look unusually wide, even with a 1-2" drop - but some owners like that look.

I know that a number of people have run 17x8 wheels on their 9th gens or even larger, even with extreme suspension drops - but they almost universally had to roll the fender wells to make the wheels clear. Some extreme cases, they had to run spacers (for 45mm+ offsets) and/or run a camber kit to tuck in the top of the wheel.

Eibachs are decent springs that tend to hold their shape better than others, like Tein. So I don't think you'll run into too much trouble, if you roll the fenders. They do make a specialized tool to do this, or you can try the baseball bat method. Might also have to trim back the mudflaps, if you have them installed, the portion that attaches to the wheel well can sometimes be a contact point.

Choice of tire also affects this - as two tire manufacturers, even with the same sized tire, one may run a slightly wider contact patch/tread compared to the other manufacturer.

Thanks Fish for the detailed information. I found another alternative wheel which is the STR 601, same look and size but they come in 17x7.5. I think this will be way better than the 17x8 as this is my everyday family car and I do not want to encounter any rubbing issues or wheels sticking too much. Awesome!



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