cnna4

whats the lowest offset a b7 can handle on a 18x9 wheel? or even 18x9.5 wheel

Gary@Tirerack.com

I doubt that wide of a wheel will fit regardless of offset. We've used 18X8 wheels with offsets as low as ET32 with no problems.

cnna4

Hrm.. Anybody here roll their fenders? I come from the 240sx community and so wheels are a big thing to me

VMRWheels

The widest wheel we have actually tested is an 8.5 which fit pretty flush at a 35 offset. Going wider with a similiar offset should poke for sure.

What kind of fitment/look are you trying to achieve?

Ben_A

I had a 2005.5 b7 s4 with BBS RE 18x8 wheels with 35 mm offset and 235x40 tires, and I had some degree of rubbing on the fender. My goal in selecting the BBS RE with a 35 mm offset was to clear alcon 6pot 370 mm brakes. The rubbing was acceptable to me, but sometimes disconcerting to passengers. The rubbing was on the fender, there was PLENTY of clearance on the inside of the wheel.

I also ran Enkei 18x8.5 with 35 mm offset. The Enkei 8.5" wheels had less rubbing than the BBS REs. I found that if I ran 235x40 tires, there was no rubbing. When I ran 245x40 tires there was rubbing on the fender (not on the inside wheel well). The 245x40 sidewalls on 8.5 inch wheels are more perpendicular to the ground and look better. They also had less sidewall roll on the track. The 8.5 Enkei wheels had the same 35mm offset as the 8" BBS REs above, but would not clear the big brake kit.

I think you are going to have trouble with 9" wheels on a b7, especially if your car is lowered. That is, unless you plan to do fender modifications, or have a lot of patience to deal with rubbing, or maybe run 30 profile tires.

So the post from VMR is critical. What is your goal ? Are you trying to clear a big brake kit ? Is your car lowered ? Are you trying to cram the WIDEST possible TIRE in the wheel well ? Are you trying to get the tire as close to the fender as possible for a look? Or are you trying to improve contact patch for the track ? Would you be willing to experiment with lower profile tires ? How much patience will you have with the tire rubbing on the fender ? Or maybe you have something else in mind ?

I guess another point of this post is that wheel fitment can be very difficult. I thought I knew what I was doing, but ended up with something much different than I expected, and damaged some tires in the process. You will want to have an "expert" help you with your selection.