[Lincoln222]

I am obsessed with these new rims I found, will they fit my new crosstour: 20x8.5 / 5x114.3 / +35 offset?
If so, what tire size would you recommend? They come with tire choices of 225/30/20, 225/35/20 or 245/35/20.
Any information/advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Crashmaster]

Let’s see some pictures of these rims. I haven’t been obsessed with a new wheel in quite some time.

 

[Aceman]

The stock offset is +55, so a +35 rim will be 20mm less space between the hub of the rim and the rim's center. If there is a clearance problem you could always put on wheel spacers.

The CT's entire wheel spec is:
Rims/wheels: 18"x7" on all 4 wheels, offset is 55mm, bolt pattern is 5 x 114.3, while the centre bore is 64.1 mm.

Obviously make sure the bolt pattern is the same (it's a common Japanese bolt pattern). Most stock wheels are "hubcentric" meaning the bore through the center of the wheel is what the wheel sits on, most aftermarket wheels are not hubcentric because hubs vary in size somewhat. Sometimes they put a little ring in the wheel hub to make it hubcentric and sometimes they don't and you just rely on the lug bolts to center & hold the wheel. I've had wheels that are not hubcentric (on the street) with no noticeable ill effects.

Here is the easiest to use calculator on changing tire sizes and what that does to your speedo: Miata Tire Calculator. So you can compare the stock tire size to the ones you mentioned (remember you probably want the widest one you can get to protect the rim lip against rash).

I don't know how much you are doing this for aesthetics and how much you care about performance but if those rims are less than like $8k they are going to be forged or cast from a pretty heavy alloy. 20" rims and tires don't have like 5% more mass (all things being equal) than 18"s, they have like 15-20% more mass.

You will be adding not insignifigant unsprung weight (vs. sprung weight, as in overall weight of the car, which matters just "a little," unsprung matter a *lot*) to each hub. . .everything "good" suffers (acceleration, braking, cornering, MPG, etc.) From the tire rack:

Reduced Unsprung Weight Compared to Steel Wheels

This is one of the most critical factors affecting a vehicle's road holding ability. Unsprung weight is that portion of a vehicle that is not supported by the suspension (i.e. wheels, tires and brakes) and therefore most susceptible to road shock and cornering forces. By reducing unsprung weight, alloy wheels provide more precise steering input and improved "turning in" characteristics.

This is why wheels, true performance ones, like HRE or BBS are extraordinarily expensive - it's because they tend to be very light weight. This is also why in all the sets of rims I've ever owned, I've only owned one set of BBS wheels. However I do weigh my wheel/tire combos to see what, if any, damage I may be doing to my pride.

This is also why you should never feel threatened in a stop light drag race against anything sporting "donks."

Here are a bunch of great links on actual tests on heavier wheel/tires.
http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=51865


-ace

 

[Lincoln222]

Thanks ace, all extremely helpful and very appreciated. I never realized there was so much to know. I had BBS rims on my GLI turbo so your reference helps me to understand the difference in comparison to the "lead feet" I may be investing in. My other car is an IS350 so losing a little performance on the CT, for the sake of the look I want, is alright by me. According to what you've said, they will fit, and that is good enough for me! I probably have to wait to purchase until after my wedding (6/15), if I want to avoid starting things off on the wrong foot but I will post pics this summer. Thanks again.

 

[Aceman]

Thanks ace, all extremely helpful and very appreciated. I never realized there was so much to know. I had BBS rims on my GLI turbo so your reference helps me to understand the difference in comparison to the "lead feet" I may be investing in. My other car is an IS350 so losing a little performance on the CT, for the sake of the look I want, is alright by me. According to what you've said, they will fit, and that is good enough for me! I probably have to wait to purchase until after my wedding (6/15), if I want to avoid starting things off on the wrong foot but I will post pics this summer. Thanks again.

No prob and glad to help. . .this is a pretty good forum for questions like that, a lot of nice people here.

I drove an IS350 the other day, I liked it though it was a little on the smaller side for me (my rule of thumb is if I'm buying a 4 door car I want to be able to sit comfortable in the back. . .never know when someone will have to drive me home. .ha) but it's fun to drive for sure. I'd love to drive the IS-F, that thing is nasty fast. I also liked how they were ballsy enough to sell the IS as a wagon, at least for many years. I remember when that car first came out and within 18-24 months every third Honda I'd see had those imitation Altezza headlights.

-ace

PS - It'd be awesome if someone w/ the 19" HFPs could post up closeup pics of their front & rear wheels under good lighting. I'm curious how the brakes look, I know the HFP should theoretically show off more of the brake than the OEM wheel. Luckily we have pretty big brake discs (a little under 12" front, and 12.0" in the rear) so at least they shouldn't look comically funny with bigger rims.

 

[Galena]

If the size of the spare tire does not match your car, maybe you can consider installing wheel spacers instead of repurchasing tires. However, many people have mixed opinions on spacers. I think in order to ensure safety, we must buy high-quality spacers and install them correctly.

I had BONOSS wheel spacers 20mm on my car for almost 21,000 miles, with no issues whatsoever.
They can customize the thickness and data that I want, so that I can install new tires with different data, and the customization time is very fast, just 1~3 days.
They have aluminum alloy 7075-T6 and 6061-T6 options. 7075-T6 will be more expensive but better in quality. In fact, 6065-T6 is good enough. Its tensile strength, yield strength and elongation can support our normal use. And its lugs are grade T10, studs are forged grade 12.9.

If you need it in the future, this is their case article.