Shopping for wheels for my 2003 Coupe. A young man at DISCOUNT TIRE told me the C5 "OFFSET" ranges were "+44 / +65" for the front wheels and "+49 / +65" for the rear wheels.

My impression is that the figures he gave me are a "safe range" to stay "within" when mounting non OEM wheels.

My question is what would be the optimum offset to look for when shopping for a wheel? Perhaps a number in the middle of that range, such as 51...???

Thanks........

 

Offset and how it fits the car is entirely dependant on the width of the wheel.
You could run a 30mm offset if you wanted an 8" wide wheel. If you want a 12" wide wheel, you'll be up into the +70mm ballpark.

Your goal with offset is to make sure they don't stick out past the fenders, and don't present any inboard clearance problems. With very wide (11.5-12" wheels), both can be a concern...but assuming you are talking a normal 8-11" width, your main concern should be focused on not having them extend out past the fenders.

Simply put, the less offset you run, the more the wheel will "stick out", but with a narrower wheel, you can use less offset and still be ok.

Tell us what sizes you are looking at, and the proper offset can be determined from that.



FYI, the stock wheel offsets are:

C5:
Frint:17x8.5 - 58mm
Rear: 18x9.5 - 65mm

Z06:
Front: 17x9.5 - 54mm
Rear: 18x10.5 - 58mm

Note, the Z wheels are 1" wider, but they do stick out more than standard C5 wheeks, in fact they fit perfectly flush with the fenders.
Using those specs can best determine your "limit" for offset depending on the overall width of the wheel you are getting.

 

What are the two points used to measure/determine the offset of a wheel?

Keith

 

Hello, I have stock 99 coupe wheels and tires, what are the MAXIMUM size wheels and tires that I can I get that are higher than 17 & 18, inches, and wider than my current stock tires/wheels. I don't want to
have to tub, but since wheels are so expensive, I would want to get
the widest and probably 18 and 19 inches. I know that I want Michelins, not sure about the brand of wheels. Just about any wheel looks better than my stock ones. To me they look like old wagon wheels.
Thanks a ton for your help

 

The "offset" is the difference between the true centerline of the rim (rim width divided by 2), and the actual location of the mounting pad of the wheel (the point where the rim sits on the hub).

 

Y2K.....
Thanks for taking the time to put together all the above information!!
Great looking "ride" you got there also.......!

 

So, if I'm understanding this correctly... stock-size/offset C5 18" rears mounted in the front with 255/40-18 would not be a problem?

 

No problem, should work just fine.

265/35/18 would be another tire size to consider, they are slightly shorter than the 255/40, but either size will work fine on the front.

 

- thanx Tom!

Now... to find a trustworthy place to get the tires mounted.