Wider rear wheels for FWD car?

[Entity]

i notice alot of people with RWD cars like to get wider rear wheels and always thought it was for traction reasons while taking off or something..

but why would u want it for a FWD car? more importantly a euro.

i know that 18x7.5 with +45 offset will fit fine on the front

but will 18x8.5 with +55 offset fit at the back? will it be flush with the guards or will it pop out more than the front?

please explain!

[aaronng]

Going from 7.5" +45 to 8.5 +55 will result in only an extension of 3mm over the the 7.5". More importantly, you will lose 23mm clearance on the inside and that might be insufficient clearance for the strut.

And putting wider rear wheels on an FWD car results in more understeer.

Moving to suspention and handling.

[Entity]

so basically, 18x8.5 with +55 at the rear is not recommended? especially if u are lowering?

but 18x7.5 with +45 is good to go?

[dc4t]

u'll probly fit 18x8 max!! ive seen a gen 5 accord with 18x8 at the back and 18x7.5 at the front.. looks good

[aaronng]

so basically, 18x8.5 with +55 at the rear is not recommended? especially if u are lowering?

but 18x7.5 with +45 is good to go?
7.5 +45 will extend outwards an extra 10mm over the 05 Lux Euro's 17x7.5 rims. So the rim should stay within the guards, but the tyres will depend on the width. As for the tyre rubbing against the guard, it'll depend on your tyre size and the amount that the car is being lowered.

[Tobster]

Sorry, but personally, I think people who put wider rear wheels on a front-wheel drive are just try-hard fashion victims -- you're trying to pretend that your car is something it's not, i.e. RWD.

It's of no benefit, and it just costs you more in tyres -- not just for the wider rubber, but also because the edge wear will be increased (especially if lowered) and you'll be going through tyres faster. You're also greatly increasing your chances of aqua-planing in the wet.

[xiang]

Sorry.. noob here
"18x7.5 with +45 offset"

i have a general idea of what offset is.. but what do the other numbers mean?
and define aqua-planing.

so would wider tyres on the front have any effect on the car? or would that be a fashion trend aswell?
but it would look abit odd

[Tobster]

18x7.5 means an 18 inch wheel which is 7.5 inches wide.

Aquaplaning is when a pool of water on the road causes you to slide instead of your wheel cutting through it. Pressure = force/area. A wider wheel therefore exerts less pressure down on the ground than a narrow one. A narrow wheel will cut through the water better than a wide one. For a given weight of car, there is therefore an optimum wheel width that is of maximum benefit in wet and dry conditions -- unless you change your wheels to suit. This is why in a lot of areas that get snow, people have summer and winter wheel and tyre combinations.