Choosing the right offset

[pjking7399]

Hello,

I found the wheels I like in 19x8.5 and they come in 3 offsets: 20mm, 30mm, 40mm.
If im im going to do a "square" setup which offset should I go with?

And for the tires, 255/35 all the way around or do like a 245/40 to get a little more sidewall in there.. or another size.

I've tried using the tire calculators and I am having trouble deciphering what will work and look the best.

Thanks for your opinions!!

 

[Ty Davis]

30mm 19x8.5 255/35/19 front is a darn good fit.
35mm 19x8.5 255/35/19 looks best to my eyes in the rear.

I assume you want the same wheel all around (offset).
So, you’ll need to fudge the rear just a smidge.

The Stinger has really wide haunches at the rear...
Take a look at the rear wheel wells. The fender (immediately above the tire) sticks out farther
than does the edge in front of the wheel (door) or behind the wheel (bumper).

The effect is that when you make the wheel flush with the upper part of the fender, it sticks out past the rear door and rear bumper a slight bit. This effect is more pronounced the closer to the bottom of the wheel well housing you are looking at. You can see this, even on the stock wheel and tire.
An offset too low in the rear will add to this effect and may look like it sticks out too much when viewed from off angles.

I’m being picky though, the difference between 30 and 35mm in the rear will be minuscule. If your car is lowered, it hides this even better.

I’d avoid that 20mm offset at all cost though.
Thinking about it a bit, that 40mm won’t fit up front with a 255. The tire will rub the strut.
So, I guess the choice is easy for you (out of what you have listed)...
30mm is what you need, all around!

 

[Ty Davis]

Hello,

And for the tires, 255/35 all the way around or do like a 245/40 to get a little more sidewall in there.. or another size.


I've tried using the tire calculators and I am having trouble deciphering what will work and look the best.

Thanks for your opinions!!

One more thing...
Instead of running a taller tire and narrower tire, you may be better served by running a tire that better suits your needs, but in the factory 255/35/19 size.

I bet you are looking for more sidewall for either more ride comfort or more pothole resistance.
If you want more pothole resistance, you can add a couple psi to the 255’s.
If you want more ride comfort, you can choose a 255 with superb ride quality.
Examples would be:
Continental DWS06 - Phenomenal grip in all weather, smooth, quiet, but lazy steering response
Michelin AS3+ - Great dry/wet, good snow, very responsive. Feels like a summer tire. Reasonably smooth.
BFG Comp 2 - Quiet, Smooth, Grippy wet and Dry. Good steering response.
Goodyear Eagle Sport - Smooth, Quiet, Responsive, Great Grip Dry/Snow, Good in Wet.
Hankook Ventos Evo 2 - Good all around, a touch n the rest on some surfaces
PS4S - Very sporty, but civilized as well.

I’ve tried all of these on my past Bimmers with pleasing results.

 

[pjking7399]

Holy cow! Thanks Ty!

That is probably the best response I've ever received on a forum....

guess i will go with the 30mm... i guess I could add spacers in the rear for the last 5 mm.

I will check with the tires you listed. Thanks again for the info!

 

[robz32]

Do not add spacers. That's not how offsets work.
That extra 5mm on the 35mm wheel, is 5mm shaven off the center of the wheel, therefore making the wheel sit further inside. Not 5mm added to the center of the wheel, which will make it stick out more.

If you add a 5mm spacer to the 30mm offset, you will be lowering the offset to 25mm which will not fit right on the Stinger.

 

[pjking7399]

Thanks.

I literally had a brain fart and know better than that.....

 

[Paihan Lee]

Holy cow! Thanks Ty!

That is probably the best response I've ever received on a forum....

guess i will go with the 30mm... i guess I could add spacers in the rear for the last 5 mm.

I will check with the tires you listed. Thanks again for the info!

You should have given him a thumbs up or a winner badge for his response then. Just saying

 

[Gtecko]

you have to remember that the offset has to consider the wheel design too.

I , too, will be going with 19x8.5 all around for my summer rims with a 30 offset. no spacer and will too wrapped them up 255/35 all around (going with FIRESTONE FIREHAWK INDY 500)

 

[Ty Davis]

Holy cow! Thanks Ty!

That is probably the best response I've ever received on a forum....

guess i will go with the 30mm... i guess I could add spacers in the rear for the last 5 mm.

I will check with the tires you listed. Thanks again for the info!

Glad I could help!
Don’t worry about that last 5mm. Out of all the offsets available for the wheel you selected, 30mm is the best. You may be able to find pictures of what 30mm looks like on our car with 19x8.5 if you search. But I’m sure the look will be just fine. Again, I was just nitpicking about the 35mm rear. If my wheel choice was only available in 30mm, I wouldn’t sweat it at all. I’d get the 30mm in a heartbeat.

 

[Angus Law]

Front
8.5J 30 with 1.5degree camber
For the rear
9.5J 35 with 2.5degree camber
are the best offset

 

[Jay2]

old thread, but worth a shot found a killer deal on wheels. How can I make these work:

19x8.5 40mm offset (front)
19x 10 40mm offset (rear)

 

[Transmetal]

If I'm trying to buy a set of cheaper of 18" wheels (for winter) to run on my awd gt that comes with 19's can you run a 40mm offset? the 18" wheels that come on the premium model have a 34mm offset.

 

[Elijah.GT2]

30mm 19x8.5 255/35/19 front is a darn good fit.
35mm 19x8.5 255/35/19 looks best to my eyes in the rear.

I assume you want the same wheel all around (offset).
So, you’ll need to fudge the rear just a smidge.

The Stinger has really wide haunches at the rear...
Take a look at the rear wheel wells. The fender (immediately above the tire) sticks out farther
than does the edge in front of the wheel (door) or behind the wheel (bumper).

The effect is that when you make the wheel flush with the upper part of the fender, it sticks out past the rear door and rear bumper a slight bit. This effect is more pronounced the closer to the bottom of the wheel well housing you are looking at. You can see this, even on the stock wheel and tire.
An offset too low in the rear will add to this effect and may look like it sticks out too much when viewed from off angles.

I’m being picky though, the difference between 30 and 35mm in the rear will be minuscule. If your car is lowered, it hides this even better.

I’d avoid that 20mm offset at all cost though.
Thinking about it a bit, that 40mm won’t fit up front with a 255. The tire will rub the strut.
So, I guess the choice is easy for you (out of what you have listed)...
30mm is what you need, all around!

Do u think 35mm in the front would be too much, found wheels that seem to only sell as 19x8.5 +35mm which i see u said fits nice in the rear but what about the front?

 

[Snicklefritz]

Do u think 35mm in the front would be too much, found wheels that seem to only sell as 19x8.5 +35mm which i see u said fits nice in the rear but what about the front?

19x8.5 +35 is 1mm more offset and half an inch wider than oem. I run 8.5 +40 in front, but I use the oem 225 michelin too. you won't be able to run a 255 in front Ima thinking with a +35, but 245 might work. depends on the wheel. use the pros to help you fit.

 

[Volfy]

Do u think 35mm in the front would be too much, found wheels that seem to only sell as 19x8.5 +35mm which i see u said fits nice in the rear but what about the front?

for 8.5" wide wheel, +35mm would be perfect, as long as you don't go nuts on tires width. We run 18x8.5 ET38 Enkei TFR with 255/40R18 and they bolt right on no problem. Clearance to the strut was tight, with only a few mm's gap, but they do clear. We run them on the front with 5mm hub-centric spacers, not for aesthetics reasons, but to correct the scrub radius to within 1mm of stock 34mm for best handling. Rear is fine as is.

 

[Elijah.GT2]

19x8.5 +35 is 1mm more offset and half an inch wider than oem. I run 8.5 +40 in front, but I use the oem 225 michelin too. you won't be able to run a 255 in front Ima thinking with a +35, but 245 might work. depends on the wheel. use the pros to help you fit.

appreciate you

 

[Elijah.GT2]

for 8.5" wide wheel, +35mm would be perfect, as long as you don't go nuts on tires width. We run 18x8.5 ET38 Enkei TFR with 255/40R18 and they bolt right on no problem. Clearance to the strut was tight, with only a few mm's gap, but they do clear. We run them on the front with 5mm hub-centric spacers, not for aesthetics reasons, but to correct the scrub radius to within 1mm of stock 34mm for best handling. Rear is fine as is.

yall are so clutch thank you!

 

[jeeeezluis]

One more thing...
Instead of running a taller tire and narrower tire, you may be better served by running a tire that better suits your needs, but in the factory 255/35/19 size.

I bet you are looking for more sidewall for either more ride comfort or more pothole resistance.
If you want more pothole resistance, you can add a couple psi to the 255’s.
If you want more ride comfort, you can choose a 255 with superb ride quality.
Examples would be:
Continental DWS06 - Phenomenal grip in all weather, smooth, quiet, but lazy steering response
Michelin AS3+ - Great dry/wet, good snow, very responsive. Feels like a summer tire. Reasonably smooth.
BFG Comp 2 - Quiet, Smooth, Grippy wet and Dry. Good steering response.
Goodyear Eagle Sport - Smooth, Quiet, Responsive, Great Grip Dry/Snow, Good in Wet.
Hankook Ventos Evo 2 - Good all around, a touch n the rest on some surfaces
PS4S - Very sporty, but civilized as well.

I’ve tried all of these on my past Bimmers with pleasing results.

I got some ESR RF2 19x8.5 squared. Will 255/35/19 fit as a squared? Or should I do 245/35/19?

 

[Thomby]

I got some ESR RF2 19x8.5 squared. Will 255/35/19 fit as a squared? Or should I do 245/35/19?

It will depend on offset, but 255/35/19 is the stock rear size. 245/35/19 is about 0.2" or 0.8% smaller diameter which is negligible (ie no issue for speedometer or AWD).

Tire Size Calculator has a Tire Comparison tab: