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Wheel Fitment for upgrading a B5.5?

13K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  AndreasPassat 
#1 ·
If I understand correctly, the B5 has an et45 and the B5.5 a et37? I am about to purchase a used set of A8L 19" twelve spokes for my B5.5. To recap, they are OEM 19x8.5 et45 and will go with 235/35/19 on them. I have read where others with a B5 said that they didn't have any rubbing issues running them.

However, I have a B5.5 with the et37 offset. The car has a stock suspension setup with stock rims on it now. I am concerned that pushing the rim +8mm (plus whatever the wheel's width adds to the equation) suspension side there will be rubbing. I not concerned with vertical rubbing, just the inner fender and/or suspension)? Is this unfounded, or am I going to have to get some spacers to use them?

If I need spacers, what's recommended for the front and rear? Looking forward to this setup, but also want to know if I can just put them on the car right away or, if I am going to have to wait for some spacers?
 
#2 ·
I'm in a similar boat with some Classix's (17x7). They have no tires so I'm gonna mount them and do some measurements. I wanna keep the overall diameter the same as the factory tire size for speedo accuracy. Hopefully the tires wont be rubberbands. Also wanna space them so they're hellaflush! Or just flush.
 
#4 ·
@grandpabill,

Would that 23mm closer to the suspension actually result in contact? I'm aware of the pitfalls of spacers, but I will be mitigating this by getting only 20mm spacers that bolt directly to the hub and are not "free floating."

Spacers and the corresponding extended lug bolts takes some time to get here. What I'd like to know is if I will be able to use this new set-up until the spacers/bolts arrive - or am I going to have to wait for them to get here? I haven't purchased the wheels yet, so it's not a simple case of put the wheels on and see.
 
#6 ·
@grandpabill,

As I understand it from the parts lookup that I've been doing lately - the suspension is the same as to a B5.5 VR6. I did notice that the arms hang about 3 inches over the top of the stock wheels (Road America). Which makes me wonder how people using 19" rims get it to work because I would swear that the top of the rubber would hit the arm (vertically). Am I mistaken about this?

Auto part Vehicle Tire Rim Automotive tire
 
#9 ·
I've got staggered 19" wheels on my car. P235's in front and P265's on the rear. I'm dropped just a shade more than 2" on PSS9 coilovers. No rubbing! I'll post pics tomorrow.
 
#10 ·
@AndreasPassat

It would be great to know:

Are you using spacers? If yes what mm F/R?
What is the width of the wheel? 8.5"
What is the offset of the wheel?
What profile tire are you using? 35?

Look forward to the pictures and the details.
 
#12 ·
Last year I drove a little more than 6000 miles across the United States through 16 different states with this exact set-up. No problems what-so-ever.

I bought these wheels and tires used in 2009 for $500.
The guy I bought them from bought them brand new from TireRack.com.
The wheels are just some Korean knock-offs, nothing big name brand wise.
The tires are General's UHP tire.
Very little weight is added to these. They are surprisingly balanced as they are. On my trip I had the car up to around 135mph and it felt like I was doing 70..
 
#13 ·
You should not have any rubbing on a the suspension with an 19x8.5" wheel and ET45. You might have some minor rubbing on the plastic fender liner, but since you are at stock height, it would be rare (only with loaded car, hitting a dip while turning).
 
#14 ·
That's what I forgot to mention. The plastic liner in the front rubbed quite a bit without the belly pan hardware to hold the liners in place.
I installed new front fender liners on both sides and a complete belly pan kit. ZERO rubbing on the liners.
 
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