Confirmed!

17x7 +43 w/ 215/40/17 tires lowered = no rubbing at all!

 

Scaling from the photo your Fit doesn't look lowered. How about holding a yardstick from the hub center to the fender lip and photoing that.

 

@mahout

Before...



After...

 

The upper photo looks nothing like stock we have here. Ones we see here only have about 2" gap.
The lower photo is as little lowering as I've seen and is a good choice. Looks like about 1" lowering springs and that should be better cornering and performance all around without the usual drawbacks. Whose lowering kit did you use? I have more than a few customers who would be interested. Thanks.

 

Espelir ASD.

I used to be able to fit 4 finger between the fender and tire. Now only 1.5 fingers.

 

^Looks pretty good. I love those wheels.

 

Thanks man!

Not many people notice them because they're not mainstream.

 

So what's the consensus on 205/45/17 on a 17x7 +40 wheel with a df210 drop? Will I be ok? Thanks!

 

you'll rub...

 

Both front and rear? Or will camber bolts in the front and a good alignment alleviate the rubbing?

 

front and rear, the rear is more concerning that the front since you are actually going to be rubbing metal, You can grind down what little bit of fender lip the Fit has in the rear, or do a slight pull.

I have 205 on +43 and have actually rubbed white lines on my rear tires from taking paint off the metal in the rear. But I say F it. Gonna do a slight pull soon.

 

Or you can just run 205/40-17 tires and you should be fine.

 

The difference is 13 mm plus the extra width of the tread, which is 10 mm (half of the difference in tire widths, 205 vs 185 for 09), or 23 mm, which is 0.9 inches.
Manufacturers run a lot of offset because it helps other suspension geometry requirements.

 

I'm afraid the drop will look weak, the ride will be harsh, and the rims will just look off with such a skinny sidewall. Hmmm....I'm torn, the wheels I really want are 17x7 +40 lol

 

Long time, no post, but I need some opinions.
I was one of the first GE’s to take a shot at lowering & mounting 17’s last fall, and have some interesting (and frustrating) things to report.

As background, I chose 17x7.5 +45 rims with P205/45R17 tires (Falken ZE-912) and installed RS*R springs. I personally did run into rubbing issues (front only, only on the plastic shrouding), but really only when driving on crappy roads. I tried addressing this by installing one pair of SPC camber bolts, which gave me 1.25 degrees negative camber. But this seemed to have little effect.

Shortly after installing everything last fall, I installed the OEM 16” rims with OEM-size snow tires, which I ran from mid November to late March. The rubbing disappeared with this skinnier set-up. Additionally, I was running higher pressures (42+) in both sets of tires, experimenting with fuel mileage.

Here’s the problem: About 3 weeks ago, and with about 3,000 miles on the Falken tires, I looked at my front tires and was shocked to find them TOTALLY BALD! I immediately swapped them with the back tires and dropped the pressures to Honda-recommended PSI. Based on my tread depth measurement, the rear tires were also prematurely wearing, but were only about 30% worn. The snow tires, which also had about 3,000 miles put on them between November 2008 and March 2009, showed greater wear on the fronts, but they're still perfectly usable.

Obviously, I need new tires, but first have to sort out what happened. I need to know what the major cause of my tire wear was before toasting another set of tires. Was it the measly 1.25 degrees negative camber, or was it the 40+ PSI I was running? I should note the tire wear is very even across the tread, which doesn’t seem consistent with over-inflation (more in the center) or negative camber (more on the interior tread.)

As I begin sorting my options, I should note that I’ve disliked the way the P205’s look on the 7.5” wide rims, with the angled sidewalls, leading me to consider a P215/40R17. A P215/40 would be a smaller diameter, but also 5mm wider to the outside/inside. I wanted to simulate running this size tire, so last weekend I installed spacers to push the tire out 5mm. Additionally, I installed a second set of camber bolts, resulting in a total 2.50 degrees negative camber. So far, the occasional rubbing on the plastic wheel well shroud is the about the same. But my concern is that if 1.25 degrees negative camber significantly contributed to my dreadful tire wear, then 2.50 degrees will only make matters worse – so do I want to continue with 2.50 degrees in an effort to reduce rubbing? Or was my tire wear primarily caused by running 40+ PSI? I tend to think that’s what it was, as I’ve run negative camber on two prior, heavier, AWD cars (Audi S4 w/1.20 degrees and 1996 Eclipse GSX w/3.00 degrees) and had NO tire wear issues. It seems unlikely that a little lightweight Honda Fit would destroy tires in 3,000 miles with only 1.25 degrees.

Right now, I think that if I left everything alone (tires/rims/camber at 2.50 degrees) but removed the 5mm spacers, I would have less rubbing – might even be gone altogether. But this would mean having to stay with P205 tires. I’m OK with doing that, and it’s the cheapest option. On the other hand, I keep thinking my main problem is my 7.5” wide rims, and wonder if my problems would be solved a 7” wide rim with approximately the same offset (+45.)

So I just wanted to hear some thought on:

Q) What do you think was the primary cause of the tire wear? Negative camber, or high pressures?

Q) Assuming running 2.50 degrees negative camber is OK, and I keep the 17x7.5 +45 rims, do you think a P215/40R17 will rub the same? More? Less? Will the reduced diameter (height) offset the greater width?

Q) Or should I go ditch my 7.5” wide rims for a new set of narrower 7” wide rims (with either P205/45 or P215/40 tires)? It’s the worst option from a cost standpoint, but might resolve everything.

 

Negative camber would not explain the tread wear you described. I'm almost 100% positive you will find (if you get an alignment) that your toe is off.

 

^i was about to ask, are you getting alignments after you made changes to the suspension? I once ran 3 months without an alignment (cuz I didn't wanna get an alignment, then install the motormounts I had on the way and pay for another one) and ended up toasting 2 tires and a wheel bearing

 

AWDturbo, I would agree with Umop-apisdn that more than likely your toe is off.
Nothing that you described will contribute to such excessive wear IHMO.

 

yep def toe, will kill a set of tires quick.

 

I like to mount set of Gram Lights 57 Optimisse 17 x 7.5 +43 offset with Bridgestone G019 Grids 205/45 x 17 on my GE8....which is lowered with Tanabe DF210 springs.

In your expert opinion, do you think I will have tire rubbing issues without and/or with rear passengers? How about using 205/40 x17 or 215/40 x 17 tires? We usually do not carry rear passengers; jus me and the wife.

Ben @ AR Racing has successfully installed 17 x 7 wheels with 205/40 x 17 tires on his own GE8 lowered with the T1R springs. He claims with no rubbing at all even with rear passengers.

Your valued input is much appreciated. TIA.