So, I know wider is a little better for handling, but my questions is this:

Is an 8" wide wheel worth the difference in price over a 7" wheel? According to tirerack.com (on a 17" rim) both can fit a 235/45/17 tire...so isnt' the amount of tread on the road the same?

Any reason to get a 17X8 over 17X7?

 

good question, don't know the answer. Which rim are you looking at, the OZ rims in black?

 

For the same size tire, a wider the wheel will yeild a stiffer sidewall and will make the tire appear more thinner (lower aspect ratio).

 

Just in general. As of right now, I'm gonna stick with the Monsoons next year, unless someone wants to buy them.

 

On the Maxi, an 8 incher will look and perform better. I have 7's and they dont look right, they look tucked under the whell well in the back. a 235 on an 8 will look perfectly matched with the sidewall(even) and a 235 on a 7 will look funny, like stick out kinda weird, go with the 8's, they're worth the extra $$$ imo.

 

I may be wrong but I thought that the offset determined how far out a wheel sticks and so the rim width is only a secondary factor

 

Okay, 2 things:

1) NmexMAX meant "bulge" out. 235 width tires won't bulge out as much on a 8" rim, but will bulge out more on a 7" rim because the mounting beads are squished in.

2) 235 tires shouldn't go on a 7" rim. 225 maximum.

btw, offset does determine how far the whole assembly sticks out. More positive offset pushes the rim further into the wheelwell.

 

What about 7.5?

 

7.5" is good - the recommended minimum for most manufacturers. A few list an 8" rim as the minimum for 235.

Of course, this assumes this is a 17" wheel, which call for 225/45 or 235/45 size tires. If you get a different sized wheel (like 16" or 19"), the minimum/maximum wheel widths for any given tire will change depending on the section width (sidewall height) of the tire. I believe the way it works is if the sidewall gets shorter the acceptable rim width range gets narrower.

www.tirerack.com they've got specs for almost all their tires showing the rim range - makes for interesting reading.