I'm not sure what happened, but PapaTango's post on 17x7 vs 17x7.5 rims just disappeared. Hopefully this one won't.

For those who missed the first post, the first question was whether the stock SE 17" rims are 7" wide or 7.5" wide. The answer is 7" wide.

The next question was whether 17x8 rims are available. The answer is yes, but they're less available and generally more expensive than 17x7 or 17x7.5 rims.

The third question is whether 17x7.5 rims would provide greater traction than 17x7 rims. Traction is primarily a characteristic of the tire mounted on the rim. Having said that, wider tires can be mounted on wider rims. And a wider tire should provide greater traction, although I've seen threads posted here that might indicate otherwise.

Another important point is that the minimum acceptable rim width for 235/45R17 and 245/45R17 tires is 7.5". 235/45R17s and 245/45R17s are the most popular plus sizes for the stock 225/50R17 Potenza RE-92s. Anyone who mounts tires of those sizes on the stock 7" wide rims does so at their peril. For more information, see the discussion under RIM WIDTH in the following article from Dunlop:

http://www.dunloptire.com/tiretech/?...tire_width.txt

 

Thanks for answering the question and clarifying the issues.

 

Maybe this should go in the FAQ....Kev???

 

My original post is gone because of a brain-fart on my part when I was trying to correct my mistake about the OEM wheel width. Thanks for posting your information. I'll try to be less ham-fisted in the future.