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[maxxxboost]

Anyone thought about doing this?

I have a set of 17x7 et43 BMW steelies with Dunlop DS-2 225/45/17 winter tires and wanted to make it look different.

I've seen the VW owners do it but was wondering if anyone on this forum has thought about it?

Essentially, i would widen my steelies to 17x9 stretching my winters a bit.



Again, just for winter setup.

I thought about 17 inch rims but i was thinking this would give a bit more character; turning boring steelies into something else.

[alfazrus]

You are thinking about getting your steelies widen. I thought about going that route for the oem rims. But remember, that 2" inch extra you are talking about is going to be inside. Meaning your rims are going to be 2" closer to your suspension. You will need very wide ( custom made ) spacers. That will make your rims stick out about the size of the spacers. Obviously, you will have some fitment problems. And, last time I checked the price was about $ 200 a wheel to get them widen professionally. Whatever you do, do your calculations right, this way you won't have surprises. But, if there is a will, there is a way. Good luck & let us know.

[maxxxboost]

Originally Posted by alfazrus

You are thinking about getting your steelies widen. I thought about going that route for the oem rims. But remember, that 2" inch extra you are talking about is going to be inside. Meaning your rims are going to be 2" closer to your suspension. You will need very wide ( custom made ) spacers. That will make your rims stick out about the size of the spacers. Obviously, you will have some fitment problems. And, last time I checked the price was about $ 200 a wheel to get them widen professionally. Whatever you do, do your calculations right, this way you won't have surprises. But, if there is a will, there is a way. Good luck & let us know.

Thanks for the information. What route did you go afterwards?

You're right about the price. I called a local wheel repair shop and they quoted me $200 per rim. I was actually hoping they would widen the outer rim to give a bit of lip. Might be easier since it's a cheap steelie instead of OEM alloys?

[dynosaur]

Do you have an idea of which route you'd go? From my little bit of research when I was looking at doing this to my aircooled vw, you can either re-barrel (cut the center of your rim out and weld into a new barrel that's the width you want) or cut the current barrel and add in a ring.

With the new barrel method, you have a lot more freedom with offset and width and I would think its significantly safer. The cut n' weld method limits you to adding offset since it would add onto the inside (so the seam isn't visible).

I've thought about it from time to time but wouldn't ever do the look myself. It'd be cool to see though.

[iDriveanXi]

I've seen it done on classic muscle cars before. Thumb through car craft, Chevy hi performance, super Chevy and your bound to find an ad or see a car with it done.

[alfazrus]

I don't know the price for the new method, you need to get the rims refinished if they play with the face. That will raise the cost. For now I got different wheels but definitely I'll try it in the near future. I've heard good things about Pico wheel & tire out of CA. Also, check these links http://www.weldcraftwheels.com/ and http://www.ericvaughnmachine.com/

[Eat.Sleep.Race]

It was once a trend, def not a fan at ALL of it, but if you want it done, you can def do it..

[maxxxboost]

Thanks everyone for the information.

I'll probably be picking up a set of 17x8 rims. I don't want to risk my safety to look a bit swag. If anyone does decide to do it, please post pictures.