im looking at getting new rims from a private seller, and i know the bolt pattern which is 4x114.3 which i know fits my car.

But i don't get the rest. 205/40/17 with a +42 offset. would i have problems if i ran that on my car, which im probably going to lower in a few months. And how much would it effect my speedo?

 

Offset simply means whether the wheels set further in or further out from the body. I don't remember what it's supposed to be, but think +42 is in the right neighborhood.

A rim with lower offset would place the tires farther outboard. If you get stupid with it (zero offset) then they'd stick way out thru the fenders. Offset has nothing to do with speedometer accuracy. It WILL influence whether the rims rub on the brakes or whether the tires rub on the springs or on the fenders.

The other numbers are the tire size. Really it should be 205/40-R17. That's a 205mm wide tire, with an aspect ratio of 40% & a rim size of 17 inches.

http://www.tirerack.com has a nice explanation of what offset really means. Also they have tire specs so you can compare the outside tread diameter of your stock size vs. 205/40-17 to see how far off your speedometer would be.

 

thanksss. this kinda helps, i think they should work

 

If you search, there are TONS of discussions covering offsets.

 

yes im aware, im more concerned that the tires would fit, which im sure they will

 

http://www.1010tires.com/WheelOffsetCalculator.asp

Wheel Offset Calculator.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sony224422 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">205/40/17 with a +42 offset. would i have problems if i ran that on my car, which im probably going to lower in a few months. And how much would it effect my speedo?</TD></TR></TABLE>

205/40-17 is the correct 17" size for Civics and Integras, but those tires are much too small for your Accord.

If your '96 Accord LX is a four-cylinder, it came with 185/65-15 tires from the factory. The proper 17" size is 205/45-17, and your speedometer will read high by 0.8 percent with that size.

If it's a V6, it came with 195/65-15 tires. You need 205/50-17, and your speedometer will read low by 0.4 percent with that size.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

205/40-17 is the correct 17" size for Civics and Integras, but those tires are much too small for your Accord.

If your '96 Accord LX is a four-cylinder, it came with 185/65-15 tires from the factory. The proper 17" size is 205/45-17, and your speedometer will read high by 0.8 percent with that size.

If it's a V6, it came with 195/65-15 tires. You need 205/50-17, and your speedometer will read low by 0.4 percent with that size.
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its the 4 cylinder.. what would happen if i used the tires that are on the rims now?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sony224422 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">its the 4 cylinder.. what would happen if i used the tires that are on the rims now?</TD></TR></TABLE>

They're WAY too small. Your car won't handle properly, your speedometer will be WAY off (by over 4 percent), it will look ridiculous, etc.

Sell them on eBay...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

They're WAY too small. Your car won't handle properly, your speedometer will be WAY off (by over 4 percent), it will look ridiculous, etc.

Sell them on eBay...
</TD></TR></TABLE>

way to small in width? i could keep the rims they are on couldn't i

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sony224422 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">way to small in width?</TD></TR></TABLE>

No, too small in diameter. 205/40-17, 205/45-17, and 205/50-17 all have the same tread width, 205 mm. But the middle number (the "aspect ratio") tells how high the sidewalls are - 40, 45, or 50 percent of 205 mm - and thus they affect the outer diameter of the tire.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sony224422 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i could keep the rims they are on couldn't i</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes.

 

ohh i get it.. it'd be like too low profile correct?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sony224422 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">ohh i get it.. it'd be like too low profile correct?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Correct.

 

so that'd be bad anyways because i'd bend the rims really easily if i hit something wouldn't i

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sony224422 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so that'd be bad anyways because i'd bend the rims really easily if i hit something wouldn't i</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes, shorter sidewalls do make the rims more susceptible to damage from potholes. They also make the ride comfort worse.