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Does wheel offset affect brake caliper clearance?

AsymmetricKururin

New member
Location
Canada
Car(s)
2017 Golf R

I am researching 17" winter wheels for my MkVII Golf R.

Based on the posts I have read, I believe the larger brake calipers on the R require a bit of extra clearance inside the wheel (as compared to other models of Golf).

The only model of winter wheel shown on the Canadian VW website that is guaranteed to fit my Golf R has an offset of 48 but the price is twice what I would pay for a similar quality of wheel at a local tire shop.

I found a set of aftermarket alloy wheels (with a bore of 57.1 mm so I won't need a hub centering ring) for a reasonable price but the offset is only 43.

Questions:
--> will the 43 offset of the aftermarket wheels mean reduced clearance of the wheel around the brake caliper compared to the 48 offset of the dealership wheels?
-->Or does offset have nothing to do with caliper clearance?
-->Are there other specs I should consider if I want to ensure my winter wheels will fit over the brakes?
 
Location
St. Olaf
ANY OE Mk.5/6/7 17" wheel will clear Golf R = GTI PP front brakes. I'd get some used ones.

Plenty of information on the forum. You're not the first in need of winter wheels, dude. ;)
 

MonkeyMD

Autocross Champion
to partially answer your question, a LOWER offset will usually give you MORE brake clearance. Wheel design plays a role as well.
So if you theoretically had the same wheel, a 43 offset will give you better brake clearance than a 48 offset. Of course it's never apples to apples.

But as breaking badly stated, stick with VW (or Audi) OEM 17+ wheels of last 2 generations and you will be fine.
 

golfdave

Autocross Champion
Location
Scotland (U.K.)
Car(s)
Mk7 Golf GT Estate
Just to throw a spanner in the works....

Wheel design can also play a big part, my Team Dynamics Pro Race 5 spokes (17") are dished outwards as they are designed to clear BBKs.....they have the same rim & offset as my TD PR 1.2 multispokes which are defo nearer the calipers as the spokes are more "in".
 

artur1292

Go Kart Champion
Location
Los Angeles
Just to throw a spanner in the works....

Wheel design can also play a big part, my Team Dynamics Pro Race 5 spokes (17") are dished outwards as they are designed to clear BBKs.....they have the same rim & offset as my TD PR 1.2 multispokes which are defo nearer the calipers as the spokes are more "in".

Pretty much this. Offset plays a role too but, something to keep in mind is a wheel could be 18x8 et45 and clear a big bbk and then another wheel could be 18x8 et38 and not clear it because of the way the wheel was designed.
 

AsymmetricKururin

New member
Location
Canada
Car(s)
2017 Golf R
Thank you everyone for shedding some light on the offset question and for letting me know about the compatibility between wheels for the Mark 5/6/7 Golfs.

The on-line tool that Reggie pointed to in the 1st reply was also quite helpful for visualizing the differences in tire/wheel profiles.

The local dealership offered a pretty good discount if I purchased the full tire package from them but they didn't have wheel weight and load rating information available and they also didn't offer the brand of tire I wanted, so I think I will go elsewhere for my winter wheels & tires.

I found a website here in Canada (www-dot-fastco-dot-ca) that provides detailed specs on the wheels they sell, including bore, wheel weight, load rating, etc. and also lets you filter for wheels that are designed to exactly fit your model & year of vehicle.

I have narrowed it down to the Fast Wheels "Switch" model F212 in 17" satin black. The price seems reasonable (for Canada) for the weight and load rating. Unfortunately, they won't be available to order until mid-October but I will try to remember to post the results once I receive them and have them mounted - in terms of how they fit on the vehicle, clear the brakes and so forth.
 

AsymmetricKururin

New member
Location
Canada
Car(s)
2017 Golf R
Fastco Wheels Mounted, with pictures

As promised, here is the information about the 17" winter wheels I chose for my Golf R as well as some pictures to show clearance for brake calipers.

In Canada, the options for after-market alloy wheels that are engineered to fit like the OEM wheels is fairly limited compared to the US or UK. However, Fastco (located in Quebec) carries a line of "direct fit" wheels that will fit the unique hub shape of MK7 Golfs and use the OEM lug bolts. As I stated previously, I ordered the "Switch, model F212" because they weigh only 21.4 lbs but they also have a pretty decent load rating (1797 lbs / 815 kg) for a lightweight wheel.

The wheels finally arrived just a few days ago so I test-mounted one and weighed it, then took them to the tire shop to have the winter tires mounted.

I have to admit that I was a little concerned about the small amount of clearance of a 17" wheel around the brake calipers so I took pictures to the tire shop and consulted with the professionals. They said they could switch to thinner wheel weights if need be, but felt that the standard weight would work fine.

To begin with, there was about 7 mm between the inside wall of the wheel and the edge of the front brake caliper. Once the wheel weights were mounted, that gap was down to 2-3 mm. (pictures below)

Today I took my car for a test drive at city and highway speeds and had no issues with rubbing the brake calipers and the ride was smooth and quiet. I still think there is a risk of ice or pebbles getting lodged around a brake caliper and either ripping off a wheel weight or chipping paint on the caliper and wheel, and if I had to do it over again I think I might have settled on 18" wheels. But at this point I'm pretty happy with the quality and fit of my new Fastco wheels.

Anyway, here are the pictures:

Specs of the winter wheel
IMG_1303_small.JPG

Weighing the winter wheel
IMG_1308_small.JPG

Unboxing the winter wheel
IMG_1313_small.JPG

Inner hub design of winter wheel resembles OEM wheel
IMG_1316_small.JPG

This is what the OEM inner hub looks like
IMG_1325_small.JPG

Trial installation of winter wheel
IMG_1355_small.JPG

Checking winter wheel for brake clearance
IMG_1350_small.JPG

IMG_1344_small.JPG

Another view of the brake clearance
IMG_1346_small.JPG

Winter wheel with tires and weights mounted
IMG_1363_small.JPG

Brake caliper clearance after wheel weights are installed
IMG_1371_small.JPG

Closer look at the wheel weight
IMG_1371_smaller.JPG

Brake caliper clearance on a rear wheel
IMG_1415_small.JPG

Here is a quick snapshot of my dirty car with its new winter wheels
IMG_1418_small.JPG

 
Last edited:

GIACUser

Master Wallet Mechanic
Location
USA
Car(s)
MK 6 GolfR
Wheel offset will not affect brake clearance by itself. It is all about wheel design (which may or may not vary by wheel offset). Generally the easiest way to insure clearance is to make a template of your brake caliper and put it on the actual wheel you want to buy. Or send that template to you wheel supplier and have them confirm fit. I just had some custom wheels built and I have some huge calipers going on.

How to measure brakes for wheel clearance.
 

Renck

Ready to race!
Location
ATL
Wheel offset will not affect brake clearance by itself. It is all about wheel design (which may or may not vary by wheel offset). Generally the easiest way to insure clearance is to make a template of your brake caliper and put it on the actual wheel you want to buy. Or send that template to you wheel supplier and have them confirm fit. I just had some custom wheels built and I have some huge calipers going on.

How to measure brakes for wheel clearance.

So, just checking at willthefit.com is not enought? I got this:

willthefit1.JPG

willthefit2.JPG


My plan is to replace Austins for a new set of wheels with the following specs: 18x8 + 42 offset | 5x112 for my 2017 GTI SE with PP. What do you think?
 

RacingManiac

Drag Race Newbie
Location
MI
The offset only changes the relative location of where the wheel mounting face to the hub to the outer edge of the wheels/tires. Caliper clearance as said is mainly dependent on the wheel/spoke design relative to the shape and size of the caliper, and in terms of radial clearance, the shape of the wheel "barrel" itself. Will it fit checks for the clearance of the outside package relative to the stock version, it doesn't tell you(nor have inputs on) anything to do with the caliper/wheel design.
 

Renck

Ready to race!
Location
ATL
The offset only changes the relative location of where the wheel mounting face to the hub to the outer edge of the wheels/tires. Caliper clearance as said is mainly dependent on the wheel/spoke design relative to the shape and size of the caliper, and in terms of radial clearance, the shape of the wheel "barrel" itself. Will it fit checks for the clearance of the outside package relative to the stock version, it doesn't tell you(nor have inputs on) anything to do with the caliper/wheel design.

Thanks for your response. So, let me keep looking for additional information from the seller to confirm that in addition to wheel fitment, they can confirm on the brake/caliper fitment.
 
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