[seanay]

Has anyone tried and currently have 17" rims on their 500e without the car being lowered. Please post some pics if u do. Also if anyone out there has tried it, does it get rid of the fender gap somewhat? Thanks in advance.

 

[smadadp]

I put 17s on mine, they worked out great. I did eventually lower the car but I have pics from before it was lowered. I went super low profile w/ 205-35-17 instead of the 190-40s, had no issues at all with rubbing or anything else. It does stiffen the ride a bit. Hope this helps.

 

[seanay]

Certainly does. Thank You so much.

 

[seanay]

Wow I would have thought that the 17" would take up a a lot of the unsightly gap seen on the stock electrics with the stock 15" rims but it really doesn't alleviate that gap at all. Very interesting. Went today to Madness and Joseph hooked me up with a deal on the lowering springs and installed it there. Car looks awesome although a bit stiff and bouncy on the ride home but hopefully it will settle down like he said over the next 300miles or so and it wont be as choppy feeling. As far as look goes, it is better than I hoped for. I still have the stock 15" on there but that gap is now gone. Definitely looking to upgrade rims and tires but so hard to pull the trigger on a lease that I know I will have to give back. I remember having some 35s on my Jag XJ Sport a few years ago and the dang Pzeros wore out in about 9k miles.. that's another thing I really don't want to do is to replace the tires 2-3 times before my lease is up.

 

[smadadp]

Thats so funny, I did the exact same thing. Im headed back to go to coilovers, It's just riding a little too low, can't even get into my driveway without scraping the front "scrape guard". In the research I did before getting the wheels I purposely went with a wheel tire combo that was as close as possible to the same size, was concerned about the millage and the speedo being off. The setup I have is almost exactly the same size, just replaced rubber walls with wheel. So glad Im not the only person that loves the idea of an ev but also appreciates a good looking car.

PS, three weeks in on those springs and still as stiff

 

[seanay]

Oh nice! I didn't have any problems going in and out of my driveway today and went over a few speed bumps as well at an angle with no scraping. Might be because I have the stock 15" rims still on there, I don't know. Yea I am hoping the springs settle in a bit more and give a bit more dampening in the back, it is pretty noticeable right now and I was hoping it would be a little more closer to the stock ride as far as the ride comfort goes.

 

[RNDDUDE]

If you go to 17's, in almost all cases your overall tire height/circumference will be bigger, so yes, it will fill the wheel well more fully and the measured "gap" will be a bit smaller. It WILL make the gap appear to be smaller. For example, 205/40/17's will be almost an inch taller than the stock 500e 15" wheel/tire combo.

 

[seanay]

Thanks for the info, very helpful. With the Madness Springs, there is no more gap even with my 15" stock rims and tires. If I could get some cheap 16"rims someone is selling with tires in the right color I would consider going with 16" but probably not the 17" as the drop is really low and the scraping is very common unless you really pay attention. I'm just hoping for the springs to settle down some more as it is quite a bit more bouncier vs. the stocks. It's nothing you can't live with but I still would like to see a bit less bouncing. I think the gap has gotten even smaller after 2 days from what you see on the pics. Had the tint done at Madness as well, Joseph is really great to work with and went out of his way to accommodate me.

 

[RNDDUDE]

seanay, did they trim the bump stops? If not, the bouncing you are experiencing is likely the car rebounding off of the stock bump stops. If they did trim them, a set of Koni yellows, front and rear, is your next option to eliminate the bouncing.

 

[Harrison Merkin]

Hi smadadp...wondering what the weight on those 17's is. Also have you noticed any dip in range with the larger wheel? Chomping at the bit to get a set of 17's under this gem. Don't want to compromise the already limited range too much though. appreciate the info.

The Merkin
2015 500e - Murdered.

 

[Kato]

Get these: http://www.tbssowners.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=226

 

[Motron3000]

Currently running 17x7 O.Z. Racing wheels that I just had thrown on with some Toyos Proxes (205/40/17). It definitely reduced fender gap, improved handling and grip, there is a night and day difference over the low resistant cheap-o Firestone tires.
As far as lowering goes, I'm pretty content right now and in no rush to throw suspension on (although the itch is there). Just waiting on the right setup to come along

Below are some cellphone pics without lowering.

 

[Tweak]

^^^ Really nice pics and those wheels are pretty light weight also, great bonus!

 

[Motron3000]

Thanks, Tweak!

 

[Tweak]

Thanks, Tweak!

Brett (Dragon meet organizer) and Chris from EC runs those same wheels (at least he did and I think still does).

 

[oddirt]

Anybody lower their 500e with 17" rims yet? I'm doing Abarth fronts and 1 coil cut from the rear and not sure how big the wheels can go without rubbing.

 

[aPizzaBagel?]

Currently running 17x7 O.Z. Racing wheels that I just had thrown on with some Toyos Proxes (205/40/17). It definitely reduced fender gap, improved handling and grip, there is a night and day difference over the low resistant cheap-o Firestone tires.
As far as lowering goes, I'm pretty content right now and in no rush to throw suspension on (although the itch is there). Just waiting on the right setup to come along

Below are some cellphone pics without lowering.

View attachment 58058 View attachment 58042 View attachment 58146

Nice.
I know this is an old post, but I'm looking at a set of 17x7 wheels for my 500e, was wondering if you know what offset yours are? I know the originals are 35, I just wanted to make sure that the wider wheels, (especially compared to to the 5.5" front wheels) won't rub anything. If you stuck with the 35 offset is the 3/4" closer to the suspension still enough room or did you need spacers?

 

[Electric Tire Shredder]

Short answer: 7" width rims with +35mm offset fit my 500e without spacers. MY 205s barely clear, but not all 205s are the same width!!!

Details: Please note that every 17" wheel/tire set I found is heavier than 16", which is heavier than 15". 17s look great, & increase road feel & response, while sacrificing acceleration, braking, range-per-charge, & un-smooth road handling.

That said, I have 7" rims all-around (15"), with +35mm offset, in 205s, & they fit nicely. Keep in mind that 205s don't all have the same overall width, or even tread width. Also note that the closest clearance limit is on the rear inner sidewall, where there's a bracket that comes close to my 205s. When I noticed mine, it looked like it was probably weak enough to bend a bit out of the way if necessary (like if my next 205s are wider, or if I try for 215s).

 

[aPizzaBagel?]

Thanks for the reply, sounds like I can make it work, or can make the nec adjustments with spacers. For anyone else looking at wheel sizes this site has the best calculator and diagrams I've ever seen: Rim & Tire Size Calculator. Custom Offsets
But it is nice to confirm with someone who's already done it.

 

[Danotech]

I put on 17x7.5, 35 offset, with 215/40R17's and lowered the car -- I haven't noticed any rubbing.