Off to the West Coast...
 

Actually the City of Fullerton in Orange County, Ca. That's where discount wheel warehouse is located. A lot of us have used their website to check out wheels and they have competitive prices.

I've narrowed my search to two wheel choices, both are black with chrome lips. Discount has my first choice (you'll get to see when I get them ;) ) and after a couple of months of saving my pennies, I will head off tomorrow morning (Saturday) in search of some new shoes for the HHR! :D

Hopefully they have what I want, if not it's off to Joe's Tire in San Diego for my second choice. I'm going with 18's, hopefully no rubbing. If not it's a trip to the local custom shop for some fender rolling :( . I'll take my camera and when I get back I'll let you know how it went.

Later
Ng

I can't wait to see what you get. :smile:

I can't either! :lol:

News Flash: If you buy 8"s - your'e going to rub. That's just how it is. The HHR has a +42mm offset with 7-inch rims. This centers the wheel in the fenderwell and allows full suspension travel without rubbing. Once you go wider (to 7.5 or 8-inches), it will require more offset to center the wheel. Unfortunately, most aftermarket wheels have 40mm or less offset, causing the tires to stick out more - and rub. Since your car is lowered, the wheels will travel up into the fenderwells more, increasing the probability that they will rub. Rolling the fenders may help some - the the true deciding factor is going to be the wheel offset you end up with.

Best of luck,

I just ordered my wheels, shoudl be here by Monday it is the American Racing Razors in Chrome. I chose these since they have the Thrust look but are little more modern looking and they make them for the HHR. This weekend I will be lowering the car and Monday new shoes.
:cool:

Caint wait to see pics of both of you guys rims.

More News Flash!!! The clearance issue on the typical HHR has absolutely nothing to do with wheel width, but instead, with offset and where the shoulder of the tire ends up. The most critical point is in the outer rear, where the fender lip extends straight inward.

Offset is the distance between the hub mounting surface and the true centerline of the rim (and also the mounted tire). All the HHR rims are 42 mm offset, as Mike said (but all widths are 6.5"). If you go to a wider rim and the offset stays the same, there is a zero change in the centerline of the rim or the tire. As an example, if you go from a 6.5" rim to a 7.5" and the offset stays the same, what will happen is that the rim now extends 1/2" further out on the inside and outside. The center of the tire will also not change.

For anyone buying rims, if the offset is less than 42 mm, you will be moving the centerline of the wheel and the tire outward.

Joe, - I said exactly te same thing in my post above: :D

"Unfortunately, most aftermarket wheels have 40mm or less offset, causing the tires to stick out more - and rub."

Hopefully more wheel options will arise for us soon...

Seems that the wheel width really is a factor in the clearance issue. As you describe
indicates that with the same offset, the wider the rim, the more possibility to rub against the fender. True?

True - if you widen the rim and do not increase the offset, the rim will rub on the HHR.
If you buy aftermarket 8" rims with less than a +42mm offset - you will have further rubbing issues.
The less positive offset, the more the rim "sticks out" - more positive offset "tucks" a rim in.

Hope that clears it up.