I dont know how much difference there is in the back end of the ute and the sedan but i have got 13x8 +3 on the rear with 185x65, there is about 15mm clearance to the springs from the rim and the rim sits just flush with the outside of the body.

Having the tyre with a little bit of stretch allows the tyre to actually sit inside the body work on the rear with no need to flare or anything. I have also dropped the back end 2 inches and still have had no need to flare it with no sign of scrubbing anywhere either

Just food for thought that maybe you should look at tyres that are a little bit thinner and not have such over hang on the rim

some of us want as much rubber as possible, others want as much rim as possible...

I hear you spike. I've got stretched tires on my ute. On the other hand the tire manufacturer's recommend the wheel size, and as such they ALL overhang the rim. Whether "stretched" tires void the tire warranty is an open question.

Does VicRoads allow stretched tires?

Another question is what is the goal? Wide rims for looks, or wide tires for performance? Both goals are OK in my book.

With stretched tires, the wheel rim edges are the widest point. So figure on wheel width rather than the tyre cross-section width.

Offset still holds true. For example these are 8" wheel 0 offset, and so are spaced outboard -- they stick outside the body side about 25mm. There is 25mm clearance to the spring on left side and 28mm clearance on right side.




These tires are Yokohama 195/60R14. Almost as tall as 235/45R17. Yokohama says to use a wheel width from 5.5" to 7". But these are on 8" rims for the stretched look.

If instead of 0 offset they were 8" +20 offset, they'd be flush with the body side and I could probably get away with Rolled Guards instead of the 25mm flare job that has been done to this ute. Nothing wrong with flared, but it could be done either way.

If you buy wheels with positive offset, you can always use spacers to fine tune their position to tuck them inside as close as possible. But with Zero or negative offset, you can't do that. Your stuck with having them stick out. If you like them to stick out, you can always add a spacer. Wheels with more positive offset give you more options. But too much positive offset and you get no "dish". It's all a tradeoff, unless we can determine the exact offset needed. And that depends on the tire you plan to use (or in the case of stretched, the wheel width).

here's more example
8" +0 wheels, stretched tires (so wheel is wider than tire)

25mm clearance inside



about 25mm outside the body side, hence the flares



It's because of the Zero offset they are sitting outboard. As you can see there is more than enough clearance inside to the leaf spring (and to the well above).




+20 would get it closer to the spring with 5mm clearance AND because they are stretched, the tires probably wouldn't rub even during cornering. But would give more clearance on the body side (they ocassionally rub on the body now).