Tongy- that wont work though mate, it will be sticking nearly 20mm outside the guard so ill need flares.. i was thinking the 5.5" back space with the 205 tyre.

Ben thatd be good dude if you could! and yeh its pretty much the same as a standard sedan diff width (down to a few mm) would be much appreciated.

My old man has some 15x8 weld pro stars on his FB panel van, they are the wrong stud pattern and offset but i may just stick them in the guard and see what room i have. they are also running a 205/50 tyre

i'd say it will be the tire that will give you trouble more so than the rim. as a 7inch +12 rim and an 8 inch +12 rim with the exact same size tires should have the same clearance

most 1200s ive seen with rather wide rims only run tiny tires so that it actually works

so best bet would be to try the panno wheels and tires just to see how it can actually sit with them on
as anything can fit on if the car is 2 feet off the ground

just be careful when your measuring cause an 8inch wheel should be wider than 8inches.

its not like the rim its self will be hitting stuff though, the tire will take that job

true, not always the case but:)
but yeah i cant see a high powered ca 1200 runnin skinny super stretched tyres.i hope he proves me wrong!!

As greendog said, a 8 inch rim is wider than 8 inchs. Possibly 9-9.5, which is why a 205 tyre will be slightly streched on an 8 inch rim. I bought my front rims which I new would fit, then measured the clearance when fitted on the rear to work out what would fit. My rims are large though and I wanted them as flush and wide as possible without rubbing.

you raise some good points there boys.. a 205 on a 8" rim is stretched slightly, not much but it could be enough.. with the 5.5" backspace rim the actual wheel wont be hitting anything at all, it will all depend on the tyre..

Is the actual 8" measurement taken from lip to lip on the wheel or where the tyre beads? ive always wondered this.

Whilst doing some reasearch i have found a few different wheel specs that have confused me..

15x8 inch wheel, 5.5 inch backspace or +25 offset.. wouldnt a +25 offset on an 8" rim be 5 inch backspace? 25mm = 1inch?) or am i missing something here?

Or they list a 15x7 with a 4" backspace to be 0 offset! im confused lol

Links to wheels

15x7

15x8

This link to nankang Tyres show where the rim size is measured in realation to the tyre. http://www.nankangtyres.com.au/pg12/tyre-sizing.php

Judging by those offsets and back spaces the rim will be 1 inch wider than it's measured width. The width is measured in the rim where the tyre seats - you should be able to see that in the link above

I measured it then, its gunna be close, and guards should probably need to be rolled.
The 8" wheel will need about +15 offset at least i reckon to get optimum fitment with "fatter" tyres but anything much higher than a 205 isnt going to fit i don't reckon.
My 13x8" 175/60 sticks out the guard by about an inch to give you a better idea.
Thats just from my quick measurements and interpretation of what you want to achieve.