Well, finally got the wheels to clear the calipers and some tires that fit within the fenders. We ended up using Nitto Neogens 205/40/17 and 215/40/17. The tires are taller than I'd like, but I'll have to make do with what's on the market if I want to run aggressive offsets on a slammed Smart.
The offsets are so aggressive that the shop had to shave off the inner lip of both the front and rear fenders.
I will run this tire setup for now, but I'm still looking for better sized tires. It seems that there are more tire sizes available on the other side of the pond. I've been eyeing a 165/40/17 and 185/35/17 Nankang or a 195/40/17 Toyo to run as my front tire. Hankook also makes a 195/40/17 size over there, but not in the States. I'm contemplating ordering a set, and if I like them, ordering a spare set in case I get a flat. For the rear, I'd like to switch back to the OEM 215/35/17 size if I can find one as narrow as the Nittos or Hankook. I had to raise the front a 1/2" to accomodate the taller tires. I'm hoping to find better tires so I can drop my car again.
I'm just not used to running on so much rubber I run 245/30/20 and 285/25/20 tires on my other car.
Here are some pics the car shop took:
and since I'm bored at work today, an iPhone pic:
