How would handling and looks be affected by using replica cup 1's in a 52/47 offset as opposed to factory 65/55 offset? Any issues with caliper clearance, etc.?

 

DMS, not enough info. What width of wheel and what size of tire?

Cliff

 

Wheels are 17x7.5 front, 17x9 rear, tires are 205/50/17 front 255/40/17 rear

 

My S2 has twists on it, 7 and 9 by 17 with the same size tires. Both are 55 offset. There's probably enough room in the front for a 7.5 ET 52, but a rear 9" ET 47 would be very close to rubbing the fender.
If you haven't bought the tires yet I'd choose a 225/45/17 front over the 205/50/17 and run a wheel with more offset.

 

OK, so the front wheels you are considering will be 13mm closer to the arch of the fender and the rears will be 8 mm closer - based on the factory offsets that you mentioned. 8 mm is only 5/16 of an inch. If you already have the offsets that you mentioned on your car then you can measure to determine what your new clearance will be. It's hard for anyone else to say that your proposed offsets will or won't work because the distance from the wheel / tire to the fender arch can be changed with camber settings. So if I were to measure one of my cars with 1.5 or 2 degrees of negative camber, I would have plenty of clearance for your proposed wheels but if your car is at zero or even positive camber, you may or may not.

The car in my avatar is 8.5 front et 47 and 10 rear et 62. My fronts have clearance (I won't say plenty, but they do clear) and this car is presently only set to 1 degree of negative camber. I don't know if I've helped or confused you, so ask any questions that you have.

Cliff