mjhcobra,
Must admit - a bit puzzled.
I have an E-M; built in 2002 so it's the style before the present one.
I used 17x9 front rims with the tubular a-arms and they fit fine. It's been too long to recall but I went to the garage and measured the front track wheel. The backspace from the inner lip of the rim to the mounting surface is 5-1/2" Here's an image to help:
Not sure why you are having a problem but with the stock lower (single) arm maybe the wheel would hit the strut rod that stabilizes it.
A picture of your setup might help.
Tom