The consequences of botched-up measurements are wheels that'll bump up against shocks or brake calipers, torque steer, and overall cruddy handling. The path to doing it right starts with knowing your original wheels' offset. A wheel's offset is simply the distance between its centerline and its hub-mounting surface.
It determines where the wheel sits, laterally, its track width, how your suspension reacts vis-? Offset is typically expressed in millimeters and can be categorized three ways:. Positive: Here, the wheel's hub-mounting surface sits closer to its outboard side.
The larger the number, the farther a wheel's mass gets pushed underneath the car, reducing the overall track width. Most FWD cars have positive-offset wheels, which creates a negative scrub radius up front and affects how well it'll handle, how stable it'll feel, and is the first thing that gets screwed up when jerking around with the wrong wheels.
Negative: A wheel with an offset less than zero positions its hub-mounting surface closer to its inboard side, giving the illusion that the wheel's been moved away from the car and increasing track width. The smaller the number, the farther away the wheel's mass will sit. Many RWD cars have negative-offset wheels. Zero: Here the wheel's hub-mounting surface aligns with its centerline in mathematical bliss.
If you're considering significantly wider wheels, then chances are their offset's got to be reduced in order for them to clear the stuff you care about. A reduced offset positions the wheel's hub-mounting surface farther inward, placing the bulk of the wheel farther outward.
You might even be going for a specific look, including sleek and stylish or rugged and cool. Les Schwab Tip: Before you change the tire sidewall height, tread width, or rim size on your vehicle, talk to the experts first. First, start with the wheel size for your vehicle.
The wheel diameter in inches or millimeters is the fifth set of numbers and letters. What do rim size numbers mean? This number represents the distance between the two bead seat areas where the tire is sealed onto the wheel. The wheel size also includes its width and offset. The width is the distance from each bead seat from inside to the outside.
For more information see Staggered vs. Wheel width on a new set of wheels should be primarily determined by two considerations: Clearance and purpose. Within each wheel well is spacing between the wheel and tire and the surrounding vehicle components. This amount of space varies from vehicle to vehicle.
Certain trucks have the wheel well space to accommodate a much wider wheel than stock, whereas other vehicles are able to fit only a slightly wider wheel than stock if at all without modification in the wheel well area. The space between your stock wheels and tires, and all surrounding vehicle components is called clearance. Regardless of whether your purpose in fitting new wheels is advanced by a wider set of wheels, you are first and foremost limited by the available clearance.
To determine clearance, an automotive professional will need to measure and evaluate the space between your stock wheels and tires and all surrounding components. Clearance should be evaluated at both the front and rear axles, and while the suspension is loaded with the vehicle weight. Unloaded suspension changes the geometry, and could lead to inaccurate clearance measurements. Be sure to also take clearance measurements in the front wheel wells while moving the steering wheel from lock to lock.
A safe clearance between the wheels and tires and all vehicle components in the wheel wells should always be maintained. If the wheel and tire setup is too wide, serious vehicle damage and compromised vehicle safety can result. Clearance measurements and maximum wheel width recommendations are best handled by automotive professionals.
If your purpose in fitting a new set of wheels is to enhance or change the look of your ride, then sticking with the OE wheel width s front and back is the best route. If specific performance is the goal, then it may be that going with a wider or narrower wheel than stock will help you better accomplish those goals. For example, winter tire and wheel setups are conventionally narrower than stock wheels and tires.
On the other hand, off-road performance is typically enhanced by a wider wheel and tire footprint. A wider setup allows for more tire contact patch, and more traction in various off-road conditions. The same is true of high performance driving — the maximum grip level of performance cars can be enhanced with a wider wheel and tire setup.
At Track Days and high performance driving events, wider wheels and tires are the norm. And so a decision on wheel width comes down to clearance and purpose. Both variables have to be carefully considered. This is typically a question for drivers who are looking to upgrade the look of their wheels, but keep their stock tires and not alter vehicle performance.
Wheels and tires are important components of your vehicle. Though that may seem a little obvious, many drivers don't give a second thought to the tires they choose for the cars, which can lead to many unwanted problems. Know your car and avoid making dire tire mistakes to ensure your wheels are safe and are giving your vehicle the best levels of traction possible. New Cars. Buyer's Guide. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Does Tire Size Really Matter? Tips on Buying New Rims and Tires The average driver may not know exactly what they are looking for when they shop for new tires , but as long as you keep a few fundamental rules in mind, replacing tires and rims is easy.
Letters you might see are: "P," for passenger vehicle tire. This letter also lets you know that the tire is made to meet standards in the United States. When there is no letter, it means it's made to meet European standards. The two types have different load capacities. Tire sizes that start with these letters are intended to be used for light trucks.
They'll have higher psi recommendations to better take on trailers and heavy loads. Tires sizes with these letters are for trailer wheels only.
0コメント