Offset in Wheels

Thinking of replacing your wheels?

Replacing your stock wheels can be a tricky process, and it is easy to make mistakes if you are not familiar with how wheels, and their fitment, work on different cars. Depending on the look you are going for, additional equipment may need to be added to the car - this would include spacers, lift or leveling kits, and more.

The way a vehicle is built, and the look you are going for is critical when it comes to the offset of the wheel. We will explain what this means - it is not as mysterious as it sounds!

O.E. Wheels

When you buy an O.E. wheel, it does not necessarily mean you are getting an actual factory wheel - in the aftermarket wheel world, O.E. refers to a wheel that is the same size and dimensions of the original equipment (O.E.), the diameter of the wheel, the width of the wheel and the offset are all identical to the original wheel that came on your car.

If the wheel you are looking at is an O.E. fitment, there will be no issues with the wheel working properly on your vehicle. It is when you are going for a more aggressive or sporty look that the offset of your wheel in important.

What is Offset?

The offset of a wheel is the number which describes the position of the hub mounting surface (see pic below) in relation to the width of the wheel. 

The hub mounting surface is the flat silver circle - this part of the wheel seats to the hub. 

This is measured in millimetres. If the hub mounting surface is exactly in the center of the wheel width, it has a 0 offset.

A positive offset is when the hub mounting surface is closer to the street side of the tire, so with an offset of +18, the hub mounting surface if 18 mm towards the street side of the wheel as measured against the center-line of the wheel.

A negative offset is when the mounting surface is closer to the back of the wheel, and is designated by a 'minus' sign, such as -12. As above it means that the mounting surface is 12 mm towards the inside of the rim from the rim's center-line.

Image Supplied by MSA Wheels - Maiden Tire & Wheel is an authorized
distributor for MSA Wheels

Get Professionals Involved

The offset of your upgrade wheels can be very important - a high negative offset pushed the wheel away from the interior of the car, while a positive offset pulls the wheel in tighter to the brakes and suspension. Both of these can cause problems. It is recommended that you do not deviate from the factory offset by more than 5 points in either direction. 

When you are pulling the wheel inwards, it may impact part of the suspension or hit the brake calipers, either of which can cause serious problems. A high negative offset that pushes the wheels further out can have negative impacts on handling, stability and could cause severe over-steering.

So if you are deviating from the factory specs get your local professionals involved - this will eliminate any potential problems.

Maiden Tire & Wheel has been supplying high quality automotive wheel and tire solutions for over a decade - for your tires and wheels in Maiden or any of the surrounding area, call us for solutions now!

Maiden Tire & Wheel

13 N Carolina Ave

Maiden, NC 28650

828-428-8681

www.maidentire.com

Wheel Locks - Why We Love To Hate Them!

Wheel Locks - What Could Go Wrong?

As it turns out, quite a bit - wheel locks were very handy in the 1990's when wheels were being stolen at a pretty high rate, especially in some specific areas. At that point in time, hot wheels weren't just a toy!

But, the car industry always evolves, and where there were relatively few bolt patterns across the industry back then, today there are many, many more. What this means is that it is much harder to sell used wheels than it used to be, because a set of wheels will only fit specific, select vehicles.

This is the same reason that many wheels must be special ordered as opposed to being kept in stock - and it also means that wheel locks are not as important as they used to be.

What Can Go Wrong?

What can go wrong? As it turns out, quite a lot when it comes to wheel locks. 

First of all, they are easy to lose - either by dropping them in the snow when you're trying to change a tire, or in a ditch on a dark night - or, the last guy that changed your tires might have forgotten to put it back in the car. If you lose it before you get the locking lug nut off, you are stuck - you will need to call a tow-truck or mobile mechanic to break the locking lug nut off.

The other major reason locking lugs quit working is because the key itself becomes degraded. There are several different types  of locking lug systems. The most common is a hollow nut with a 'clover'design on the inside that latches into the same design hollowed out on the lug nut; another type is called a spline design, but these can be replaced pretty easily at most auto-parts stores, whereas the clover locking design cannot be replaced at auto parts stores.

The picture below is of the clover locking design; take a close look at the pattern inside the lucking nut and you can see the ridges have been degraded through use - this lug nut is useless now, and this type of damage is common.

This is a locking lug nut - as you can see, the key above is to degraded to lock into the grooves

A damaged lug nut key

All It Takes To Be Stranded

All it takes to be stranded is to lose the key, or as in the picture above for the key to be damaged (which does not take much on these keys). Unless you have really expensive wheels and tires it is usually not worth the aggravation of keeping the key - it is my experience that it will work perfectly until you really need it, and then you will be stuck.

So take off the locking nuts and replace them with regular lug nuts - or if you don't want to bother, any tire store can help you with that, like Maiden Tire & Wheel who is a dealer of new tires in Maiden NC!