tiwarisarita623

· 08 Dec 2021

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What is offset on wheels?

Planning to buy a new car? You’ll have to look into many things before you finalize it and one of the most important things to look for is wheel offset. The correct wheel offset either makes or breaks the wheel and tire fitment. If you want to know what wheel offset is then you are on the right page.

In simpler terms, wheel offset is how the wheels in your car mount in your wheel wells or how much space do you have on both sides of the wheel. If the wheel offset is wrong then it rubs with the suspension, brakes, and the body of the car and causes problems. The best thing to do is to get wheels with an offset that matches the current setup.

Types of wheel offset

Zero offset: The mounting surface of the wheel is on the centerline(the center point of the wheel) in a wheel with zero offset.
Positive offset: The mounting surface of the wheel is towards the outside of the wheel (towards the street) in the positive offset. Positive offset gives maximum backspacing.
Negative offset: The mounting surface of the wheel is near the inside edge of the wheel which gives less backspacing. This is quite popular in show cars and trucks.
Backspacing is the space between the backside of the wheel and the mounting surface of the wheel.

But how do you measure wheel offset by yourself?

It is very simple. All you have to do is to flip it over and look at the back. Most of the wheel manufacturers have the ET number stamped on the mounting hub or the wheel spoke. In case you don’t see an ET number you can follow the following:
•    Start with measuring the width of the wheel in mm
•    Look for the center line of the wheel, half of the overall width
•    Now, measure the distance from the back edge of the rim to the mounting surface.
•    Take the distance of the center line away from the distance between the back edge and mounting face and you have measured your wheel offset perfectly.

What happens if there is too much positive or negative wheel offset?
With too much of the positive offset your wheel will be too far inside the wheel arches and may cause tires to rub against the suspension components and cause serious damage not to mention the risks during driving.

With too much negative offset the wheels and tires will be pushed outside of the wheel arches. This is not as problematic as the positive offset but does not give a great look to your car.
So you see how a miscalculated wheel offset can be dangerous for you as it reduces the stability of the vehicle and interferes with braking which of course you would not want at any cost.
I would suggest that if you plan to buy a car or already have one, check the wheel offset and make sure it is at the right measurement to enjoy a drive with your family without having to worry about rubbing tires or other problems.

#car #wheeloffset #car #safedriving #