Wheel Offsets, Tire Fitment & Sizes at Top Edge

Wheel and Tire Fitment, Sizes and Offsets

Wheel fitment does not come easily to everyone. We have all been in that position where the components involved with wheel fitment just seems confusing. But it doesn’t have to be when you know the basics. Wheel and tire fitment involve terms like the hub, covers, diameter, width of the wheel, wheels, rims, tires, and much more. Read on to learn how it all comes together.

Your car’s setup

Learning about wheel and tire fitment begins with knowing the setup of your car. The bolt pattern is an important part of this setup which you should get familiar with right off the bat. Bolt patterns can be 4 lug, 5 lug, 6 lug, and 8 lugs. To measure the bolt pattern you must determine which you have first mostly by counting the holes.

4 Lug – Using a ruler or tape measure a 4 lug bolt pattern from the middle of one hole across to the middle of the other hole.

5 Lug – Here measure from the back of one hole to the center of the second hole.

6 Lug and 8 Lug– Measure from the center of one hole to the center of another hole right opposite the first.

 

Next, is determining the size of your hub. The hub is the centerpiece of your wheel or tire. You can identify the size by measuring the hub inside and excluding the plastic cap. You can use any tool around to do this. The measurement is taken in millimeters. When shopping for wheels, you may notice they have larger hubs than the wheels from the factory vehicles. The reason for this is to ensure these replacement wheels fit your car. If you go for a replacement wheel with a smaller hub, some things won’t fit. To ensure wheels with a larger hub fit tightly you can get adapters. 

Diameter

When it comes to changing wheels or just upgrading what you have on your factory vehicle, some drivers want to go for big wheels because they think that’s what diameter is about. Big wheels with extravagant rims and everything else are not a bad thing, but how would they look and function on your car? The ideal thing to do is upsize. If your factory vehicle wheels are a 17-inch, you can go up by one size to an 18-inch when replacing. You can downsize while keeping the same diameter as well.

Wheel offset

A wheel offset makes all the difference between the look of a wheel and its performance. A wheel offset has categories which are positive, negative, and zero offset. The positive offset is on the face of the wheel extending to the outward side of the rim. Negative offset is when the centerpiece of the wheel sits farther back in the wheel and protrudes out towards the fender. Zero offset will sit directly with your centerline and is mostly a perfect way to go.

 

Together wheels, rims, hubs, diameter, and much more make up fitment for your car. You want to consider everything to ensure the best overall look and maximum performance from your tires all season.