QUOTE(Aaron Cox @ Mar 26 2007, 07:50 PM)
let me interject a little. offset is a pretty useless number, as it varies by width....
Backspacing is constant. backspacing is from the inner lip of the wheel to the mounting face. on a 914, you want between 112-120mm backspacing.
every fuch wheel has almost the same backspacing even though the width changes. pretty cool.
so if you know the max back spacing you can run on your car (before wheel hits inner fender well) You can then pick a custom wheel to fit your car in ANY width you would like.
just easier to calculate IMO,
those look so sick on your car gint!
Actually, I disagree. Offset in it's simplest form is the distance from the wheel's centerline to the hub mating surface regardless of the wheel's width. And I like to have all of the numbers. I have no issue with calculating the offset in order to know what I'm dealing with. But that's just me...
Details:
Factory 5.5" 4x130 Fuchs wheel
- Overall wheel width - 6.250"
- Wheel width (between the inner beads) 5.5"
- Backspace 4.6875"
- Offset 1.5625"+ (39.6mm)
Performance Superlite 15x7 4x130 wheel
- Overall width 8"
- Wheel width (between the inner beads) 7"
- Backspace 5"
- Offset 1"+ (25.4mm)
Edit:
I cheesed the Fuchs measurements. They have been corrected 3/28/07. Factory 4 lug (4x130 bolt pattern) Fuchs wheel has an positive offset of 39.6mm.
Good information about wheel backspace and offset from Yokohama's web siteQUOTE
High Performance Wheels
The following are various high performance wheel measurements that play an important role in determining tire and wheel fitment:
Wheel Backspace
This is the distance from the back edge of the wheel to the hub mounting surface. To determine the wheel backspace:
1. Position the wheel face down.
2. Lay a straight-edge across the back of the wheel. Measure the distance from the straight-edge to the wheel's hub mounting surface.
Wheel Offset
The wheel's offset is the distance from its hub mounting surface to the centerline of the wheel. The offset of a wheel can be one of three settings:
* Zero offset: The hub mounting surface is even with the centerline of the wheel.
* Positive offset: The hub mounting surface is toward the front or wheel side of the wheel. Positive offset wheels are generally found on front-wheel drive cars.
* Negative offset: The hub mounting surface is toward the back or brake side of the wheel's centerline. "Deep dish" wheels are typically negative offset. Offset can be calculated by positioning the wheel on a flat surface and measuring its overall width and backspace as shown below. Divide the overall width by two, then subtract this result from the backspace value.
Offset = Backspace - (Rim Width รท 2)
Click to view attachment
Here's a drawing from Fikse that I especially like.QUOTE