1st Gen wheels 8 or 15 degree offset
- Thread starter kc15842
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
Bad_Vision
Moderator
Just get 17" or 18" wheels that solves the tie rod issue
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
offset if measured in mm not degree. having said that, if both wheels you are referring to are the same width you are asking about a 7mm difference. It would be tough to spot the difference between the 2 wheels. but with the tie rod clearance being your issue, the wheels with the 8mm offset may solve your problem.
Ian
Ian
Kean
New member
As iferro mentioned, offset is measured in mm and not degree. Offset is the distance from the hub mounting face of the wheel to the center of the wheel. You might hear some folks mention backspacing which is similar but measured in inches from the hub face to the inner rim of the wheel.
Offset can be both negative and positive depending on which side of the center line of the wheel the hub mounting face is on. Further out (close to the outside rim of the wheel) is recognized as positive (+) and further in (closer to the inside rim of the wheel) is negative (-). The following article from Tire Rack explains it better than I did:
Wheel Tech Information - Offset
As far as pros and cons, these can change depending on several factors. ....it's not exactly cut and dry. Sometimes it's a compromise depending on what you are trying to achieve. Usually, a compromise is needed when swapping to a wider wheel (or sometimes a wider tire) and there would be clearance issues with the new set up keeping the same offset. Remember though, even when one style of wheel will fit (with tight tolerances) it does not always mean another with the same dimensions will also (e.g. design differences can cause clearance issues especially when the tolerances are tight).
Personally, I have always tried to stick as close to the factory offset(s) as possible on my own vehicles to avoid negatively impacting the handling, adding stress to components (like wheel bearings), etc. Again, there can be other reasons someone may choose a different offset depending on the scenario. It really depends on what you are trying to achieve and what you're comfortable with.
Offset can be both negative and positive depending on which side of the center line of the wheel the hub mounting face is on. Further out (close to the outside rim of the wheel) is recognized as positive (+) and further in (closer to the inside rim of the wheel) is negative (-). The following article from Tire Rack explains it better than I did:
Wheel Tech Information - Offset
As far as pros and cons, these can change depending on several factors. ....it's not exactly cut and dry. Sometimes it's a compromise depending on what you are trying to achieve. Usually, a compromise is needed when swapping to a wider wheel (or sometimes a wider tire) and there would be clearance issues with the new set up keeping the same offset. Remember though, even when one style of wheel will fit (with tight tolerances) it does not always mean another with the same dimensions will also (e.g. design differences can cause clearance issues especially when the tolerances are tight).
Personally, I have always tried to stick as close to the factory offset(s) as possible on my own vehicles to avoid negatively impacting the handling, adding stress to components (like wheel bearings), etc. Again, there can be other reasons someone may choose a different offset depending on the scenario. It really depends on what you are trying to achieve and what you're comfortable with.
Kean
New member
This conversation could get really technical (beyond my experience). However, it’s important (I believe) to understand that with changes like this you are also changing the geometry of the suspension and how the car will general handle, react under braking, in corners, in a straight line (think sensitivity to tramlining), overall steering stability/feel, etc. If you Google offset, scrub radius and steering axis inclination you may get a better idea of how these things are affected.
Pros and cons? …..really depends on the specifics of each case. Could be a moot point if the changes are not dramatic. Also, some vehicles may be more sensitive to such changes based on their design. Again, it depends on what you are trying to achieve with the change in offset. It usually boils down to a compromise between any negative effects in the change to the geometry vs. the benefits of having the wider set up.
Here are a couple of articles that might help (there are a ton out there):
There are three important things to remember with relation* to offset
The Ultimate Handling Guide Part 8: Understanding Your Caster, King Pin Inclination and Scrub
Sorry, not trying to make this more complicated than it should be but it’s never a bad idea to have more information, right?
btw, here's a graphic from the first article so you can visualize SAI (the black line not labeled), scrub radius and offset. King pin angle would be the angle between SAI (the black line) and the center of the wheel (the red line):
Last edited:
