It’s quite intricate to understand all the different concepts related to wheel sizes. You will learn more about offset, how to measure a wheel’s diameter/width, bolt patterns, and center bore. This blog post will take you step by step to understand all the minute details related to wheel sizes.
Wheels Sizes Explained
Many drivers spend a lot to modify their wheels but pay little attention to the compatibility and fitment of the wheels. A bad fitment of wheels leads to many complications and can put your safety at risk.
To know what wheel size will be best for your vehicle, it’s important to understand its different parameters.
A wheel size includes several parameters namely: diameter, width, and offset. For example, one of the rim sizes that the BMW i4 2022 provides is 7.5 x 17 ET30. This wheel has 17 inches diameter, 7.5 inches of width, and a positive offset of 30 mm.
How to Measure the Diameter of a Wheel?
The diameter of a wheel is measured in inches. It only includes the diameter of the rim and not the tires as well. There are two types of diameters, one is the actual diameter and the other is the overall diameter.
The actual diameter of a wheel is measured from the surface where the tire is mounted i.e. bead to bead, whereas the overall diameter is measured from lip to lip of the wheel but we only need the actual diameter.
In general, the diameter of daily commuter cars’ or regular cars’ wheels is between 14-19 inches whereas sporty and other luxurious cars fall in the larger sizes diameters.
What Is the Width of a Wheel?
The width of a wheel is measured from bead to bead (from the inside of one bead seat to the other). A bead is a flat area inside the flange of a wheel where the edges of the tire fit onto the wheel. Overall Width of the wheel from the edges of the rim is not the same as the actual width of a wheel from bead seats. We are only interested in the width between the bead seats i.e. actual width as that’s the area where the tire is mounted to.
Width is measured in inches. Most common widths are in the range of 6-14 inches. The wheels’ width is one of the factors that will determine the tire sizes that will fit your wheel.
Wheel Offset Explained
The distance from the center of the wheel to the mounting surface is the offset of the wheel. It is expressed by a value called ET with a literal meaning of “press-in depth”.
An offset can be positive, negative, or zero. In the case of the centerline moved towards the vehicle results in a positive offset and if the centerline is moved away from the vehicle you get a negative offset, whereas a zero offset is the centerline. Offset values will define how much your wheels will stick out. It’s important to stay close to the original offset measurements to ensure the correct fitment of the wheels.
What’s the Center Bore of a Wheel?
The center bore is a hole in the center of a wheel that’s made to fit the hub of the vehicle and it’s measured in nm. It’s generally covered by a cap. When installing a wheel, it’s important to fit the center bore of the wheel perfectly onto the hub of the vehicle. A centering ring can be used to allow one type of wheel to fit many different hub sizes.
When choosing a wheel, it’s important to buy a wheel that has a center bore with either a larger or the same size as the hub of your vehicle. If a wheel isn’t properly centered on the hub of a vehicle it can result in vibrations.
How to Measure the Bolt Pattern of a Wheel?
The bolt pattern includes the number of holes and spacing of the lug holes openings. The bolt pattern includes two numbers, the number of lug holes and the diameter of the bolt hole circle. E.g. 5×112 PCD means 5 lug holes with a 112mm diameter of the bolt circle.
The most common lug patterns are 4,5,6, or 8. The 4 lug and the 6 lug pattern is measured from the center of one lug hole to the opposite one. The 5 lug pattern is measured from the outside of one wheel stud hole to the center of the opposite.
Wrap-up
To buy the right-sized wheels for your vehicle, it’s important to understand what all its different parameters mean. You should also stay within the manufacturer’s specified sizes to ensure the correct fitment of the wheel. The exact fitment is very crucial to the quality of the ride.
At Wheelshome, we provide customized wheels and make our best efforts to satisfy our customers. If you have any queries related to buying wheels, get in touch.