474 Views

There’s no quicker way to transform the look and feel of your ride than adding a new set of wheels and tires.

Whether you’ve got performance on your mind or pure aesthetics, it’s important to know what you’re getting into. From understanding the terminology to understanding the risks involved, we’ve put together this handy guide outlining what you need to know before you buy.

1. Where Rubber Meets Road

All those letters and numbers on the side of the tire? Well, they mean some pretty important stuff. Take a 215/55R16 93H, for example, the smallest tire available on the current-generation Honda Civic sedan. That means the tire has a section width (the distance from sidewall to sidewall) of 215 millimeters, an aspect ratio of 55 (because the sidewall measures 55 percent of the section width), a radial construction (hence the ‘R’) and an interior diameter designed to fit on a 16-inch wheel. The 93 represents the load index, or the amount of weight the tire can support, while the ‘H’ is a speed rating, meaning it’s good for 130 mph.

SHOP NOW

2. Hub Size Hubbub

When it comes to wheels, it’s about more than just diameter and width, and your vehicle’s bolt pattern can be the difference between wheels that fit and ones that don’t. Sure, a 16-inch wheel with a five-lug bolt pattern may seem simple, but hub sizes vary greatly depending on make and model. Picture the bolt pattern as a circle measured at the center of each wheel stud. A bolt pattern of 5×100, then, would mean five wheel studs with a diameter of 100 millimeters. Make sure you check out this number before you sign the dotted line.

SHOP NOW

3. Fitting In

So you’ve picked a wheel that matches your ride’s bolt pattern, but what about fitment? This is where offset and backspacing come into play. The former means the distance from the dead center of the wheel to the mounting surface, while the latter means the distance from the back of the wheel to the mounting surface. A higher offset puts the mounting surface closer to the outside edge of the wheel, allowing the wheel to sit further inside the wheel well. This means more clearance between the outside edge of the tire and the fender, but less clearance between the inside edge of the tire and your vehicle’s suspension components. A lower offset, then, puts the mounting surface closer to the inside edge of the wheel, pushing the wheel outward for a wider stance. This, of course, means the potential for fender rub, which you don’t want because it will reduce the life of your tire.

Backspacing, meanwhile, is measured from the back of the wheel to the mounting surface. Similarly to offset, more backspacing means the wheel is tucked further into the wheel well and closer to the suspension components, increasing the risk of rubbing, while less backspacing means the wheel has more inside clearance.

Simply put, different cars have different offsets and you have to be aware of that before you buy wheels.

4. On the Plus Side

Plus-sizing — adding a wheelset that’s larger than stock — is a popular way to go, and has its pros and cons, namely more grip or a sportier/more luxurious look with the cost of a slightly rougher ride. When plus-sizing, from a 16- to 17-inch wheel, for example, the wheel diameter increases by an inch, but the overall diameter of the tire remains the same, meaning a shorter sidewall. A larger wheel diameter also means a larger wheel width, usually in half-inch increments, meaning a larger section width. The combination of a larger section width and shorter sidewall means a lower aspect ratio. In the example of our Civic, the tire measurement would grow to 225/45R17 from the stock 215/55R16, with the 17-inch wheel measuring a half-inch larger than the stock 16-inch wheel.

SHOP NOW

5. Size Matters

…When it comes to price, that is. As the diameter of the wheel increases, so does the price, though generally in manageable increments. Where the move to a larger wheelset really sneaks up on your wallet is when it comes to tires. Unlike wheels, tires can cost a great deal as the size increases, easily pushing beyond $500 a tire, depending on make and model.

6. Don’t Cheap Out

It may be tempting to buy a new set of rims for $400, but buyer beware of poor construction. No one wants a cracked, bent or broken rim — or the damage it can cause to the rest of your vehicle — regardless of how enticing the price may be. There’s a fine line between bargain and bust, so choose carefully, because you often get what you pay for.

7. Used and Abused

The used market can be a great and cost-effective place to find wheels and tires, but it’s also an easy way for someone to dump damaged or stolen goods on you. Inspect wheels for cracks and bends and tires for excessive wear, punctures, and patches.

8. Choose Wisely

Those forged wheels wrapped in super grippy Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires may get your heart racing, but are they worth bolting onto your Nissan Altima? There are plenty of great options out there to suit every need, so don’t make an expensive decision in haste and make sure to buy what you need, not what you want.

5 Things You Need To Know Before Buying Aftermarket Wheels And Tires

• February 22, 2023
• Story By Benjamin Hunting

A new set of tires is one of most cost-effective ways to upgrade your car's performance, and a fresh set of wheels to go with them can seriously dial up its looks in the process. Before you purchase aftermarket wheels and tires, however, there are a number of details you need to double-check to make sure that the set you're looking at will fit properly and safely under your vehicle.

Here's a look at 5 things you need to know before buying aftermarket wheels and tires.

Offset Is (Almost) Everything

Wheel offset is one of the most crucial things to get right if you want to make sure that your new set of rims both looks good and fits properly under your car. The term 'offset' refers to the distance of your vehicle's hub mounting surface to a line drawn directly through the center of the wheel itself.

Offset is typically measured in millimeters, and is denoted by the terms positive, negative, and neutral. Neutral offset is fairly self-explanatory, as it refers to a wheel whose centerline matches up exactly with a hub's mounting surface. Positive offset wheels feature a centerline that's pushed towards the outside of the wheel, while negative offset wheels move that centerline inside, and closer to the vehicle.

Why does any of this matter? There are two reasons why offset is critical. The first is appearance: your car has been designed with wheels in mind that fill its fenders, and if the offset of rim is too positive then it will appear to 'shrink' inside the wheel well. By the same token, an overdose of negative offset will push the wheels out and away from your fenders, giving it a crab-like look.

Moving a wheel's offset also has an effect on suspension and chassis components. A positive offset wheel might feature too much backspacing, which describes the portion of the wheel from the inside edge to the inside of the bolting surface. Moving more wheel and tire deeper under the fender can create rubbing against shocks, control arms, and body work, which is why larger and wider rims tend to have negative offsets to balance this out. At the other extreme, an overly negative offset can put stress on lugs and hubs by reducing backspacing to the point where most of the rim is leveraged onto those components.

Check The Center Bore

The hole in the center of an aftermarket rim is called the center bore, and it has to be big enough to fit over your car's hub or it will be impossible to install those wheels. Center bore size is obviously key to determining whether a new wheel set will fit at all, but bores can also determine more than just fit.

Some wheels are designed to be 'hub-centric,' which means that they require an exact fit against the hub in order to mount and seat properly. Typically, factory wheels fall into this category as they are designed specifically for your vehicle. 'Lug-centric' wheels rely on wheel lugs, rather than hubs, in order to center themselves and fit snug, which means a wheel with a larger hub bore can fit over a smaller hub without any issues. Many aftermarket rims are lug-centric, as it opens up the number of cars they are compatible with.

If you absolutely want to run a set of hub-centric rims on your car, but your hubs are too small, you can install hub centric rings that will bridge the gap and help seat the rim properly.

Lug Nut Type Matters

There's more than one lug nut design out there, and not all nuts are appropriate for all aftermarket wheels. The two most common designs feature different seat types, named after their shape. Some wheels require conical seat lug nuts, which feature a tapered seat, while others require a more rounded ball seat.

These are not interchangeable, and trying to use an incorrect lug nut design can lead to loose nuts, snapped lugs, and vibration while driving.

Choosing The Right Lug Length

The length of your vehicle's lugs is also something to consider when shopping for a set of rims. Lug length typically comes into play when you are dealing with wheels that require spacers to alter their offset, as spacers can increase negative offset to the point where the lugs are no longer long enough to fully tighten the lug nuts. Sometimes wheel adapters can also increase this distance to a similar degree.

On a vehicle that sees occasional track use, for example, longer lugs also provide more contact surface for lug nuts, improving overall strength. Longer lugs typically require the use of open lug nuts in order to properly snug and seat the rim.

Range Of Motion Reality Check

It can be tempting to purchase a set of larger-than-stock wheels and tires and count on the fact that, according to your measurements, they technically fit inside the wheel well. A static measurement that doesn't take into account the full range of motion a wheel and tire undergoes while driving, however, won't tell you the entire story about whether your fitment will work in the real world.

As a car's chassis moves under braking, cornering, and acceleration, body and suspension components will come closer to the tire and wheel. This is also true when turning the steering towards the locking point on either side. It's important to leave enough breathing room between your rim and rubber to prevent damage or rubbing that could lead to a blowout or a wheel failure over time