Custom wheels are available for most applications to both improve the appearance of a vehicle and complement the performance of replacement tires. Read about the fitment and construction of high performance rims in Wheel Tech.
When considering custom wheels for a specific application, it is essential that the wheel's bolt pattern matches that of the intended vehicle. The bolt pattern or bolt circle is the diameter of an imaginary circle formed by the centers of the wheel lugs.
The rims bolt circle are 4, 5, 6 and 8 lug patterns. For example, a bolt circle marked 5x100 indicates a 5-lug
pattern with a diameter of 100mm.
4, 6, and 8-lug patterns:
Measures the distance between the centers of two holes directly opposite one another.
5 lug patterns:
Measures the distance from the center of one hole to the far side (outside, not center) of a non-adjacent hole.
The diagram below illustrates the proper measuring methods:
Rims centerbore is the size of the hole on the back of the rim. The concept of hub-centricity is important for proper selection of custom rims. A hubcentric wheel has the center bore hole of the wheel exactly matching the
vehicle's hub diameter. If you purchase non-hubcentric wheels it is recommended that you use a hub ring and that
the wheel is torqued correctly. Properly torqued, the lug nuts will continue to keep the rims centered as the
vehicle is driven.
The lug nuts or lug bolts holding your rims to your car are very important when installing new rims.
Most aftermarket wheels require different lug nuts or bolts than what was used on the original equipment wheels.
Lug nuts and bolts have many different seats (where the nut touches the wheel). The 3 most common are acorn seat
(conical), ball seat (radius), and flat. Also, the lug nuts or bolts are of different lengths and diameters.
It is a good idea, when buying custom rims, to keep a set of the original equipment lug nuts or bolts in case
you will need to use the factory spare tire, which must be installed with the OE hardware.
The rim backspace is the distance from the back edge of the rim to the hub mounting surface. To determine
the rim backspace:
- Position the rim face down.
- Lay a straight-edge across the back of the rim. Measure the distance from the straight-edge to the rim's
hub mounting surface. The rim offset is the distance from its hub mounting surface to the centerline of the wheel.
To determine rim offset:
- Position the rim on a flat surface and measure its overall width.
- Divide the overall width by two, then subtract this result from the backspace value.
Offset = Backspace - (Rim Width / 2)
The offset of a rim can be one of three settings: Zero offset:
The hub mounting surface is even with the centerline of the rim. 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.
