Calculate the Wheel Offset and Backspacing for your Vehicle’s Suspension

Do you really know what is wheel offset?

Many drivers think that if they know how the wheel offset looks, they can figure out what it does. But in reality, wheel offset is a little more complicated than that. Here's a quick rundown of what wheel offset is and how it affects your car.

Simply put, wheel offset is the distance from the centerline of your wheel to the mounting surface of the wheel. This measurement is important because it affects how your car handles and how the tires wear.

As you probably know, it may be positive, negative, or zero. A positive wheel offset is when the mounting surface is closer to the outside of the wheel. A negative offset is when the mounting surface is closer to the inside of the wheel. And a zero offset is when the mounting surface is in the middle of the wheel.

Now that you know what wheel offset is, you're probably wondering how it affects your car.

Backspacing vs wheel offset - the difference

Even professional drivers may sometimes confuse wheel offset with backspacing. But there is a big difference between the two. Wheel offset is the distance from the centerline of your wheel to the mounting surface of the wheel, while backspacing is the distance from the mounting surface of the wheel to the inside edge of the wheel.

Confused? Don't worry, we have the answers. Backspace is a critical measurement because it affects how your car handles and how the tires wear. A positive backspace is when the mounting surface is closer to the outside of the wheel. A negative backspace is when the mounting surface is closer to the inside of the wheel. And a zero backspace is when the mounting surface is in the middle of the wheel.

Why is wheel offset important?

Offset plays a big role in how your car handles. If the offset is too far to one side or the other, it can cause your car to pull to one side or the other while driving. Additionally, the incorrect offset can cause your tires to wear unevenly.

Let`s look at an example. You decided to get the negative wheel offset for your car because you wanted the "stance" look. But what you didn't realize is that the offset is so far to the inside of the wheel that it's causing your car to pull to one side while driving. Not only is this dangerous, but it's also putting unnecessary wear and tear on your tires.

How do you know what offset you need?

Drivers should get the distance between the floor and the straight edge measured and divided by two to arrive at the centerline of the wheel. The centerline of the wheel is determined by dividing the distance from one end of a vehicle to another by two. This measurement is needed to know what the vehicle's track width is. The distance from the centerline of the wheel to the mounting surface is where the offset is determined.

The average wheel offset should not be more than 1/4" to 3/8" from the vehicle's centerline. Anything more than that is not safe and could cause your car to pull to one side while driving.

If you're still unsure about what offset you need, we recommend consulting with a professional. They will be able to help you figure out what offset is best for your car based on its make, model, and year.

So, with such measurements, what do you think your wheel offset is? Of course, you can review the manufacturer manual where recommended measures are specified. But, if you don't have the manual or want to double-check the numbers, there's an easier way to calculate it. You can use a wheel offset calculator!

How can you use the wheel offset calculator?

So, on our page, you will see that there are two tables for Current wheel specs and New wheel specs. Our wheel offset calculator is an online utility that may be used to determine how much space you'll need to add or remove from your current wheels in order to have proper alignment. It also informs you whether your car's current wheelset is suitable for it.

Thus, drivers can put the width (inches), offset (millimeters) and spacer (millimeters) of their current wheel specs into the first table. Then put their new wheel width and offset into the second table. After that, the clearance between the inside of the wheel and the strut housing will be displayed. It will also show how far outside of the wheel edge the outside of the wheel edge will move or retract. You will see the result in the picture on the left side.

With the help of the wheel offset calculator, there is no more need in guessing the right measurements!