Australian 4WD Action - June 2018

2

0. +0. -5. -13. -22.
   -30. -44. If you’ve
   been looking at
   buying wheels
   recently and you’re
   getting confused by all the
   numbers, don’t sweat it – we’ve
   all been there. Wheel offset is
   one of those areas of 4WD
   modifi cation that can confused
   even seasoned pros,
   particularly because there are
   so many different options
   available nowadays. You also
   don’t want to get it wrong,
   because wheels are an
   expensive investment, and the
   wrong offset can at best call
   your 4WD’s legality into
   question, and at worst not fi t at
   all. The good news is you don’t

have to be a mechanical

engineer to understand at least

the basics of wheel offset and

to fi gure out what will and

won’t work for you.

WHEEL

OFFSET IN

A NUTSELL

Put simply, wheel offset is a

basic measurement that

describes how far the mounting

face of the wheel is away from

the centre line of the wheel. That

mounting face is the centre of

the wheel with the holes for the

wheel studs to poke through. A

wheel with a zero offset has its

mounting face exactly in the

middle of the wheel’s width, as

you stand looking at the tread of

the wheel. A wheel with a

positive offset has its mounting

face out towards the outer edge

of the wheel, closer to you as you

stand looking at the wheel.

Positive offset is much more

common amongst the

performance car scene who

prefer to have the wheel’s design

closer to the outside for

cosmetic purposes. Much more

common amongst the 4WD

scene is negative offset in

wheels, which means the

mounting face is situated

towards the inside of the wheel.

In old school terms this gives the

wheel a ‘deep dish’.

EXPLAINED

About to buy new wheels and

confused about which offset to

run? Let’s clear the topic up

WWW.4WDACTION.COM.AU

Increasing the amount of

negative offset increases the

overall wheel track of the vehicle