Offset

[EVL885]

Hi All

Can someone confirm the offset for a 9n3, 30-35mm?

How will a rim 6.5" and ET of 42mm go?

Cheers
John

[noone]

Depends on the rim width. For a 6.5, you'd want a lower offset, it may still fit, but an offset of high 20's would be better.

[kaanage]

The offset for the 9N3 with the OE 6" wide steel wheels is 43mm which the same as for my OE 6.5" width alloys.

With wider alloy wheels, the offset may need to decrease a bit to maintain adequate backspacing but one database only recommends 33mm as the minimum offset, even for 7.5" width wheels.

Decreasing the offset for "better stance" will give a small increase in grip at the expense of poorer steering response. There is a thread in the MkIV Golf forum where someone noticed their steering response was noticably slower when he went to wider wheels (due to the increased steering offset)

EVL885, the rims your are asking about sound perfect (offset wise, anyway).

[leegil]

I'm looking at 17*7 wheels for my red Polo GTi, ET40/43/40 (acceptable tolerance?). I want to keep the car legal (no wheel spacers) and to avoid insurance problems in the future as the car would not be road worthy in the ACT with spacers.

I am now looking at Asuka KE10 (Gloss Black) which looks pretty good IMO.

I thought about Lenso Type M, ET35 (listed in the for sale section) but sadly that one requires spacers to clear the front brake calliper.

Question 1, doesn't a lower offset (from say ET43 to ET35) mean that the distance is reduced between the wheel and the centreline, which makes the inside of the wheel spokes closer to the calliper? Obviously the shape of the spokes make a difference, but the question is 'generally'.

Question 2, when the width of the tyre is increased (from 6.5" to 7"), is the width added to the outside of the tyre? I assume so otherwise it would rub on the inside wishbone/springs (whatever else).

[Mk3 AAA]

"Question 1, doesn't a lower offset (from say ET43 to ET35) mean that the distance is reduced between the wheel and the centreline, which makes the inside of the wheel spokes closer to the calliper? Obviously the shape of the spokes make a difference, but the question is 'generally'."

I think you should check out those offset diagrams, the design of the wheel is going to determined caliper clearance, offset is not particularly relevant to that.

"Question 2, when the width of the tyre is increased (from 6.5" to 7"), is the width added to the outside of the tyre? I assume so otherwise it would rub on the inside wishbone/springs (whatever else)."

Well, again this is a bit mislead, tyre width and wheel width are two different things for one, and secondly think of the offset of 0 as a constant, wheel width is added evenly to either side (in terms of offset...as offset is a measurement from the middle of the wheel regardless of its width). So... if the offset is the same on both the 6.5" wide and 7" wide wheels if I'm not mistaken the wheel extremities will be 0.25" closer to the suspension components and 0.25" on the other side towards the edge of the bodywork.


Hope that clears up things a little, otherwise do a bit of reading through links on good, just a basic "what is wheel offset" will get a good basic response.

Fitment takes a bit of getting used to.

[Smead]

I ran 17 x 7 Lenso type M's, exactly the same as the ones for sale, with no spacer for a year and a half. Pete Shelley has them on his Porsche 914 now, so if you wanted to test fit them you could ask him?. My Tocatta's are currently 17 x 7 with an ET of 35, and they fit perfectly too

[leegil]

I'm going to have to do more research

Buying wheels is such a personal thing as it gives the car 'the look'. I saw a new Golf GTi with black gloss rims (Kiama) and it looked great. I am leaning towards the Asuka KE10. I just don't want to order the wrong size. Research, research.

[Mk3 AAA]

I'm going to have to do more research

Buying wheels is such a personal thing as it gives the car 'the look'. I saw a new Golf GTi with black gloss rims (Kiama) and it looked great. I am leaning towards the Asuka KE10. I just don't want to order the wrong size. Research, research.

Well part of what impresses about people about nice fitting wheels is the calculations/guesswork/luck with what fits nicely. Height of the car will also affect how the car looks, big wide or aggressive wheels are going to look silly if the car is way in the sky, and some might say the same about narrower wheels while low. OEM wheels are not a bad bet as they're likely a good fit (with some research). Centrebore is another factor, but I won't mix you up too much just yet. Maybe ask the Polo crew for some pics and ask what size width and offset they're running and you can see what tickles your fancy.

Also shop around, you might be paying as much for replicas as the real deal, and decent brands can mean good resale, lighter/stronger/cooler.