What does backspacing on a wheel mean?

Backspace is the distance from a wheel’s mounting surface to the back edge of the wheel in inches. By “back” we mean the brake side of the wheel. Offset measures the distance from the mounting surface of the wheel to the centerline of the wheel, and it is often indicated in millimeters.

What is 4.5 backspacing on wheels?

Use a ruler or tape measure to measure the distance from the back mounting surface of the wheel to the lowest point on the object you use. For example, an 8 inch wide wheel with a 4.5 inch backspace would be the equivalent of a zero offset because the mounting surface aligns with the centerline of the wheel.

How does backspacing work on a wheel?

Wheel backspace measures the distance between the inside edge of the wheel and its mounting face. As you decrease backspacing, you gain more inside wheel clearance. As you increase backspacing, you reduce the amount of inside wheel clearance. More backspacing means more of the wheel is in the wheel well.

What is wheel backspacing also called?

Backspacing is defined as the distance from the hub mounting surface to the inside lip of the wheel (measured in inches). More backspacing puts the tire in closer to the center of the truck. A related term is known as offset, which relates the hub mounting surface to the centerline of the rim.

What offset will stick out more?

Typically expressed in millimeters, offset refers to the distance between the wheel’s mounting hub and the center line of the wheel. When bolted up to your car this means that a lower offset wheel will stick out farther.

How do you read a wheel offset?

Offset is simply backspacing minus the centerline, which in some cases may be a negative number. See all 15 photos Measuring offset is easy. Start by laying a straight edge across the rim’s backside and measure the distance between its bottom edge and the wheel’s hub-mounting surface.

Is backspacing related to wheel offset?

Measuring your backspacing is similar to your wheel offset with some key differences. Here is how you can measure it on your vehicle. Attach the wheel to your mounting hub. Using your tape measure, measure from the mounting hub to the back lip of the wheel. Record the number in inches. It’s important to always make sure the backspacing on your wheels is correct.

What is backspace on Wheels?

Wheel Backspace. Backspace is the distance from the inside edge of a wheel to the mounting face. A wheel’s backspace is equal to ½ the wheel’s width + offset (in inches) + ½” (see image for reference). Lifted trucks and SUVs often have a maximum allowable backspace pre-specified by the lift kit manufacturer.

What does backspacing mean?

Backspacing. A related concept to offset, backspacing is simply the space between the mounting face and the inboard flange of the wheel. Backspacing, therefore, depends on both the overall width of the wheel’s barrel and the offset of the wheel or where exactly the mounting plate is in relation to that width.

How do you measure offset on Wheels?

To compute the wheel offset, all that you have to do is to subtract the centerline from the backspace. If the centerline is four inches and if the backspace is two inches, this means that the offset is negative two. If the value of the backspace is lower than the centerline of the wheel, you will end up with a negative offset.