Wheel and Tire Guide - Get a Grip, Wheel Ya?

Something else to consider: As the wheels get bigger and the tire sidewalls get shorter, the car's ride is going to get stiffer. A tiny band of a tire can't protect those precious rims from road hazards-potholes, especially. So keep your real-world driving circumstances in mind when choosing a big rim, or you could find yourself buying replacement wheels at an alarming rate.

When choosing a wheel, make sure it fits your car's bolt pattern. That pattern is expressed as an equation of two numbers: the number of wheel lugs or bolts on the hub times the diameter of an imaginary circle drawn through the center of those lugs. So a 4x100mm bolt pattern means you have four lugs that span a distance of 100 mm.

Offset describes the relationship of the wheel's centerline to the location of the mount pad, which is where the wheel bolts to the hub. This is typically expressed in millimeters. Front-wheel-drive (and newer rear-wheel-drive) cars generally have wheels with positive offset, which means the mount pad is towards the outside of the wheel. A wheel with negative offset means the mount pad is positioned inboard from the centerline.

Proper offset is critical when fitting a new set of wheels, as it affects everything from the car's handling to wheel and tire clearance of fenders, brake calipers, and chassis components. All wheel companies have fitment charts that list offset specs to match wheels with a particular car. Or if you're facing a unique situation, like if you've installed a widebody kit, many manufacturers can customize a set of two-piece wheels with the right offset. This will take time and cost money, but the ultimate result will be well worth the investment.

Tire Safety.com
All of the major tire manufacturers have good technical information about their products on their Web sites. But we found one that goes a step further. Tire Safety.com (www.tiresafety.com), from the folks at Bridgestone-Firestone, offers thorough tire tech and maintenance info, without the ad banners you'd expect for its own tire brands. Plus you can sign up for regular e-mail reminders about keeping your tires properly inflated. So, when was the last time you checked your tires?

Have we reached the outer limits of wheel diameter and low-profile tires? Not yet. This 305/35ZR24 BFGoodrich g-force T/A KDW was the edge of the envelope not long ago, but there are even bigger rims available now. These humongous sizes are primarily for SUVs, but it probably won't be too long before some kink tries to put a deuce deuce on his Civic.

By Drew Hardin

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