wheel off-sets etc

[rtbm]

Hi Guys...need some advice....I have after market wheels, in this case 17inch fronts and need a spacer for after market brakes set up of 10mm, to clear....taking the wheel off set at 35mm ....I total 45mm as an off set.....I then was thinking of buying some new wheels with custom off-set available....should I order said 45mm off set???....I have been confused by "Prime" as they talk about "positve off-set"....if this is so do I take the 10mm spacer from the 35mm wheel off-set...to leave 25mm off set???.....if so what is the 50mm off set of the OEM wheel etc!!!!!......clear as mud....thats what you get when some bugger sells you wheels and tells you they will fit.....then needs to send you spacers through the post even to clear the standard calipers!!!

[Kevin]

Well your post isn't all that clear, but I'll have a go....

The offset is the distance of the hub face of the wheel from the centre line between the rim edges.

Offset has nothing to do with brake clearance. If you could imagine a wheel where you could adjust the offset, then the more offset in a postive direction, moves the rim of the wheel towards the centre of the car. Negative offset would move it out.

Changing the offset like this does not mean the hub face has more distance between it and the spokes. It depends how the offset is produced. If the hub face is thicker or a spacer is added then yes, you get more brake clearance. If the offset is produced by moving the spokes themselves in and out, you can see that won't affect brake clearance.

If a wheel has a +40mm offset, and you add a 10mm spacer, you now make the ofset +30mm, but you have increased the caliper clearance by 10mm also.

Reducing the offset of the standard wheels (55mm) means that you can add wheels which are wider than normal, as wider wheels rub the inside of the wheel well.

So ask about caliper clearance, not offset.

[rtbm]

Many thanks for your advice...much clearer than my question.....well at least I knew what I was trying to say