Wheel offset - is there a definitive answer?

[Chris C]

My 14 inch Minilites are beginning to look scruffy & I'm either considering a refurb or buying some new wheels.

But, the topic of wheel offsets constantly raises it's head!

Surely there must be a constant value for each type of wheel? How else can I find out what different wheels (& different sizes) will fit my car? (A 1997 Roadsport 1600)

Help!!

Chris

[DJ.]

I thought the consensus was that they are et23.

I am in a similar situation and so far the best new wheel I have found at a sensible price is:

http://www.johnbrownwheels.com/products/jbw-60-x-14-minilight.html

The JBW minilte style wheels are available in 14 x 6 with et 22. I suspect 1 different is not too important, but will be interested to hear the experts view. Alternatively they do 13 x 6 in 23.

At £93 a wheel, they can't be much more than the price of a refurb.

Duncan

[Steve Sheldon]

I fitted 14" wheels with a deeper inset than the std caterham setting. i.e. the hub was towards the inside off the wheel.  However, it was much harder to get good wheel balance. Have gone back to the original KN MInators. May just reflect the quality of the wheels but they were also made by KN.

[Shaun_E]

You can measure what you currently have. There is a good guide to this on the Image Wheels website here: http://www.imagewheels.co.uk/alloy-wheel-technical/ Offset is 1/2 total width minus dimension C.

Some makers include the bead and some ignore it so there may be minor differences between wheels. The critical thing is not to go bigger on the offset as that will move the wheel inner rim closer to the wing-stay which could cause the tyre to rub.

[paul_w]

just to add more confusion, the right wheel offset will change depending on the sidewall height of the tyres you run. that's why the newer wheels have a bigger offset than the old ones, because the newer cars tend to run lower profile tyres. This is because of the king pin inclination, and you will feel it through the wheel on a car as sensitive as a 7.

So if you've got the standard Caterham wheels for your car and the factory tyre size, measure them and try to get that, because they generally know what they are doing...