Offset

[bigred318]

hey guiys i already asked a ? like this like a week ago and got one responce about what a offset is, and that was really confusing didnt really help, but it kind of made me wonder and think and was kind of interesting! anyways i just need to know the answer to my ? in the folloing post that i had on dtmpower that 20 people looked at with NO answer hoping you guys can help!

here it is

hey guys i am looking at rims for my e36 318is and was wondering what offsets work on this car? i am looking on aaarims.com so first what offsets work and second how come some rims have offsets listed and some dont? most are around 40-42 but some dont have them, example http://www.aaarims.com/specials/bmw-3-17.shtml and then the first set of rims BMW M3 Style ITN #134 they dont have one listed would a rim with no offset work on my 318is?

David

thanks guys!

[Brian325i]

Hey, I've wanted to know what the offset means as well. I'm pretty sure the only thing you need to know, whether it fits or not, is the lug pattern which is 5x120 for us. Well for me anyways.

[bigred318]

yeah dude i know 5X120 is what i need but the offsets dont matter?

David

[93 325i]

offset is basically how far back the center is positioned on the rim..like for a deep dish rim the center would be more twords the back of the rim..

[bigred318]

okay so does that mean that the offset of a rim doesnt matter that much? or can some make the wheel rub? would a offset of like 40 be fine? also what kind of rims use negative offset?

David

[El Presidente]

Too much offset and the rim sticks out. too little and it will touch the brake caliper. The all 3s 92+ use a 39-41mm offset with a 5x120mm bolt pattern.

[uiuc240]

offset matters A LOT...that's why you can't use OEM 5-series or 7-series wheels without pulling your fenders.

5/7 wheels = ~20mm offset

3 wheels = ~40mm offset

Big difference! The lower offset (number) will have a bigger, juicier lip, but it will stick out past your fenders.

Eric

[bigred318]

thanks guys so what about those rims (pretty much all the stock m3 style rims on aaarims) that dont have an offset listed? do they just imply that they fit on the e36 then? since thats what they came off of?

David

[waxfondlr]

The offset of a wheel is the distance from its hub mounting surface to the centerline of the wheel. The offset can be one of three types.

Zero Offset
The hub mounting surface is even with the centerline of the wheel.

Positive
The hub mounting surface is toward the front or wheel side of the wheel. Positive offset wheels are generally found on front wheel drive cars and newer rear drive cars, Ford Thunderbird for example.

Negative
The hub mounting surface is toward the back or brake side of the wheels centerline. "Deep dish" wheels are typically a negative offset.
If the offset of the wheel is not correct for the car, the handling can be adversely affected. When the width of the wheel changes, the offset also changes numerically. If the offset were to stay the same while you added width, the additional width would be split evenly between the inside and outside. For most cars, this won't work correctly

From what ive notcied ..most bmw wheels have a 41-42 offset..if you dont wanna worry about getting a diff offset to make the wheel flush with the fender just bolt the wheels up and get the appropriate spacers to take care of it

[waxfondlr]

http://toy4two.home.mindspring.com/offset.html heres an offset calculator..i didnt test it tho

[bigred318]

bump on my last ? about stock m3 rims off aaa

David