The wheels that came installed on your vehicle are designed to perfectly fit your vehicle’s suspension, gearing, and bodywork which can affect ride quality and vehicle performance. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have different wheels or rims installed on your car or truck. To understand what wheels will work for your vehicle, we’ll take a look at rim sizes and some basic measurements.
There are many reasons you might want to switch out your rims. Maybe you want an extra set of wheels and tires for easy installation every winter, or you’re looking for added performance and handling. You might even be going for a specific look, including sleek and stylish or rugged and cool. Whatever your reason, it’s important to note that getting the wrong wheel setup could cause a vibration, or some rubbing on suspension components or vehicle body parts.
Les Schwab Tip: Before you change the tire sidewall height, tread width, or rim size on your vehicle, talk to the experts first. We’ll help translate the difference in RPM, tire speed, load index, and speed rating and how it will or will not fit with your vehicle’s suspension, gearing, and bodywork.
First, start with the wheel size for your vehicle. You can find that on the sidewall of the tires on your original wheels or the inside frame of the driver’s door. Check out Tire Size Explained (Reading the Sidewall) for more.
The wheel diameter (in inches or millimeters) is the fifth set of numbers and letters. What do rim size numbers mean? This number represents the distance between the two bead seat areas where the tire is sealed onto the wheel.
The wheel size also includes its width and offset. The width is the distance from each bead seat (from inside to the outside). The offset determines how the wheel and tire set aligns with the wheel well.
The offset is how far inward or outward the mounting surface is in reference to the center-line of the wheel.
The center-line is calculated by simply dividing the wheel into two equal halves. Les Schwab has the tools to accurately measure your center-line.
The offset is how far inward or outward the mounting surface is in reference to the center-line of the wheel.
Here's how offset determines the look of your rims. If the hub mounting surface is in front of the center-line, your rims and tire will be pulled inward. This is called positive offset.
If they are behind the centerline, your rims and tire will stick out from the body of the vehicle. This is negative offset.
Les Schwab Tip: Measuring the offset on your vehicle is difficult without removing the tire and wheel. Consult the pros to get the right fit.
To ensure a set of rims fit properly on your vehicle, you’ll need the hub size on your car or truck as well as the wheel center bore measurement and number of wheel studs (as well as the distance between those studs).
Les Schwab has those measurements for your vehicle, including bolt patterns.
Most vehicles come with a 4-, 5-, 6-, or 8-lug pattern. These bolt patterns, which are specifically spaced, help narrow your wheel or rim choices. While counting the number of bolts on your vehicle is important before buying a set of rims, it’s vital the wheels you choose match the spacing between the wheel studs on your vehicle.
To measure a 4-lug pattern on a set of rims, measure from the center of two holes across from each other. For a 5-lug pattern, measure from the outside of one wheel stud hole and the center of the opposite. And for 6- and 8-lug patterns, measure from the center of one hole to the center of the opposite wheel stud hole. You’ll either need this measurement in inches or millimeters, depending on the wheel manufacturer.
Remember, there’s no need to take these measurements on your own. The pros at Les Schwab do it every day and can ensure you get the right rims for your vehicle.
At Les Schwab, we take pride in our custom wheel expertise. Stop by and ask about new wheels for your vehicle. We’ll show you all of your options, whether you’re going for a new look, a boost in performance, a new set of wheels for your winter tires, or simply as a replacement of your current set.
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Replacing your car’s rims is one of the easiest ways to transform your vehicle’s entire look. But while it’s a relatively easy swap, you’re going to run into a whole host of problems if you get the wrong set.
Sure, style matters but the most important part of the process is finding the correct size. In a worst-case scenario, you won’t even be able to mount them to your car.
But even if they do bolt on, the wrong size can mean your existing tires won’t fit, can completely change your suspension geometry, require rolling your fenders, or cause damage to your car while driving.
To make things easier, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know about your car’s rims. After you read this article, you won’t only know how to read rim size, but if it’s not written anywhere, you’ll also learn how to measure the size of your car’s rims.
There are a few different reasons why it’s so important to check rim dimensions, and they all revolve around fitting your car correctly. With the wrong size rims, you might not be able to mount them to your vehicle.
Even if your rims fit, you might not have enough clearance to clear your brake calipers, suspension components, your car’s chassis, or the fenders. Either way, you’re risking serious problems.
When you order a new set of tires you’ll need the correct tire size, most of which relates to the size of your rims. If you don’t know this size, you once again risk having a bad setup, have trouble installing and keeping your tire on the rim, or they will never be able to be mounted at all.
Luckily if you know how to tell what size rims you have and how to read wheel sizes, it’s a pretty easy problem to avoid.
Depending on which part of the world you live in, you’ll see people using different measurement units when it comes to car wheels. Whether you’re installing hub centric or wheel centering rims, you’re going to want to know how the sizes are denoted.
To know every important measurement on a rim, you’d need to look at a spec list that includes stuff like hub bore, backspacing, bolt pattern, PCD (Pitch Circle Diameter), and more.
Typically, to make things easier and to save time, the bare minimum measurements such as diameter, wheel width, and offset are strung together to denote the size of your rims. Here’s how:
Diameter (inches) x Width (inches) +/- Offset (millimeters) Bolt Pattern
For example, if you’re looking at this specific set of Konig Hexaforms, the size could be written as:
15×7. 5 +35 4×100 OR 15×7.5 ET35 4×100
ET, which stands for einpresstiefe, is an alternative way to denote wheel offset.
When you’re learning how to measure rim size and bolt patterns on a car, there are four main measurements that you need to take. They’re all equally important, even if they’re not all equally thought about.
We’ve highlighted each measurement below and broke down how to take it — that way, when you’re going to order your new rims, you have everything you need to get it right the first time.
The first measurement you need to make when measuring rims is the diameter. The diameter refers to one bead seat area directly across the tire to the other bead seat area. If you cut across the front of the rim (the part you see when you mount the tire onto the vehicle), you get the diameter.
When taking diameter measurements, use inches — and always make sure that you’re directly on the other side when measuring the rim.
When you measure the rim’s width, you also want to measure from the bead seat area to the other bead seat area — except you want to measure across the side of the tire instead of the front.
Don’t confuse the bead-to-bead area with the entire width of the wheel. You’re measuring where the actual tire bead sits — which is on the inside of the rim, not the outer lip. This is the part of the rim that the tire sits on.
One of the more complicated measurements you’ll encounter is the bolt or stud pattern and spacing. While you may be tempted to skip this step and just go by the first two measurements — it’s best to just see the job through. Otherwise, you won’t be able to mount your rims onto your vehicle.
The first thing you need to do is count the number of bolt holes. This is the simple part, and the answer is either 4, 5, 6, or 8. Most passenger vehicles use a 5-bolt pattern.
Measuring the distance between two holes on a car wheel correctly is crucial for determining the correct Pitch Circle Diameter.From there, you need to measure the distance between the openings. For 4, 6, and 8 stud patterns, you measure from the middle of one stud to the middle of the stud directly opposite it. Take this measurement in millimeters.
For wheels with 5 holes, measure from the middle of one bolt to the end of another bolt on the opposite side. Once again, this measurement is in millimeters.
Usually, you will see this marked as:
Number of Bolt Holes x Distance to Bolt Hole on the Opposite Side
As an example, the stud pattern for Nissan 350z wheels is written: 5×114.3.
Be aware that in some countries, this is called a lug pattern, and the industry term is Pitch Circle Diameter or PCD for short.
A critical part of learning to measure a car’s rims is learning how to adjust for wheel offset and backspacing. Both of these are two separate measurements, but they both refer to making sure that you have enough space for your vehicle’s braking components in addition to how far out your rims sit.
For offset, you need to start with the rim’s actual width — not just the bead-to-bead width measurement. This measurement is a little easier to take because all you need to do is put one end of your tape measure on the outer lip and pull it directly across to the other side.
From there, you need to determine your rim’s backspacing. Place your rim face-down with the inner side of the rim facing up. Measure from the point where the hub mounts aka the hub mounting pad, to the topmost lip — known as the inboard flange. This is your rim’s backspacing.
Subtract half of the width of your rim from the backspacing to determine your wheel’s offset. Keep in mind that you usually measure offset in millimeters.
By now it’s pretty clear that when it comes to determining wheel size, you can’t just take a shot in the dark. Whether you’re chasing a staggered setup or simply need replace your OEM rims that have been damaged — without the right measurements your fitment will be a nightmare.
And while you could just choose to go with the stamped sizes mentioned at the back of your rim’s hub, it won’t always specify backspacing or offset — which are equally important.
It might seem a little daunting at first, but once you’ve done it a time or two, it gets a whole lot easier.
What are your thoughts on measuring wheel sizes? Drop a comment below and tell us what worked for you, or if you have any questions about reading the size of your rims.
All over the world, motorists often face the difficulty of changing rims. This happens due to forced circumstances - with their defects, wear, malfunction, or at the request of the owner himself because of their not very presentable appearance, inappropriate dimensions, or on other grounds.
The automotive market is always happy to offer its customers a wide range of accessories for different tastes and budgets. Consider how to find out the size of a car wheel disk in order to select the appropriate configurations and avoid selection difficulties.
The basic size of the disks is a specific set of wheel configurations that are put on the vehicle at the automobile factory in accordance with all the conditions of the technology, the class of the car, as well as the strength studies carried out by the engineers of the concern.
When leaving the factory, the machine acquires the following regular characteristics of rims:
The dimensions of the edge of the rim, necessary for reliable mounting of the tire, are indicated by the letter symbols J or JJ. This marking is suitable for wheels of all passenger cars, regardless of make and model.
The thickness of the rim of the product is calculated in inches with a distance of 0.5 units. The final dimension of the rubber depends on it. In standard vehicle modifications, this size is from 4 to 12 inches, which corresponds to a tire with a offset of 145-345 mm.
The most significant value is the radiality of the disk, which is determined without taking into account the edges of the rim diameter and is calculated in inches from 12 to 24. It is written as R12, R13 ... R21, R22, R23, etc. The radiality of the tire depends on this value, which must correspond to this parameter, as well as its profile, which depends on the configuration of the wheel arch and the technical parameters of the manufacturer.
Also, the factory takes into account the range of wheel offsets necessary for a certain brand, that is, the value of the ET disk offset, which will indicate the distance from the place where the disk is attached to the hub to its internal mating plane of the disk. The longer the offset ET, the deeper the tire will be fixed under the wheel arch.
If the above indicators allow you to indicate a small variation in the dimensions of the wheels, then parameters such as disc bolt pattern and drilling should remain the same, otherwise the rubber will not be put on the hub. So:
disc bolt pattern is a value that calculates the number and length of the studs on the hub. Designed to fix the wheel. For example, in small cars, studs are usually made with a 4 * 9 offset8, 4 * 100, that is, the disk is fixed to 4 anchors, each 98 or 100 mm long. In business class cars or SUVs, the number of fasteners is from 4 to 10 pieces, and their length expands to 140 mm.
drilling (PCD) - an indicator of the mounting hole of the disk, thanks to which it is installed on the axle. Its dimensions range from 50 to 120 mm, depending on the brand, model and class of car.
Each factory disk on the machine is, of course, marked, and upon visual inspection, you can find a line with the indicators listed above on it. If due to circumstances, for example, in case of wear of the disk, these parameters are not visible, then the wheel can be measured independently and its marking can be set. Proceed as follows:
To determine the width of the disk, it is measured with a tape measure or ruler, the rim of the product in millimeters, and then the resulting distance is divided by 25.4 mm to convert to inches.
In a similar way, the radiality of the disks is determined, only here their diameter is measured. Some people think that the R symbol means the radius of the rim, but this is incorrect, as this is the necessary distance between two distances on the wheel rim from the center of the rim. The resulting data should be divided by 25.4 mm to get the result in inches.
The greatest difficulty is the measurement of wheel offset, that is, the ET indicator. To do this, you need to remove the wheel, lay it flat on the ground, put a wooden rail on it, equal to the diameter of the metal part of the disk. Then measure the gap to the mating plane of the product in mm. Turn the wheel 180° and repeat the procedure on the reverse side. Substitute the data into the formula for finding ET \u003d (X + Y): 2, where X is the first indicator, Y is the second indicator, and ET is the desired departure size. All results will be in millimeters.
To determine the PCD or the diameter of the central hole of the disk (DIA), the motorist only needs to measure the maximum distance between the edges of the perforations, and then find the nearest value from the table of deviations and correspondences. The indicator of the holes of the wheel disc depends on the structure of the hub for a particular brand of machine
.
On all original factory wheels, the car owner has access to a marking where the dimension of this product is written. For the correctness of actions, it is worth familiarizing yourself with some illustrative examples:
When changing wheels to more attractive ones, the owner of the Lada sees the inscription on the disk 5. 5J * 15 ET 42 d56.1 4 * 98, which means: a rim rim 5.5 inches wide, edge configuration J, not disassembled (marking "x"), 15 inch radius, 42 mm wheel offset, 56.1 mm drilling (drill hole diameter), bolt pattern for 4 studs of 98 mm each.
The designation J depends on the class, model and weight of the car, it can be replaced by JJ, K, JK, B, P and D, which corresponds to the marking of the purchased disk.
Also on the wheel are hampa or H markings, for example 6.0J * 17 h3 ET38 d65.1 5 * 112. This hump consists of special protrusions along the sides that increase the strength of the attachment to the rubber disk. This parameter can be marked as H - single, on one wheel side, H2 - double, from edge wallpaper or X - truncated.
For drivers of pickups, minivans and other vehicles intended for the transport of goods, the values \u200b\u200bof the greatest load are indicated, which are marked as follows - Max Load 2000Lb. This figure will indicate the largest load of 2000 pounds (910 kg when translated).
An important strength parameter is the tire and rim pressure marking, which is expressed as Max PSI 50 Cold, where the highest tire pressure should not exceed 3.5 kg per cm².
The last thing that can be found on the rim is the SAE lettering. TUV, ISO or Rostest, indicating that the product has passed the necessary certification after a series of tests and fully meets the requirements of international and Russian standards.
Quite often, the car owner does not seek to deviate from the disk configuration prescribed by the automobile manufacturer. Then it is enough for him to purchase rims according to the same parameters that the manufacturer set. It is important to note that an erroneously selected size of products often leads to rapid wear of hubs, calipers, brake systems and other parts of the suspension, which contributes to the expenditure of significant amounts during repairs.
The most preferable and competent choice of rims for a particular car model is a purchase at a dealership from a brand distributor. For example, official auto enterprises often provide rims not only of their own production, but also accredited analogues.
In most large sales centers, consultants have special software installed to help you easily determine the given disk sizes. When contacting the center manager, who will fill in the appropriate fields in the program on the computer - the brand, model and variation of the vehicle, year of manufacture, and other data, you can get a whole list of suitable disks that correspond to the geometric characteristics of the client's car.
Typically, such software is associated with a warehouse system and also allows you to inform the client about the availability of goods in the warehouse, about the brands that produce these rims, as well as about the price and appearance. Based on this information, the buyer can decide on the design of the disc grille, standard size, material, and also calculate his budget.
In this way, the client can be sure of the quality of the wheels, as well as the correct selection of the dimensions of the disks, moreover, the warranty obligation will not be removed from his vehicle. Many car owners may not be satisfied with the rigid pricing policy of dealers, but the received guarantee of a long, reliable and safe service life more than justifies possible overpayments.
When we buy a wheel assembly, there are no questions about what disk parameters to pay attention to. But when changing tires or choosing new wheels, you need to choose the right size.
If you select discs only by diameter and bolt pattern, then you can buy an unsuitable kit. It either won't work, or will cause serious problems in the future. So, a violation of the size of the disk and tires can provoke:
deterioration in response to driver commands when maneuvering and turning;
reduced sidewall stiffness;
tire deformation;
decrease in wear resistance.
To find out which disc is suitable for the selected set of tires, use the table:
| Tire height | Tire size | Disk size | ||
| Recommended | Min. | Max. | ||
| Over 12" | ||||
| 82 | 125R12 135R12 145R12 155R12 | 3.5 4.0 4.0 4.5 | 3.0 3.5 3.5 4.0 | 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.0 |
| 70 | 145/70R12 155/70R12 | 4.5 4.5 | 4. 4.0 | 5.0 5.5 |
| Over 13" | ||||
| 82 | 145R13 155R13 165R13 175R13 | 4.0 4.5 4.5 5.0 | 3.5 4.0 4.0 4.5 | 5.0 5.5 5.5 6.0 |
| 80 | 135/80R13 145/80R13 155/80R13 165/80R13 | 3.5 4.0 4.5 4.5 | 3.5 3.5 4.0 4.0 | 4.5 5.0 5.5 5.5 |
| 70 | 135/70R13 145/70R13 155/70R13 165/70R13 175/70R13 185/70R13 195/70R13 | 4.0 4.5 4.5 5.0 5.0 5.5 6. | 3.5 4.0 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.0 5.2 | 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.0 6.5 7.0 |
| 65 | 155/65R13 165/65R13 175/65R13 | 4.5 5.0 5.0 | 4.0 4.5 5.0 | 5.5 6.0 6.0 |
| 60 | 175/60R13 185/60R13 205/60R13 | 5.0 5.5 6.0 | 5.0 5.5 5.5 | 6.0 6.5 7, |
| 55 | 195/55R13 | 6.0 | 5.5 | 7.0 |
| Over 14" | ||||
| 82 | 145R14 155R14 165R14 175R14 185R14 | 4. 4.5 4.5 5.0 5.5 | 3.5 4.0 4.0 4.5 4.5 | 5.0 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.0 |
| 80 | 175/80R14 185/80R14 | 5.0 5.0 | 4.5 5.0 | 5.5 6.0 |
| 70 | 165/70R14 175/70R14 185/70R14 195/70R14 205/70R14 | 5.0 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.0 | 4.5 5.0 5.0 5.5 5.5 | 6.0 6.0 6.5 7.0 7.5 |
| 65 | 155/65R14 165/65R14 175/65R14 185/65R14 195/65R14 | 4.5 5.0 5.0 5.5 6.0 | 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.0 5.5 | 5.5 6. 6.0 6.5 7.0 |
| 60 | 165/60R14 175/60R14 185/60R14 195/60R14 205/60R14 | 5.0 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.0 | 4.5 5.0 5.0 5.5 5.5 | 6.0 6.0 6.5 7.0 7.5 |
| 55 | 185/55R14 205/55R14 | 6.0 6.5 | 5.0 5.5 | 6.5 7.5 |
| Over 15" | ||||
| 82 | 125R15 135R15 145R15 155R15 165R15 185R15 | 3.5 4.0 4.0 4.5 4.5 5.5 | 3.0 3.5 3.5 4.0 4.0 4.5 | 4. 4.5 5.0 5.0 5.5 6.0 |
| 80 | 185/80R15 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 6.0 |
| 70 | 175/70R15 195/70R15 235/70R15 | 5.0 6.0 7.0 | 5.0 5.5 6.5 | 6.0 7.0 8.5 |
| 65 | 185/65R15 195/65R15 205/65R15 215/65R15 225/65R15 | 5.5 6.0 6.0 6.5 6.5 | 5.0 5.5 5.5 6.0 6.0 | 6.5 7.0 7.5 7.5 8.0 |
| 60 | 195/60R15 205/60R15 215/60R15 225/60R15 | 6.0 6.0 6.5 6.5 | 5.5 5.5 6.0 6. | 7.0 7.5 8.0 8.0 |
| 55 | 185/55R15 195/55R15 205/55R15 225/55R15 | 6.0 6.0 6.5 7.0 | 5.0 5.5 5.5 6.0 | 6.5 7.0 7.5 8.0 |
| 50 | 195/50R15 205/50R15 225/50R15 | 6.0 6.5 7.0 | 5.5 5.5 6.0 | 7.0 7.5 8.0 |
| 45 | 195/45R15 | 6.5 | 6.0 | 7.5 |
| Over 16" | ||||
| 65 | 215/65R16 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 7.5 |
| 60 | 225/60R16 235/60R16 | 6. 7.0 | 6.0 6.5 | 8.0 8.5 |
| 55 | 205/55R16 225/55R16 245/55R16 | 6.5 7.0 7.5 | 5.5 6.0 7.0 | 7.5 8.0 8.5 |
| 50 | 205/50R16 225/50R16 235/50R16 255/50R16 | 6.5 7.0 7.5 8.0 | 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0 | 7.5 8.0 8.5 9.0 |
| 45 | 195/45R16 205/45R16 225/45R16 245/45R16 | 6.5 7.0 7.5 8.0 | 6.0 6.5 7.0 7.5 | 7.5 7.5 8.5 9.0 |
| 40 | 215/40R16 225/40R16 | 7. 8.0 | 7.0 7.5 | 8.5 9.0 |
| Over 17" | ||||
| 55 | 225/55R17 | 7.0 | 6.0 | 8.0 |
| 50 | 205/50R17 215/50R17 | 6.5 7.0 | 5.5 6.0 | 7.5 7.5 |
| 45 | 215/45R17 225/45R17 235/45R17 245/45R17 255/45R17 | 7.0 7.5 8.0 8.0 8.5 | 7.0 7.0 7.5 7.5 8.0 | 8.5 8.5 9.0 9.0 9.5 |
| 40 | 215/40R17 235/40R17 245/40R17 255/40R17 265/40R17 275/40R17 285/40R17 | 7. 8.5 8.5 9.0 9.5 9.5 10.0 | 7.0 8.0 8.0 8.5 9.0 9.0 8.5 | 8.5 9.5 9.5 10.0 10.5 11.0 11.0 |
| 35 | 245/35R17 265/35R17 335/35R17 | 8.5 9.5 11.5 | 8.0 9.0 11.0 | 9.5 10.5 13.0 |
| Over 18" | ||||
| 50 | 235/50R18 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 8.5 |
| 45 | 255/45R18 | 8.5 | 8.0 | 9.5 |
| 40 | 225/40R18 235/40R18 245/40R18 265/40R18 | 8. | ||
