OFFSET and BACKSPACING EXPLAINED

I have seen this question ask many times recently, WHAT IS OFFSET? or BACKSPACING? or
the terms used incorrectly, for they are not the same thing....SO with that in mind, here is an
explanation of these two terms.
Wheel Offset
Offset is measured from the centerline of the barrel of the wheel to the hub mounting surface. If
that hub mounting surface were in the exact center of the barrel of the wheel the offset would be
0". If the mounting surface is away from the center of the wheel the offset is POSITIVE, if the
mounting surface is towards the center, the offset is NEGITIVE. Offset is measured in
millimeters. There are 25.4 millimeters to an inch. So if the mounting surface is 12mm from the
centerline of the wheel it has a 12mm offset. That would also mean that it is about inch. If the
mounting surface is moved away from the vehicle that is a positive offset. The picture shows a
wheel with the positive offset. A positive offset will cause the wheel to set in or tuck into the
vehicle. Originally you found positive offsets on just front wheel vehicles. Due to that some
people refer to positive offset wheels as front wheel drive offsets. Currently there are many rear
wheel drive cars and trucks with positive offsets. The higher the positive offset the less it sticks
out from the vehicle and it will have a higher Backspace. If the mounting surface is moved in
toward the vehicle past the centerline, that is a negative offset. A high negative offset will
produce a lower Backspace. Once again the measurement in millimeters is how far away from
the centerline the mounting surface is. A -24mm offset means that the mounting surface is
located 24mm or 1 inch from the centerline toward the vehicle. The wheel will come out farther
from the vehicle and will have that deep dish look.
Width
The width of a wheel is measured inside the beads which are usually inches. If you measure on
the outside of the beads an 8 inch wheel will measure 9 inches

Backspace
Back spacing is measured from the inner edge of the wheel to the hub mounting surface. It is a
convenient measurement in that, as long as the back spacing remains the same, the clearance to
the suspension also remains the same. If you know the width of the wheel and the offset you can
compute the backspacing. For example if you have an 8 inch wheel with a +24mm offset. An 8
inch wheel is actually 9 inches wide so if the offset were 0 the mounting surface would be right
on the centerline and the backspacing would be 4.5 inches. With a positive offset the mounting
surface moves off center 24mm or 1 inch toward the outer edge of the wheel. This will make the
inner edge go more inside which will result in a 5.5 inch backspacing.

Centerbore
This is the diameter of the center of the wheel. The centerbore must be equal to or larger than the
hub of the vehicle for the wheel to seat. If the wheels centerbore is the same as the hub on the
wheel then that wheel is hub-centric and uses the hub to center the wheels. If the centerbore is
larger than the hub then the lugs will center the wheel and that is lug-centric. When using a lug-
centric wheel be sure and snug the lugs up slowly and tighten them in an opposite or star pattern.

Bolt pattern
A bolt pattern of 5x120 mm means it has 5 lugs and if there were a circle through the center of
all the lugs the diameter of that circle would be 120 mm.

Hopefully, this page will answer most of the questions you may have about wheels.

Quick Info:

The Ford Ranger, Bronco II and Explorer all have a 5x4.5 bolt pattern.

The basic Ranger wheel diameter is either 14x6 or 15x7 inches.

Stock Backspacing is usually 4.5 inches.

Recommended backspacing on a 15x7 wheel is 3.75 inches with -6mm offset. *

Recommended backspacing on a 15x8 wheel is 3.75 inches with -19mm offset. *

Recommended backspacing on a 15x10 wheel is 4.00 inches with -38mm offset. *

(* = Information provided by American Racing)

Wheels on a 1998+ 4x4 Ranger will not fit the front of a 1983-1997 4x4 Ranger. The
center hole is too small for the locking hub to pass through. You would have to have
the hub center cut out by a machine shop to fit over the hub.

Reference Diagram:
Wheel Diameter:

One of the first things your your going to deal width is wheel size. Wheel sizes
(Example 15x8) is a combination of wheel diameter and rim width.
The wheel diameter is measured by measuring from the bead seat on one side of the
rim to the opposite side bead seat. The bead seat is the part of the wheel where the
bead of the tire sits once the tire is inflated. It is not measured from the outside rim to
outside rim.

Rim Width:
A common mistake when measuring a rim's width is measuring the absolute width of
the wheel.

To determine the width of the rim, measure from bead seat to bead seat across the
wheel, not from lip to lip. The bead seat is the part of the wheel where the bead of the
tire sits once the tire is inflated.

Bolt Patterns:

The Ford Ranger and Bronco II have a 5x4.5 wheel bolt pattern. The diagram below
will show you how to measure wheel bolt patterns.
4-Lug - Measure from the center of the first lug to the center of the third lug in the
pattern (opposite Holes).

5-Lug - Measure from the back of the first lug to the center of the third lug in the
pattern.

6-Lug - Measure from the center of the first lug to the center of the fourth lug in the
pattern (opposite Holes).

8-Lug - Measure from the center of the first lug to the center of the fifth lug in the
pattern (opposite Holes).

Putting It All Together:

(# of Lugs) X (Measurement Between Specified Lugs)

Example: (5 Lugs) X (4.5" Between Lugs 1 And 3) = 5x4.5 Lug Pattern

Backspacing:

Backspacing is the distance from the axle pad (the part that contacts the wheel hub) to
the inner edge plane (inboard flange).

Deeper backspacing moves the wheel and tire inboard on the vehicle; shallower
moves them outboard.

The diagram above shows a 2", 3" and 4" backspace.

Frontspacing is the direct opposite of backspace. Subtract backspace from overall

wheel width to get front space measurement.

Items required to measure wheel backspace:

1) Tape measure (ruler)

 2) Straightedge that will fit within the inboard flange of the wheel

Offset:
Offset is the distance +/- from wheel centerline, indicated in millimeters. To find the
offset of a wheel you will need to measure the wheel for overall width and measure its
front space (see Backspacing above).

Once you have these two measurements you need to subtract the front space
measurement from 1/2 of the overall wheel width.

Example: A 16x7" wheel is approximately 8" wide overall, half of the overall wheel
width of 8" is 4". Then 4" - 3" (front space) = 1"

If the resultant number is positive then the wheel has a positive offset. If the number is
negative then the wheel has a negative offset.
Offset is stated in millimeters so that it can be differentiated from back and front
spacing. To convert inches into millimeters multiply by 25.4.

Example: 1" x 25.4 = 25.4mm

The wheel in the diagram above has a 25mm positive offset.

Backspace to Offset Conversion Chart

The table below is a quick reference for finding offset. Pick the rim width and follow the
row over to the backspace of your wheel.

Wheel Spacers / Adapters:

Wheel spacers can be purchased to the wheel out farther. They can also be
purchased to adapt an axle to accept a different wheel bolt pattern. They are used by
people to space wheels out away from the vehicle if they are swapping rims that don't
have the proper back spacing. Sometimes enthusiasts use a spacer when swapping
Mustang rims on to their 2WD Ranger to allow enough space for the front center cap
to snap on to the wheel.

The adapters are generally used when people swap in an axle that has a wheel bolt
pattern different than the other axle on the vehicle. Adding adapters to one of these
axles will allow the vehicle to use wheels that can be mounted on either axle.

The spacers/adapters mount by bolting on to the hub where the original wheel studs
are and have new wheel studs in the spacer/adapter.

Center Bore (Hole):

The center bore is the diameter of the hole in the middle of the wheel (see diagram at
top of page). You may find a rim with the proper backspacing and wheel bolt pattern,
but the center bore may be too small. In this case, the wheel will not fit over the center
hub of the axle. This can be fixed by some machine shops that can cut the hole out
larger.

Wheels on a 1998+ 4x4 Ranger will not fit the front of a 1983-1997 4x4 Ranger. The
center hole is too small for the locking hub to pass through.

Likewise, any 4x4 wheel specifically designed for the newer, flat front hubs (without a
hub lock) will not fit the front hubs of any 2x4 ranger. It's theoretically possible to put
torsion bar 4x4 hub/spindles on a 2x4 Ranger, they use the same calipers and ball
joints though this would be a lot of effort. ~ Sean Votier

Caliper Clearance & Hub Clearance:

 Caliper overhang: Is used to determine the clearance needed to the backside of the
spokes of the wheel.

Caliper width: Used in conjunction with caliper overhang.

Radial Clearance: Caliper Radial Clearance.

Hub Height: Height of hub diameter. If stepped, both heights required for accuracy.

Hub Diameter: sometimes has a step in it that requires both measurements to be

accurate.

Length of Stud: Length of lug stud, Helpful if changed from factory.

Stud Diameter: Wheel stud diameter.

As a general rule: there should be a minimum of one-quarter inch (.250) clearance

between the wheel and any braking or suspension component.

Typical Lug Nut Torque Specifications:

Ft/Lbs Torque

55-65
75-85

95-115

135-145

72-80

85-95

NOTICE: As with all types of wheels retorque lug nuts after the first 25 miles & at 100
mile intervals until lug torque is maintained.

Note: Always refer to Owner's Manual for proper factory specifications that take
precedence over the listed recommendations.

Tire Clearance:

Having proper tire clearance is critical for a positive wheel/tire installation experience.
There is no "cast in stone" rule to determine the proper amount of clearance between
the tire and body of the car. There should be no less than what is required to avoid
ALL contact between suspension and sheet metal in all driving situations.

Keep these in mind when measuring your car:

Brake components: Brake lines (metal / rubber), sensors, backing plates, etc.

Suspension components: Upper and lower control arms, springs, struts, shocks, tie
rods, sway bars, ball joints, Etc.

Sheet metal: Trim screws, fender lip overhang, inner sheet metal, any sharp edge, Etc.

Beadlock Wheels:
Beadlock wheels lock the outside of the tire to the rim with grade 8 bolts instead of the
air pressure and a lip that holds tires to conventional rims. Beadlock rims are basically
a two piece rim (the wheel and the lock ring) that sandwich the tire between the two
pieces of rim. This allows you to run very low air pressure to increase traction (1-7
PSI) without risk of de-beading or popping the tire off the rim. Most beadlock
companies lock the outside edge because of the way force is applied to the tire during
rock crawling. In rockcrawling, the outside bead is 90% more likely to come off the
wheel then the inside bead.

Vehicles that have a 5x4.5 wheel bolt pattern:

Here is a list of vehicles that have wheels with a 5x4.5 bolt pattern. This doesn't
necessarily mean that the wheels will fit your Ranger without some type of
modifications.