Since a lot of people end up changing offsets when buying a new set of wheels, I was wondering if there's any change in vehicle dynamics, besides the visual differences. For example, I'm contemplating buying a new set of wheels for my coupe and they have alower offset of +20, meaning the wheels will stick out more. Will handling improve if I make the change considering that the wheels are further apart? I've heard that increasing the scrub radius may have some negative effects, but I'm not sure it's a big deal if it's within limits.

Despite the visual benefits of sticking out further, companies must release their certain offsets for a reason. Think it's something to consider?

 

While you make a valid point, people have been putting aftermarkets wheels on their cars for years and years. It probably does affect the cars handling/performance but on such a small scale that its not worth the afterthought. Ive come to believe that factory offsets are a little on the conservative side and slight differentiations do not play a large part in altering the vehicles dynamics

 

If you increase the width between wheels would that allow for better cornering or am i wrong on that? I would think that by making the car have a wider wheel base that it would allow for better cornering, but that has just been my interpretation since i was little. No one ever explained that to me.

-sean

 

you are correct, widening the cars wheel base will improve handling, keeping the car more "flat" in the turns, but not to such an extent where you will notice a big difference.

going with wider wheels and lower offsets than the oem size has no negative affect on the cars performance.
-GP-

 

Ok, thats what i thought.

I thought when you said this it was meant in a negative way.

-sean

 

I've "never" owned a car that I haven't changed the wheels/tires and for the
most part it's always made an improvement in handeling with a few other
mods. The one place you need to be carefull is in offset with a wider wheel.
With a 10" wheel you need to fill it up with the correct size tire (275 or 285)
and by doing so if your offset is to great you'll quickly run out of room!
Companys like the TireRack have all the information on line or you can call
them and talk to a rep that knows his merchandise.......good luck.

 

If you widen the stance of your car you are essentially creating a lower center of gravity, which makes for better handling

....it wont be anything really noticable though.

 

Hopefully i will notice the difference when i finally put my TE37 rims on vs my OEM 17s

-sean

 

I'm not so sure about that. I've heard that increasing the offset increases the scrub radius which has less than optimal effects on the suspension. Basically that can lead to amplification of bumbsteer, torquesteer, and a decrease of the suspension's "wheel rate" (spring rate as measured by the wheel) - which can decrease grip. But with wider tires, I would think that this effect is negligible.

I got another recommendation stating that most companies suggest staying within a +/- range of 5mm.....something most folks here surpass.

Really though, if aggressive offsets were so beneficial, I would think that car companies would lower their offsets in stock form for better performance. Instead, every car comes with what modders think are conservative setups. I'm concerned with how offsets can also affect longevity of other components, if they have any affect at all.

 

Manufacturers dont go with aggressive setups because they have to cater to the needs of the average american, which wouldnt be one that wants to drop thousands and thousands of dollars into his/her car wiht aftermarket parts.. there is a limit to how much you can increase the width offset on every car unless you go with a widebody, even then it doesnt negatively affect the cars performance..
-GP-

 

Wouldn't extreme offsets put extra pressure on the wheel bearings? Especially in a widebody case where the offsets could actually go positive?

 

You mean negative? Ideally, the spokes on the wheels should come straight off the hub and connect at the center of the wheel if not slightly inward for the least amount of torque applied to the wheel bearings, which in turn puts less stress on them. This becomes an clearance issue with wide wheels however which is why you offset to the outside

 

I still dont think you are going to notice a whole lot.

The real key to better handling is.... Drum roll please.....

Suspension components!!! haha

Nice wheels though. What finish did you go with?

PS- Your track times still amaze me man

 

Actually, I would say tires make the biggest difference, they are always the limiting factor when it comes to handling

 

Good point

But, equal tires given, suspension parts will lead to greater cornering ability than wider offsets of wheels.