Volvo RWD 120-130 Forum

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Problem with figuring out wheel offset 120-130

Example 1:
From vclassics (http://vclassics.com/archive/wheeltip.htm):

"6"-wide wheel should protrude 3-1/2" inboard and 2-1/2" outboard, which is a positive offset of 1""

Example 2:
From this and other sites: http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemID=1441&itemType=CATEGORY&iMainCat=688&iSubCat=1441

"Offset on the other hand is the dimension that represents the difference between the exact centerline of the wheel and that of the inner wheel face that bolts to the flange.

Wheel Width at Outer Rim: 8.5”
Calculate Centerline: 8.5 / 2 = 4.25”
Measure Backspace: 3.75”
Calculate Offset: 4.25 - 3.75 = .50”"


So, if I use how the bottom calculation for a 6" rim with 3.5" backspacing I get:

Wheel Width at Outer Rim: 6”
Calculate Centerline: 6 / 2 = 3.0”
Measure Backspace: 3.5”
Calculate Offset: 3.0 - 3.5 = .50"

That's a .50"(13mm) positive offset, not a 1" (25mm) positive offset as stated on the vclassic site.

To get 1" positive offset on a 6" rim, wouldn't it need a 4" backspacing?:

Wheel Width at Outer Rim: 6”
Calculate Centerline: 6 / 2 = 3.0”
Measure Backspace: 4.0”
Calculate Offset: 3.0 - 4.0 = 1.0"

Can somebody clarify? I've always taken the vclassic statement that Volvos had a positive 1" offset and that a 6" wheel would have a 3.5" backspacing.

Paul

Actually, this site has a pretty good graphic on how to calculate offset too(very bottom of page):

http://www.tirereview.com/?type=cc&id=179&53L3c73d=179#ratio









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    Problem with figuring out wheel offset 120-130

    Hmmm. Phil - you need to clean up your article. ;-) As you have described the wheel,

    "...a 6"-wide wheel should protrude 3-1/2" inboard and 2-1/2" outboard...."

    ...it will indeed have 0.5" positive offset, not 1.0". In order for a 6" wide wheel to have 1.0" positive offset, the inboard and outboard measurements would have to be 4" and 2", respectively.

    Paul - FWIW, this brings up another trap for many folks, especially when talking about backspace measurements; the possible misuse of the term "rim width". Technically, rim width is an inside measurement taken between the (more or less vertical) bead seats of the rim. Many use this term more loosely, to describe the outside measurement that is the overall width of the wheel... the distance as measured from one outermost edge of the wheel to the other. This means a 15x6" wheel might actually measure 7" in width. To further confuse the issue, the overall width of various 15x6" wheels can vary significantly, depending on type... cast aluminum vs stock steel wheels, for instance. So be very careful when comparing "offset" and "backspace" between dissimilar wheels.

    Gary L

    --
    1971 142E ITB racer, 1973 1800ES, 2002 S60 T5








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      Problem with figuring out wheel offset 120-130

      Yeah, you're right and my article is wrong -- best I knew at the time, which was 10+ years ago. There's a lot of funky stuff like that in the archives, I'm afraid.







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