What Does Et Mean And How Does Et Affect Wheel Fitment
ET refers to the German phrase Einpress Tiefe. or if your German isnt up to speed, , insertion depth. This includes a number before or after, and is usually stamped on the rear spokes or mounting face of the wheel like this:
This is the measurement in millimetres of the distance between the wheels centre line and its mounting face. This can be a positive or minus number, more on this below:
In most cases, the majority of wheel manufacturers stamp the ET number either on the hub as above or on the back of the wheel spokes.
If for some reason there is no ET number stamped on, you can work it out for yourself:
Your Vehicle’s Wheel Size
The wheel itself might come in different sizes, and in the same fashion with confirming the wheel-tire size, you also need to look at the wheel size.
Check the trim and probably refer to your vehicle’s owners manual for better and more accurate guidance about what exactly should be the size of your wheels. In the owners manual, you might find something referred to as the rim compatibility chart that helps you understand which wheel matches your vehicle. There are some charts specified for certain bolts number like the 5 ug bolt pattern chart.
Diameter Is Just The First Variation
You are probably aware that wheels differ by diameter. For instance, you might be thinking of shifting from a 17-inch wheel to an 18-inch wheel for the improved appearance and possible improvement in handling. But a difference in diameter is just the beginning of the variations.
Additional factors that you must consider when you change wheels are the wheel’s offset, centerbore, bolt pattern, lug hardware, potential suspension interference, and load capacity. If any one of these things is wrong the wheels either won’t fit or, if they do fit, they won’t perform well and could actually be unsafe.
The offset of a wheel is the distance from its mounting surface at the hub to the centerline of the wheel. A wheel with zero offset has a hub mounting surface that is in line with the centerline of the wheel. A wheel with positive offset has a hub mounting surface that is located on the “wheel face” side of the centerline. And a wheel with a negative offset has a hub mounting surface that is on the suspension side of the wheel’s centerline. If the offset is not correct for the vehicle in question problems will almost certainly ensue. Further, if your original equipment wheels are, say, positive offset, it doesn’t mean any positive offset wheel will work well. A change in wheel width could require a change in offset.
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When Rimstylecom Chooses The Wheels Available For Your Vehicle It Considers The Following
There are 10 aspects that are critical for your choice of alloy wheel to fit properly:
- The Wheel PCD
- The Front and Rear Wheel Offset
- The Wheel Diameter
- Wheel Bolt / Nut Fitment and Suitability
If you wish to find out more about each aspect checked, please continue reading
The Wheel P.C.D :The PCD is the measurement of the bolt holes on your standard wheels/vehicles hubs. Rimstyle.com takes your vehicle manufacturer and model and only shows you wheels that are made with the same bolt hole measurement, to ensure they are made and will fit.
The Wheel Offset :The wheel offset determines how far under or how far out the wheel will sit in relation to the vehicles outer arches once bolted to the car. Rimstyle.com works out what offset range your vehicle is suited to and only shows you wheels within this range to ensure that your wheels sit perfectly on your vehicle in relation to the arches.
The Front and Rear Tyre Size:Each car begins life from the factory with its standard tyre size. When upgrading to larger wheels, smaller wheels or wheels of the same size there are a select few tyre sizes that can be used. Rimstyle.com is programmed with these so when you view a wheel and tyre package online the price includes the CORRECT tyre size/s for your vehicle.Watch out for competitor sites, if they dont mention tyre size, you may be buying a package with the wrong size and will incur more cost further down the line.
Bolt Pattern Torque Sequence / Specifications:
Note: Alloy wheels should always be installed using a torque wrench ensuring proper mount. Check your vehicle owner manual for proper specifications. How To Properly Torque Lug Nuts / Lug Bolts
| Stud Size | Typical Torque Range in Ft/Lbs | Minimum Thread Engagement |
| 135 – 145 | 8 |
It is prudent to re-torque wheels after about 60 to 90 miles of driving. Learn more about lug nuts and torque.
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What Wheel Offset Should I Use
Compared to specifications such as wheel diameter, wheel width and even stud patterns, the world of wheel offsets is an art in itself. In some cases, its fairly straightforward, say if you are just changing wheels to a similar size or even just a Plus one . However in other cases, if the vehicle is going beyond that for style, racetrack, or if you want that static look then if you want your vehicle rim fitment on point, you need to get the offset right. In this alloy wheel fitment guide, we will help you get it right.
What Rims Will Fit My Car
Buying new tires can be a daunting prospect for many consumers. Unless you happen to be an auto enthusiast, you probably have only the most rudimentary knowledge of how your vehicle works. The easy solution is to head to a tire dealer and have them tell you what size rims you need. However, if youre wanting to buy custom or tricked out car rims online, youll need to be able to figure out the size for yourself.
The two easiest ways are to check the sticker plate in your car, it should be located inside the driver side door, or look online for the vehicle specifications for your exact make and model. That should tell you the standard rim size. If you want to install larger wheels, as many drivers do these days, youre going to need to do some measurements. Youll need three numbers.
First, measure the diameter and width of your existing wheels. You can choose to go with that stock size or something larger. Just keep in mind that larger wheels will mean you need lower profile tires in order for the combination to clear your vehicle.
The offset of your existing wheels is determined by measuring between the center line of the wheel and the wheel mounting pad. If you buy wheels with the wrong offset, the wheels may rub on the body of the car or even interfere with the cars brakes or suspension system .
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Bolt Pattern Or Bolt Circle
The arrangement of the lug holes, represented by their number x the distance between them across the center of the wheel, for example 5×114.3.
The bolt pattern is specific to a vehicle and can’t be changed. It has to be the exact same pattern on the wheel. However, some wheels are universal and can be installed on various bolt patterns and vehicles.
How To Find Your Tire Size
Watch this short video to find which tires fit your car or truck
You might have a lot of questions when it comes to replacing your tires. With measurements, performance types, and load capacities, theres a lot you might feel you need to think about.
The truth is there arent a lot of factors to worry about, but there are just a few important things you need to consider.
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Determining The Size Appropriate For Your Tires
A common question we hear is that, What size rims and tires will fit on my car?
Tires are being segregated by size using a 3-number code. An example would be 225/55/16. This means that the width of the tires is 255 millimeters, the width to height ratio is 55, and an inner diameter of 16.
The standing height or the external diameter of the wheel is measured by how much sidewall the wheel has. To make the aspect height and the external diameter the same as you increase the rim size, you have to lose an inch in the external diameter. A little bit of math is required to get the proper size.
To get the external diameter, you must multiply by 2 the wheels aspect ratio and add the inner diameter of the car. After which, you should convert millimeters to inches. The standing height, in this case, will be 25.7 inches. After getting the external diameter of the old wheel, match it with the new and replacement wheel.
Pitch Circle Diameter And Bolt Pattern
This is the most important measurement because getting this wrong means you cannot attach the wheels at all. Measure the distance between each bolt or the diameter of the circle on which they are set. Some wheels may have this measurement printed into their body.
Also, you need to find the bolt pattern by multiplying the number of lug nuts with the distance between them. For example, a 5 x 120 bolt pattern means the wheel has five nuts at 120 mm of distance between each of them.
This bolt pattern is crucial as its fixed for each car. You have to choose wheels that have the same bolt pattern. However, some wheels have a universal design that fits into different bolt patterns.
So, these are the factors that you should be careful when buying new wheels. Especially, the bolt pattern and pitch circle diameter measurements are something you cannot compromise with.
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Affect The Fuel Economy
If you decided to go with the wrong wheel size that required changing the tires to larger ones, you might see a significant effect on the vehicle’s fuel economy. Your car is designed to handle certain tire sizes, and by installing new larger ones, your car has to work harder and, therefore, use more gas. As a result, you’ll see herself visiting the gas station more often than before and spending more money on gas.
How Do You Make Sure Your Brakes Clear Your Wheels
Bigger brakes will make nailing your wheel size even more critical. You can bust out the measuring devices to get the brake dimension info or you can contact the brake manufacturer. Both Wilwood and Baer offer schematics of all their brake kits to help make your life easier. Forwarding this info to a company, such as Forgeline, is also a great idea.
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What Rims Fit My Car
If youre looking to buy some standard factory wheels for your car, getting the information on what size of rims you need is relatively easy. You can head over to your tire dealer and inquire about it, check the sticker plate thats in your vehicle, or do some search online for based on the make and model. If, however, youre looking to fit some custom rims, youll need to take some measurements. This is especially if you want to go for a larger fitment.
Youll need three of them the diameter and width of your current wheels, the offset, and the bolt pattern. To measure the diameter, youll have to get the distance from one side of the face of the wheel to the other. The measuring tape or device you use should pass through the middle. The number will typically fall anywhere between 15 and 17 inches. You can choose to go for a bigger size than that of your factory wheels, but remember to also pick lower profile tires while at it. Your wheels could be up to 12 inches wide.
Lastly, the bolt pattern represents the number of lug holes on your wheels and the distance between one hole and the one sitting directly opposite. For example, a bolt pattern of 5×135 mm means that there are 5 lug holes and each hole sits 135 mm away from the other.
Which Rim Size Is Best For My Vehicle
You can find out which rim size is permitted for your vehicle using the operating instructions for your vehicle. You can also request the document from the manufacturer. You will also find the necessary information here. If you would like to use a certain size of the rims, you should find out beforehand either from the manufacturer or from a specialist dealer whether this size is also permissible for your car.
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One Wheel Isn’t Necessarily Like Another
When you look at the wheels on cars, they all seem to be pretty much the same. Of course, their looks differ, and that’s one of the reasons you are considering changing to new wheels in the first place. But different appearance is just the start of it. Wheels have a variety of characteristics based on what they are designed to do and the vehicles on which they are designed to be fitted. They are anything but one-size-fits-all proposition.
Instead, they come in a massive array of different styles, sizes, bolt patterns, and offsets. You need to understand these variations to figure out which wheels will fit your vehicle.
Let’s take a look at the construction of a typical aluminum alloy wheel. It has a hub, spokes, and a rim. The hub is the center portion of the wheel that attaches to the suspension. The wheel’s spokes radiate out from the hub and attach to the rim. The rim is the circular outer part of the wheel onto which the tire is attached. Some wheels, including the simple steel wheels that are standard equipment on lower-priced cars, don’t have spokes. Instead, the wheel is essentially a single piece from the hub to the rim.
So How Much Bigger Alloy Wheels Can I Fit How Much Smaller Alloy Wheels Can I Fit
When fitting new wheels, more often than not, theyll usually be a different size. Here you can check below for potential alloy wheel or tyre fouling on suspension or arches/fenders.
The Alloy Wheel Fitment Guide tool below will let you see how much larger or smaller you can go without causing problems. Different size wheels can affect speedo reading, as well as overall gearing, so check your rolling radius below using the calculator.
Find your ideal tyre size using the Tyre and Alloy Wheel Fitment Guide calculator below to keep rolling radius similar. You could also use it to lower or raise the gearing of the car depending on what you want from the car. As mentioned before, lower gearing for faster acceleration, or higher gearing for fuel economy or more relaxed motorway journeys. Take note your speedo may need recalibrating if it becomes very inaccurate.
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The Pattern Of Your Vehicles Bolts
Every wheel is unique regarding the bolt pattern when selecting a wheel from different people to be swapped with your car loan calculation, same bolt numbers and the same bolt spacing.
In general, the market should have either 4, 5, 6, or 8 bolt patterns. Keep in mind that having the right number of wheels does not mean that the new we all fit properly. You also need to consider the spacing between these bolts.
Every wheel should have a 2-number identification key car you should be looking for. The first number represents the number of bolts in the wheel, and the second number represents the spacing between the wheels.
Some dual wheels have two different sets of bolts that you need to keep an eye for and understand how there’s spaced.
How To Clean Car Rims
The best way to clean your rims is to first spray them with a high-pressure washer. This helps to remove debris, dust, mud, grit and other unwanted particles. You also get to save time since you will not need to scrub the wheels too much. The next step is to spray some wheel cleaner on the wheels. Most people tend to use dish soap. Its cheap, it does the job, and helps to degrease the surface. For better results, however, its best to go for something that isnt acidic.
Acid tends to ruin the clear coat that gives your rims their shine and protects them from rust. A good wheel cleaner is one that is PH neutral. Once youve sprayed enough cleaner, scrub the metal surface with a sponge or rug. This will help remove any stubborn stains and grease. To reach the interior, use a toothbrush. You can alternatively opt for a long and gentle brush with non-abrasive bristles. Avoid using tire brushes to scrub your wheels. The last step is to rinse your wheels down starting from the top.
You can use fresh water to remove all the soap. Once done, dry them with a soft and clean towel. A microfiber cloth works best as it ensures no watermarks are left on the wheels.
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How Complicated Is It
Honestly, it’s not that complicated… and to facilitate the process, you can use our vehicle selector! Simply enter the required information on your vehicle with this data, a selection is made through our huge products catalog to show you only the wheels that fit your vehicle. Then, all you have to do is to pick the style and color that you prefer!
