Hi.
TLDR:
Does the center point of my aftermarket wheel have to be in the same position as the center point of the stock wheel?
Long:
I purchased a set of 16"x7" (.5" wider than stock) +40mm offset wheels that are lightweight. The inside of the wheel is going to be .4" closer to the suspension assembly, and the outside of the wheel will remain in the same position as my stock steel wheels (assuming +35mm offset). This is according to the online wheel offset calculator on the tiresize website. If I put a 5mm spacer in with my new wheels (essentially making them +35mm offset instead of +40mm offset), this would cause the inside of the wheel to be .2" closer to the suspension, and the outside of the wheel to be .2" farther out (closer to the fender). That essentially places the center of the wheel on the same plane as the original steel wheels, right? Is that what I want with aftermarket wheels, in order to keep the steering geometry the same?
I have read everywhere that offset is very important for the handling of a vehicle, and having incorrect offset can adversely affect the handling, but none of these places mention what is important about it and why.. Is it simply getting it to clear other objects in the fender well that is important? Is it keeping the center of any wheel in the same plane as stock? What exactly is so important about offset?
TLDR:
Does the center point of my aftermarket wheel have to be in the same position as the center point of the stock wheel?
Long:
I purchased a set of 16"x7" (.5" wider than stock) +40mm offset wheels that are lightweight. The inside of the wheel is going to be .4" closer to the suspension assembly, and the outside of the wheel will remain in the same position as my stock steel wheels (assuming +35mm offset). This is according to the online wheel offset calculator on the tiresize website. If I put a 5mm spacer in with my new wheels (essentially making them +35mm offset instead of +40mm offset), this would cause the inside of the wheel to be .2" closer to the suspension, and the outside of the wheel to be .2" farther out (closer to the fender). That essentially places the center of the wheel on the same plane as the original steel wheels, right? Is that what I want with aftermarket wheels, in order to keep the steering geometry the same?
I have read everywhere that offset is very important for the handling of a vehicle, and having incorrect offset can adversely affect the handling, but none of these places mention what is important about it and why.. Is it simply getting it to clear other objects in the fender well that is important? Is it keeping the center of any wheel in the same plane as stock? What exactly is so important about offset?
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