Rim Help...

[83 WB_Ute]

Hi guys, I am looking at getting a set of wheels for the ute.

The ones that I am looking at are 15" x 7" with a PCD of 120.65 and offset of 0.

I have found out that the '0' offset means it has 4" backspace.

I am looking at getting the rear rims widened to 8", and would like to know if the wheel would fit on the rear of my ute with the 4" backspace without going near rubbing???

I have been told that the front rims will fit fine, and not rub. But the rear ones I am unsure... I remember reading somewhere that a guy had wheels on the back of his WB that were 8.5" wide and had a backspace of 5 3/8"... If that helps...

Any help would be appreciated, as I have never had to do this before and have no idea....

[agr071]

What i did on my HG (And will do it to my HZ as well), is to:
Take the rim off
Put a straight piece of wood against the stud face of the axle
Then work out from there what your distance will be between the outer guard lip and the inner guard.

[83 WB_Ute]

What i did on my HG (And will do it to my HZ as well), is to:
Take the rim off
Put a straight piece of wood against the stud face of the axle
Then work out from there what your distance will be between the outer guard lip and the inner guard.

Okay, so if I put a 2" (cause factory wheels are 6") thick piece of wood across the stud face, and then refit the wheel... Then I should be able to tell if it will fit... Is this correct???

[agr071]

No.
Leave the wheel off.
Put the wood up against the stud face so it goes to the top of the inner guard.
Then measure distance "A" backspace and "B" depth.

What i do is measure A + B (say 15") minus width of rim (say 9") that gives me 6" of space.
Allow 3" each side and then i can work out backspace and depth needed.

[83 WB_Ute]

No.
Leave the wheel off.
Put the wood up against the stud face so it goes to the top of the inner guard.
Then measure distance "A" backspace and "B" depth.

What i do is measure A + B (say 15") minus width of rim (say 9") that gives me 6" of space.
Allow 3" each side and then i can work out backspace and depth needed.

Attachment 3571

Ahhh, got ya now... Thanks for explaining it for me... Very helpful...

[83 WB_Ute]

Now my next question is what is the factory offset/backspace for WB utes???

I really need to know this info, as I am thinking about buying these wheels, and don't want to spend a heap of money and the wheels not fit....

[HK1837]

Just measure a tyreless rim with a tape measure.

From memory HJ-HZ Polycast 14x7 rims were 115mm backspace and fit easily even with big tyres like 235/60/14 front and 245/60/14 rear. 7" rims with 100mm (4") backspace fits OK under the rear of a HQ-WB ute/van but will scrape under the front on lowered vehicles with a tyre like a 235/60/14. I doubt 100mm backspace on 8" rims will work perfectly on the back unless you have standard ride height. If I were you I'd run 15x7 front with the same backspace as a Polycast rim with something like a 205/50/15 (120mm backspace may work OK, you'd have to check). Rears you might get away with 15x8 with 120mm backspace with a tyre like a 245/50/15 or similar size but they aren't that common anymore. Wider stuff fits but they can scrape in some circumstances especially on the front. Normally once they scrape on the front they catch the guard lip that attaches it to the inner guard and can tear the tyre.

[83 WB_Ute]

Just measure a tyreless rim with a tape measure.

From memory HJ-HZ Polycast 14x7 rims were 115mm backspace and fit easily even with big tyres like 235/60/14 front and 245/60/14 rear. 7" rims with 100mm (4") backspace fits OK under the rear of a HQ-WB ute/van but will scrape under the front on lowered vehicles with a tyre like a 235/60/14. I doubt 100mm backspace on 8" rims will work perfectly on the back unless you have standard ride height. If I were you I'd run 15x7 front with the same backspace as a Polycast rim with something like a 205/50/15 (120mm backspace may work OK, you'd have to check). Rears you might get away with 15x8 with 120mm backspace with a tyre like a 245/50/15 or similar size but they aren't that common anymore. Wider stuff fits but they can scrape in some circumstances especially on the front. Normally once they scrape on the front they catch the guard lip that attaches it to the inner guard and can tear the tyre.

Okay, thanks for the help. Now next question, can you modify the backspace of the rim????

[HK1837]

Not normally, it is a fixed value. Only with 3 piece rims like Simmons can you muck around with offset, even then you need parts to do it.

[mauser]

I have seen people machine the inside of the alloy (ie US racer Indy type) rim where the hub sits to get a better result. I personally wouldn't recommend this practice as it could significantly weaken the wheel to failure.

Mauser