wheels offset

[liveaxle]

Hi all wonder if someone can help. I am currently restoring a set of 13 inch Madin split rims 7 inch rears 6 inch fronts. The offsets are different than the originals. With these rims the car is going to be wider which I think looks better. But how would it effect the car?

Liveaxle

[Canuck7]

Wider offset means more leverage on bearings. So bearings may wear faster - not that we have to worry about a lot of weight and wear, anyway.
There is also slight changes to suspension dynamics, but I would think that's only a technical concern, and not enough change to worry about, unless you're looking for doing some hill climb record.
Things like front end geometry may need to be adjusted, more flex during braking with the offset being further out. Things like roll-centre may change a touch, too.
I think the big issues are rubbing tires on body work, bearing wear, and some slight shifts to required alignment to get performance back to where it was. At least within a reasonable change of maybe 1/2 inch in offset.
Considering the different width of tires on the various caterham models, without much change to the car's design/setup, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

[liveaxle]

Thanks for your reply, I am going to sort out the tyre rubbing issue on the front, plenty of space at the back.
On the up side the car should grip more in corners, no?

[DCL]

If it was that simple to improve the handling, we'd all be doing it. The kingpin inclination favors a particular offset and moving away from that will change the geometry. I suspect the steering and braking would move to a less stable feel. That said, if the difference is small, then you might not even notice.

[radical78]

it improves the handling front wheel bearings wareout quicker. keep checking the rear wheel nuts are tight