Is it possible to widen the track of my car?
Discussion
Hi, I hate that the alloys of my car are so far under the arches so I intended to buy alloys. But the only options available which would fit are either too ugly or too small diameter. I have found one or two options I like but they would still be far under the arches. I don't like the idea of spacers as they would need to be 30mm or more to push the wheels out at all due to offset. Is there another option?
caelite said:
You can either buy wheels with a lower offset (ET), 20-40 seems to be normal for cars, how low you can go depends entirely on the model and may require some cutting of arches and geometry changes to fit as it changes the wheel scrub of your vehicle.
You can also buy wheel spacers to widen the track of your existing wheels, due to the way these distribute load you may experience increased wheel bearing wear but with smaller (~10-20mm) spacing it shouldn't make a huge difference.
That's where the problem is. The standard wheels are et12. Whilst I can find wider wheels, the much higher offset means they'd end up further into the arch than standard. You can also buy wheel spacers to widen the track of your existing wheels, due to the way these distribute load you may experience increased wheel bearing wear but with smaller (~10-20mm) spacing it shouldn't make a huge difference.
PaulKemp said:
You can fill the arches by buying wider wheels with the same offset
What you have to be aware of is the inside clearance which will be the point at which you should then change the offset to push just the outer rim out
If you buy a wheel that is 20mm wider you will add 10mm either side pushing both the outer rim further out and the inner rim further in for the same offset.
If you buy a 20mm wider wheel and change the offset by 10mm you will push the outer rim out by 20mm.
Now the bit that usually confuses
An ET is usually a minus - and it means the centre line of the wheel is offset towards the inner arch so an ET of 40 is closer to the inner arch than an ET of 20
Using wider wheels will not change the the stress on the suspension or bearings if ET is the same
Moving the ET will make a bigger difference to how much the wheel fills the arch
Using a wider wheel and changing the ET will fill the arch and lessen the perceived strain on components
It is unlikely you will suffer bearing stress and geometry problems unless you fit a massively different offset such as Mk 1,2 Escort which run 0 to +10 ET
spacers are an easy solution used by many for different reasons.
By using spacers you are effectively changing the ET by the thickness of the spacer.
OK, it looks like there is no solution then. The standard offset for my car is et12 but every set of alloys I have liked is et30-40.What you have to be aware of is the inside clearance which will be the point at which you should then change the offset to push just the outer rim out
If you buy a wheel that is 20mm wider you will add 10mm either side pushing both the outer rim further out and the inner rim further in for the same offset.
If you buy a 20mm wider wheel and change the offset by 10mm you will push the outer rim out by 20mm.
Now the bit that usually confuses
An ET is usually a minus - and it means the centre line of the wheel is offset towards the inner arch so an ET of 40 is closer to the inner arch than an ET of 20
Using wider wheels will not change the the stress on the suspension or bearings if ET is the same
Moving the ET will make a bigger difference to how much the wheel fills the arch
Using a wider wheel and changing the ET will fill the arch and lessen the perceived strain on components
It is unlikely you will suffer bearing stress and geometry problems unless you fit a massively different offset such as Mk 1,2 Escort which run 0 to +10 ET
spacers are an easy solution used by many for different reasons.
By using spacers you are effectively changing the ET by the thickness of the spacer.
Sorry I don't know much about cars but I thought there may be an option to fit different hubs or something.
HustleRussell said:
You aren't gonna widen your track, spacers and wheels are your only option. Surely aftermarket wheels with with a lower offset are available?
Aftermarket wheels are either too expensive or tacky looking replicas. I was going to buy some from a different car with the same pcd. caelite said:
You don't want higher offset, you want lower, there are plenty of wheels about at around a 0 or even - 10,there are also some manufacturers which will make a wheel spec of your choice to order (Team Dynamics being one).
As mentioned you will need to adjust your suspension geometry to compensate.
Yeah I understand this, it's just that I can't find any alloys I like which aren't higher offset or ridiculously expensive (£2000+ for a set and I'm hoping to spend 800 max 1000 for a set) 4x108 is a limiting pcd. As mentioned you will need to adjust your suspension geometry to compensate.
GreenV8S said:
That's an extremely common Ford stud pattern and I wouldn't have thought that would be a limiting factor.
Suggest you try driving your car with your proposed outset wheels on before you spend any significant cash, because moving the wheels that far is likely to make driving pretty unpleasant. Usually you'd be concerned about getting the steering axis / contact patch alignment right to within a few millimeters and you're going to completely ruin that geometry.
Yeah it's common on fords but all of their wheels have higher offsets. Suggest you try driving your car with your proposed outset wheels on before you spend any significant cash, because moving the wheels that far is likely to make driving pretty unpleasant. Usually you'd be concerned about getting the steering axis / contact patch alignment right to within a few millimeters and you're going to completely ruin that geometry.
TooMany2cvs said:
One thing nobody's mentioned yet... The offset is deliberately set so that the wheel's forces are passed through the centre of the wheel bearing. If you space out or use different offset wheels, you're changing that, and putting different forces through the bearing. That'll shorten the bearing's life, possibly drastically.
And all for cosmetics.
From what I gathered the closer to original offset you are the less it will impact the bearings? Am I wrong in thinking identical offset on a wider wheel would make no difference? And all for cosmetics.
TooMany2cvs said:
No, you're absolutely right. A 1" wider wheel with the same offset will have 1/2" more on the inside, 1/2" more on the outside.
Do you have enough space on the inside to get the outside face to where you want it, without fouling - especially on full lock?
I haven't actually looked closely yet but a guy online fitted 9" wide wheels on the same car so I suspect so. Do you have enough space on the inside to get the outside face to where you want it, without fouling - especially on full lock?
PhillipM said:
Doubtful - the standard wheels are very close to the inner arches at full lock already - in fact if the arch plastics warp a little they rub as standard.
How have people managed to fit wider wheels before then? I can't imagine that many people have done massive amounts of work to get them to fit. Gassing Station | Suspension, Brakes & Tyres | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff