Help on choosing the correct wheel offset for next wheels

i know this has been covered a million times and one BUT
i still dont understand LOL well i understand the math behind it but not when it comes to knowing which wheel i should go for next.

I want some wheels that fit in my arches like my P slots or very similar.
these are 14x7's i think



These are my copy BBS's Ive got but there the complete wrong Offset for me. they hit on my arches sometimes.
these are 15x7's i think ( currently trying to sell) 

so what offset should i be looking at?

thanks for the help guys!

standard P-slots are 14 x 6 ET38… 15 x 7 ET33 would most probably be close to what you want if that's the required wheel size without hitting arches and sitting similar to the p-slot in the arches…

best to google and see what's out there.

Pangzi said

standard P-slots are 14 x 6 ET38… 15 x 7 ET33 would most probably be close to what you want if that's the required wheel size without hitting arches and sitting similar to the p-slot in the arches…

best to google and see what's out there.

what if its another 14" that I'm putting on? what do i google though? Theres a chap thats offering some RA's for swaps with some cash.

just want to make sure im making the right decision instead of waiting for them to sell and buy something different like ATS cups etc

It's not the wheels that hit the arches it'll be the tyres.

What tyres are you running? You also need to know exactly what the wheel width is and the offset (ET) as the two combined will tell how close to the arches the tyres come.

Are you sure it's the arches that are catching and not the tyres catching the coil spring cup on the bottom of the strut?

If you can confirm he dimensions we should be able to help you out. What's the sizes and ET of the BBS RA's?

If the BBS RA's are 14's then I believe the ET is the same as VW standard for alloy wheels as they were often offered as an option on Golfs.

Swap to 175/50 tyres and your current wheels will clear no problem.

185/55 would likely be fine too if you wanted a bit of sidewall comfort.

borednow said

It's not the wheels that hit the arches it'll be the tyres.

What tyres are you running? You also need to know exactly what the wheel width is and the offset (ET) as the two combined will tell how close to the arches the tyres come.

Are you sure it's the arches that are catching and not the tyres catching the coil spring cup on the bottom of the strut?

If you can confirm he dimensions we should be able to help you out. What's the sizes and ET of the BBS RA's?

If the BBS RA's are 14's then I believe the ET is the same as VW standard for alloy wheels as they were often offered as an option on Golfs.

well you know what i mean lol but the offset is wrong so the tyre is directly beneath the arch not inside.
no too sure what size tyre they are but there smaller than what were on there which made a good difference

the car is no where near low enough to be hitting the coils
dont know what et they are but they are 14's (as you said lol) so they would be inside the arch?

great help! thankyou ill grab the et of mine

Mate your original question was what ET it was you needed to get wheels that sat like your p-slots… for a standard VW 14 x 6 it's ET38… for a 15 x 7 it's ET33.  If your suspension set-up is pretty much standard then that's all you need to worry about and fitting standard tyres to match unless you want to go with something slightly stretched but standard is way more comfortable.

The problem here is your not coming back with definitive answers to what the guys that are trying to help you are asking… tyres, present ET etc… answer that and all will be perfectly clear.

jayc said

Swap to 175/50 tyres and your current wheels will clear no problem.

185/55 would likely be fine too if you wanted a bit of sidewall comfort.

i did swap down the tyres but i will have a look in a bit what they are.
the wheels, are literally as wide as the arches inline, so the wheels do not clear at all

The wheels don't need to clear as they are not hitting the bodywork the tyre is. Narrower tyres will stop your problem assuming you want to keep the current BBS reps.

I'm gonna go with an educated guess that your current setup is 7x15 with et20 and running 195/50/15.

If you're looking to sell these wheels and plan on some oe spec wheels then you won't have any issues.

jayc said

The wheels don't need to clear as they are not hitting the bodywork the tyre is. Narrower tyres will stop your problem assuming you want to keep the current BBS reps.

I'm gonna go with an educated guess that your current setup is 7x15 with et20 and running 195/50/15.

If you're looking to sell these wheels and plan on some oe spec wheels then you won't have any issues.

ok, so for example my p slots looking side on you cannot see the top of the wheels they are hidden. if my 'bbs's' were on at that height, the car would be on the wheels if there were no tires on for example.

my question is, is et 45 or et 20 a wider offset?

The lower the number the more the wheel sticks out. Most BBS reps are et20 so these would stick out 25mm more than et45.

jayc said

The lower the number the more the wheel sticks out. Most BBS reps are et20 so these would stick out 25mm more than et45.

right got it, i think it says ET 25 but cant be sure?
the tires are a wopping 195/50/15! lol



the offset is too much i think though as on any kind of  bump or dip they rub, but at a much higher ride to what is now.

5mm out with my guess.

Do you want to go back to oe spec wheels or do you want the after market look of the bbs reps?

Alloy Wheel and Tyre Fitment Calculator. Offset, Tyre Stretch and Speedo Error | Will They Fit

might be of some help?

Just put some 165/50s NS2s on the reps, only 30 odd quid from Mytyres.

But if you like the "tucked" look then as said look for some narrower wheels or wheels with a greater ET.

Max

jayc said

5mm out with my guess.

Do you want to go back to oe spec wheels or do you want the after market look of the bbs reps?

what is oe? factory standard?
i just want to be able to lower the car and not be riding on the tyres against the arch, like p-slots are atm, which they are normal tyres on so there technically holding me back lol

thanks for the help

ned_h said

Alloy Wheel and Tyre Fitment Calculator. Offset, Tyre Stretch and Speedo Error | Will They Fit

might be of some help?

oo this looks fun, im a go have a play thanks mate

MaxVW said

Just put some 165/50s NS2s on the reps, only 30 odd quid from Mytyres.

But if you like the "tucked" look then as said look for some narrower wheels or wheels with a greater ET.

Max

thats it 'tucked' just lower and no scrub, just makes sense! lol essentially if mine were 6" wide they would probably clear.

thanks Max having a look on ebay

MaxVW said

Just put some 165/50s NS2s on the reps, only 30 odd quid from Mytyres.

But if you like the "tucked" look then as said look for some narrower wheels or wheels with a greater ET.

Max

ned_h said

Alloy Wheel and Tyre Fitment Calculator. Offset, Tyre Stretch and Speedo Error | Will They Fit

might be of some help?

jayc said

5mm out with my guess.

Do you want to go back to oe spec wheels or do you want the after market look of the bbs reps?

which offset is or wheel for the golf is bet known to have a 'tucked' look?

thanks again

Et30 and above on 6j and 7j I'd say