It may seem obvious, but a wheel is comprised of a hub, spokes and rim. These parts work together to create the wheel. The hub is the center portion of the wheel and is what attaches the wheel to the suspension. The spokes radiate out from the hub and attach to the rim. The rim is the outer part of the wheel that holds the tire. While many people refer to wheels as "rims," this is technically incorrect.
Wheels come in all different styles, sizes, bolt patterns and offsets. So how do we know which wheels will fit your vehicle? We can only do this by first knowing your vehicle inside and out. Measuring your vehicle's critical components with sophisticated electronic tools allows our fitment engineers to create extremely accurate drawings of these parts. We do the same for the wheels that we offer and then use Computer Aided Design (CAD) programs to match the wheels to the vehicles. Using these electronic tools we verify numerous different critical areas before a wheel can be listed for a vehicle.
Items We Measure Or Verify In The Upgrade Garage®
Bolt Pattern - Not as simple as 4-lug vs. 5-lug. There are currently 17 different 4- to 5-lug bolt patterns as well as 6- to 8-lug for light truck/SUV.
Centerbore - The wheel must, in most cases, fit the hub of the vehicle precisely, either as a direct fit or with the use of a centering ring.
Hub Interference - Many vehicles have additional items on the mounting surface area that must be considered for wheel applications, these include locating pins and rotor mounting hardware.
Load Capacity - The wheel must have enough load capacity when compared to the gross axle weight rating of the vehicle.
Lug Hardware - By either supplying lug hardware or using the Original Equipment hardware the wheel must be securely fastened to the vehicle.
Suspension Components - The wheel must clear and not interfere with any of the suspension components and their operation on the vehicle.
Proper fitment engineering allows Tire Rack to offer Tire & Wheel Packages that are specifically designed for your vehicle. Our attention to detail prevents vibration, wheel/tire interference and unbalanced handling that can result from improperly designed packages.
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