Hey. I have a question about backspacing for you Americans. As a lot of you know I live in Canada. Most shops here don't measure wheels by "backspacing". Instead it's measured by "offset". Offset is measured like this....If you have an 8" wide rim then 4" in would be nominal or zero offset. If the mating surface of the wheel (called a drumface....I work in a wheel factory) is located in towards the inner rim (inboard rim flange) which would cause the wheel to stick out the sides more it is called a negative offset. If it's located further out towards the face of the wheel (outboard rim flange) causing the rim to sit further under the vehicle, it has a positive offset. I'm looking at ordering some wheels off the internet and everything's in backspacing and I'd like to make sure I have it right. Backspacing is measured from the inner most part of the rim to the mating surface, am I correct? For example a wheel that is 10" wide with a 4" backspace would have the mating surface 4" in from the inner most part of the rim.
The reason I'm asking is because I'm having a hard time finding a 16"x8" wheel (to fit my snow tires) with enough backspacing to stick my wheels far enough out the sides so they don't rub when I turn. Right now I have a 15"x8" wheels with 3 3/4" backspacing. I don't want to scew up on the sizes if I can find anything on the net to order.
The reason I'm asking is because I'm having a hard time finding a 16"x8" wheel (to fit my snow tires) with enough backspacing to stick my wheels far enough out the sides so they don't rub when I turn. Right now I have a 15"x8" wheels with 3 3/4" backspacing. I don't want to scew up on the sizes if I can find anything on the net to order.
