What You Need to Know When Buying Your Next Set of Rims

In the market for a new set of OEM wheels or rims for your ride? You might think that all you need to know is what kind of vehicle you drive. While this is kind of true, there are a number of other things you may need to take into account when purchasing your next wheel set for your car, truck, or SUV. That’s what we are here for. At Hubcap Haven Auto Wheel and Trim, we know all there is to know about your OEM rims and wheels and can help you learn what you need to know to make the best purchase (from us of course) that you can.   

 

What You Need to Know, or Should Consider, Before Buying Wheels or Rims

While looks and aesthetics are most important when buying rims or wheels for your car, truck, or SUV, there are other important aspect. Here are five things you need to know or should know before you purchase your next set of rims for your ride. 

 

  • Design and Finish. – When replacing a bad or damaged wheel, design and wheel finish are by far the most important.  Before anything, ensure the replacement rim you intend to purchase looks exactly like the other wheels currently on your vehicle.  When purchasing a full set of wheels, aesthetics, design and finish are important as well but other factors need to be considered to ensure your wheels are compatible with your year, make and model.

 

  • What’s Your Wheel Size? – So many people have no idea what size wheel they have on their vehicle. Well, once we tell you how to figure it out, you will realize it was staring you in the face the whole time… literally. When you look at the tire that is on your vehicle, the tire has a series of numbers. In that series there is a section of it that has an R. The number after the R is the size of your wheel.  An R16 means you have 16 inch rims, an R20 means you have 20 inch rims. 

 

  • What’s Your Offset? –  This refers to where your mounting surface (the middle part of the wheel where the lug nut holes are) is in relation to the centerline of the rim itself. Offset is stamped on the back of the rim, along with a number of other markings including rim width. If you can’t find your offset on the back of the rim, here is a great guide on how to easily determine the offset of your rim. Note; You can have either a positive offset (the wheel is farther out from the mounting surface) a zero offset (The mounting surface is in line with the center of the rim), or a negative offset (the mounting surface is closer to the outer edge of the wheel). 

  

  • What’s Your Bolt Pattern? – Your bolt pattern is a set of numbers. The first number is how many lugnuts you have, and the second number is the diameter of the that pattern. Imagine a circle going from lug to lug, and the second number is the diameter of that circle. Not sure what your bolt pattern is outside of the number of lug nuts you have? Here is a guide to bolt pattern measurements.  

 

  • What’s Your Wheels Indent Number? – You can find this by looking at the backside of the wheel. What is an indent you ask? That’s easy. Your wheel indents are numbers that have been stamped into it at the manufacturer. Now, this number may differ from the actual OEM part number, but our site is awesome and you can use that number to search our site for the exact wheel or rim you need… You’re welcome. 

Now You Know, But What’s Next? 

Your next step is to purchase your set of OEM wheels or rims from Hubcap Haven Auto Wheel and Trim. We have an enormous selection of vehicle rims to choose from. And… we can find almost any wheel you might need. We have an unbeatable supplier network that locate what you need, and get it to you fast. Now that you’re in the know about about buying your next set of rims, it’s time to get them. There is no better place to do that than Hubcap Haven.