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On 17 Apr 2003 at 12:39, Lefse4th@aol.com wrote: > Could you please explain/define all the terms associated with wheels (rims)? I > suppose I need to understand offset, backspacing and other terms, etc. > > I want to understand how to check aftermarket wheels to determine if they'll fit > my Type III. How do I take measurements? Diameter is the diameter of the wheel where the bead of the tire rests. This is also the smallest diameter part of the tire. Stock type 3 wheels are 15" diameter. Width is the width, measured on the inside, between the vertical walls that constrain the 2 tire beads. Stock type 3 wheels are 4.5" wide. Offset is the distance that the mounting plane of the wheel to the hub on the car deviates from the midline of the rim. Stock type 3 wheels have 46mm offset. Backset is another way of measuring offset except that it is measured from the mounting surface to the inside bead seating face. IOW, backset = offset + (half the width.) Our stock wheels would have a backset of about 4". You're not likely to find aftermarket wheels with the same dimensions as our original wheels, but you can find something (Beetle wheels have less offset) that is fairly close. -- ******************************* Jim Adney, jadney@vwtype3.org Madison, Wisconsin, USA ******************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------- List info at http://www.vwtype3.org/list | mailto:gregm@vwtype3.org