Wheel specification guide
A useful wheel brief separates what you know from what still needs checking. Record the design, your vehicle and the intended dimensions before deciding on an order. This guide helps you organise that information; it is not an installation instruction or confirmation that a wheel is suitable for a vehicle.
Start with the vehicle and intended use
Record the year, make, model, trim and market version. Note any changes to the brakes, suspension or hubs, and describe the intended use. Keep front and rear requirements separate if the vehicle uses different wheel or tyre sizes.
Use vehicle documentation, legible wheel markings and information from a qualified wheel installer. If a value is missing or conflicting, write “unknown” and include the document or photograph that needs clarification. Do not fill a gap by copying a similar-looking vehicle’s setup.
Record the dimensions without mixing them up
- Diameter and width
- Record both dimensions, their units and whether they apply to the front or rear. A diameter selection does not specify the width. Also record the intended tyre size so it can be considered with the wheel dimensions.
- Hole count and PCD
- A bolt pattern combines the number of mounting holes with the diameter of their circle. For example, 5 × 114.3 means five holes on a 114.3 mm circle; this is an explanation of the notation, not a recommendation for your car. See Tire Rack’s bolt-pattern explanation.
- Offset, often marked ET
- Offset describes the position of the mounting face relative to the wheel’s centreline, in millimetres. Preserve any plus or minus sign. Width and offset need to be considered together, as explained in Tire Rack’s offset guide.
- Centre bore, or CB
- Record the centre opening dimension in millimetres and the vehicle’s hub information. It is separate from PCD. Tire Rack explains the role of the centre bore.
These numbers alone are not a complete compatibility check. Brake and suspension clearance, load capacity and the correct mounting hardware also matter. This distinction is described in Tire Rack’s vehicle-specific wheel-selection guidance. Do not treat a matching diameter or hole count as approval to install.
Separate a product option from a manufacturing reference
On WheelVexa, the options beside the price describe the available product selections. Additional description tables may contain broader custom-size, PCD or offset references. Those references do not assign every listed value to every selectable combination. Where a product records conflicting information, keep the conflict open until the exact specification is established.
Record the product name or SKU and the selected options. Photograph colour, lighting and the shape of the visible face can differ from a selected finish or drilling layout. State the desired centre, lip and hardware appearance in words, and keep any product-specific finish note with the brief.
Copy this checklist into your brief
- WheelVexa product name or SKU and selected options
- Vehicle year, make, model, trim and market version
- Brake, suspension or hub changes; intended use
- Front: diameter, width, hole count and PCD, offset, centre bore, tyre size
- Rear: the same information, or explicitly “same as front”
- Desired finish and any construction questions
- Quantity of individual wheels and destination country/postcode
- Supporting markings, drawings or documents, plus a list of unknown values
Product prices are shown per wheel, so make the requested quantity explicit. Keep any required date separate from manufacturing lead-time references: a production estimate is not an arrival date. Before committing, establish the final specification, quantity and the applicable order, delivery and after-sales terms.
You can start by comparing the wheel designs. This page does not send a request or confirm an order.
Compare wheel width and offset
A wider wheel can take up space on both sides of the mounting face. Offset changes that position again. Enter the current and proposed widths and offsets to compare the nominal inner and outer positions. The calculation runs in your browser and does not submit these values.
How the comparison is calculated
Width change in millimetres is (new width − current width) × 25.4. Half of that change is applied to each side. The inner-position change is half the width change + (new offset − current offset). The outer-position change is half the width change − (new offset − current offset).
For example, changing from 8 inches ET40 to 9 inches ET35 adds 25.4 mm of nominal width. The inner position moves 7.7 mm inward; the outer position moves 17.7 mm outward. These are calculated differences, not measured clearances. Actual rim-flange dimensions and tire profiles may differ. The tool does not check PCD, center bore, load capacity, brake clearance, suspension travel, steering movement or bodywork.
Record the signed offset from the wheel specification. For the definition and direction of positive and negative offset, see Tire Rack’s offset reference. Ask a qualified wheel specialist to establish the complete fitment for the exact vehicle and wheel.
Save a front and rear specification brief
Download the blank front/rear wheel specification brief (.txt). Fill it in locally and keep completed copies private.
Use separate front and rear entries, include the product SKU, and retain the drawing or document behind each measurement. A photo of a five-hole wheel does not establish its PCD. A catalogue diameter option does not establish its width or load capacity.
Compare construction and actual options
Read the one-piece, two-piece and three-piece wheel comparison for the assembly differences and eight examples from the current WheelVexa catalogue. Exact selectable options are shown separately from manufacturing references.
