Wheel offset question

[Peterk]

I haven't been on this forum for a while but I have a question. My steering wheel wobbles when I am on the highway. I have a feeling that my wheels are bent as , when I had Sullivan Tire here in ma. rotate my tires the chrome on the wheel spokes was all cracked so I think they bent the rims trying to get them off. ( is there anything I can do to prevent the sticking?) I had the tires rebalanced too elsewhere but that changed nothing. I have been looking for replacement aftermarket ones but they have a 40 mm offset not the 30mm recommended. Would they be okay ? It was winter when i had them rotated so I didn't notice it until Spring when I hand washed it. Boy, was I pissed off. Too late to go back and complain. Other than this and getting the upper ball joint replaced, the car still runs smooth at 107k miles.

 

[unity]

I doubt the rim is bent. They would have very much noticed balancing it. And it would be pretty dang hard to bend a rim just swapping tires. Odd are you have some worn front end components. If in doubt, move the questioned wheel to the rear and see if the wobble changes.

As for offset. You ideally want proper off-set to avoid rubbing, handling issues, etc. Spacers can be used, but 9-11 mm spacers are known to fail because of the way they are designed. Not enough metal between the two offsets. PLENTY of companies produce the correct offset wheels though.

 

[Peterk]

Thanks, I'll try a rotation and double check the steering components. Hitting a bump or rough patch doesn't cause any steering wheel wobble just after 60 mph.

 

[unity]

You would be surprised what worn components can do at certain speeds. My 7 series BMW has a well-known wobble issue at 55mph. Its a sign of upper arms going out. When people post about it, the first question is about when or if the arms were replaced.


Also, check out this place. I am sure there are lots of options out there, but when I had my Mark I bought rims from these guys. I was really happy and the price was great.
JK Motorsports: Custom Dually & Semi Wheels

 

[91 LSC SE]

I haven't been on this forum for a while but I have a question. My steering wheel wobbles when I am on the highway. I have a feeling that my wheels are bent as , when I had Sullivan Tire here in ma. rotate my tires the chrome on the wheel spokes was all cracked so I think they bent the rims trying to get them off. ( is there anything I can do to prevent the sticking?) I had the tires rebalanced too elsewhere but that changed nothing. I have been looking for replacement aftermarket ones but they have a 40 mm offset not the 30mm recommended. Would they be okay ? It was winter when i had them rotated so I didn't notice it until Spring when I hand washed it. Boy, was I pissed off. Too late to go back and complain. Other than this and getting the upper ball joint replaced, the car still runs smooth at 107k miles.

I believe the M8 stock ET (offset) is 37mm. Consider backspacing and the width of the rim as well. If I recall, the wider the rim 8 or 9 inch the less ET. So 37mm on hte stock 7 inch rim but 30mm on a 9 inch wide rim. People let me know if I have this backwards. On 3 hours of sleep from a long and crappy work week

 

[unity]

Correct. The wider the rim, the lower the offset number to push the rim towards the hub and thus the tire outwards. Some vehicles even have negative offsets. Here is a nice way to compare.
Custom rims, wheel tire packages

 

[chris2523]

offset depends on width.
skinnier wheel has more room to play.
for a 9" wheel. 30-36 is fine.
for a 10" rear wheel, 40-45 is what you want.