> I am currently running TR6 steel wheels with Michelin Red lines
> 185/15R on my
> TR4A. Looking for more bite and am shopping for wider alloy wheels from
> other cars.
Seems a bit odd, David, why are you looking at replacing wheels before
trying some decent tires on what you have ? IMO there is a lot of other
suspension work to be done, before going to wider wheels can be of much
benefit. And Michelin redlines, while they may look nice, have all the
traction of wet noodles.
> I know the bolt pattern is 4 x 4 1/2" but what is all of this stuff about
> offsets?
Offset is a measure of where the tire is in relation to the mounting surface
of the wheel. Zero offset means the tire is centered over the mounting
surface. See
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/offset.htm
> Does anyone know what the offset is for TR4A and TR6 wheels?
Sorry, I don't offhand.
> With a wider wheel will I still need the same offset?
There are actually several engineering compromises involved, it's not even
clear what offset is the 'right' offset. So the correct answer is "it
depends". But, if you try to go very much wider, you'll almost certainly
need more negative offset, to keep the tires from rubbing on the suspension.
> Also is the diameter of the 185/15R smaller than the stock TR4A
> tires? I ask
> this because my speedometer seems to run a bit high.
My book says the stock TR4A tire was 165-15, so the 185s should be
substantially taller. Your car may have had the gear ratios inadvertently
changed, or your speedo head may simply read high. They sometimes do that
when they get old.
Randall
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