MICKS TIPS

WHEEL WORLD

ARE YOU t hinking of changing your wheels? What you consider a good qualit y unit sometimes doesn’t work out once you put it on t he car, and it can spoil t he whole project. It’s crit ica l t hat you ta ke a litt le bit of time, look around, get some ideas, plagia rise and pick a wheel t hat’s going to work with what you have in mind.

The other thing people make a mista ke on, truly because most of them don’t understand, is a t hing ca lled backspacing or of fset. You can pick t he correct-look ing wheel, but if you get t he spacing wrong it’s rubbing on t he g uard, steering or suspension components and t hat’s not good.

While there are a huge number of options from overseas sources, t here is a lso a rea lly good choice from Austra lian makers, and t hey will often explain how to set yourself up to measure what you need. A rea lly good example is Ian Splatt, Michelle’s dad, at Drag way in Queensland.

You might a lso want to look at some of t he better established reta ilers such as Wheel Pros, a lso in Queensland. Between them, they have a wealth of information.

When you go to measure, it rea lly is one of t hose situations t hat f its t he old adage “measure t wice and cut once”. When you’re getting a wheel either made or specia lly imported, you want to be ver y sure t hat what you end up with will actua l ly f it.

What you’re look ing for is a few t hings, such as t he clearance from the hub into t he car (backspace), and from the hub out to the guards, both of which will a lso be inf luenced by t he dish on t he front of t he wheel. Keep in mind you’re a lso look ing for clea ra nce t hat a llows for suspension and steering movement.

Drag way for example of fers an online chart t hat you can use as a guide to get your head around what’s required. Wheel Pros Austra lia of fers a select ion based on car make and model. In eit her case, it’s going to be worthwhile hav ing a chat – particularly if you’re look ing at a one-of f set up on a restomod. The fact is t he good ones have a fair bit of experience behind them and will be able to offer adv ice on which way to go to achieve t he ef fect you’re aiming for.

Now something a lot of people forget in a ll t he excitement is t hat t here are a few other components you should be look ing at while you’re on t he case. Shiny new wheels and tyres mean you could well be placing new and even greater loads on components such as wheel bearings and suspension bushes. So don’t forget to give t hem a goingover while you’re at it.