Wheel rims require exact model match

This is the time when online buy-and-sell websites are overflowing with used winter tire and rim packages. They can represent real deals, often coming in at less than half the price of new tires, and they offer great opportunities for drivers to stay safe on winter roads without breaking the bank. But all that glitters is not gold, and wheels have multiple specifications that have to match the vehicle's needs exactly to be used safely.

First, let's dispel some myths. There's no broad interchangeability between most makes and models of vehicles when it comes to wheels. Yes, you might get lucky and get a match, but Ford rims don't go on Toyotas and Jeep rims don't fit Land Rovers, for example. Unless you know for certain that the set of black steel rims fitted with Michelin snows you're looking at came off (and was correct for) the same year, make, and model as your vehicle, you might be wasting your time and money.

Wheel rims have a series of specifications, including centre-hole size, wheel bolt hole size, outer diameter, wheel bolt circle size, and offset. Offset refers to how far off centre the rim's bolt plate (the large vertical plate of the wheel) is in relation to the rim's depth.

So for a typical 2018 Honda Civic, for example, the centre hole is 64.1 mm, the wheel bolt holes are 19 mm, the rim diameter is 16 inches, the wheel bolts form a circle with a 114.3 mm diameter, and the offset is +45. All of these specs have to be matched to safely bolt the rim to the hub, and the chances that another make or model is identical in all respects are minimal.

The crucial fit that's easy to miss when trying on some used tires and rims is the centre hole. This is where all the weight of the vehicle is supported, not on the wheel studs or bolts. If you pick something with a slightly larger hole size you'll stress the wheel studs. If you pick a smaller size, the rim won't fully seat on the vehicle's wheel hubs.

Unless you're handy with a caliper-type measuring device, have access to one, and know all of your vehicle wheel specs, it's almost impossible to tell from a visual check if the rims you're looking at will fit.

It basically boils down to trust when you're shopping for used wheels from private sellers. If you know the seller and/or believe them when they tell you those rims came off of a 2018

Civic (for example), you may be OK. If not, you may be the next one to post a set of winter tires and rims for sale.