Wheel Data

Can anyone explain me all the data you get when someone says something about tires and wheels?

i.e.

275/35ZR18 TIRES
5x114.3 WHEELS?

Thanks!

275 would be the contact patch width. 35 is the % of the width which makes the height of the tire sidewall. Z is a speed rating. R is the type of tire, 18 is the radius of the rim you need to put on.

5x114.3, is the bolt pattern, in this case, 5 holes on a circle of 114.3 diameter from the center of the wheel.

Best thing to do.... head on over to http://www.tirerack.com/about/techcenter.html and read up!

edit: here's a nice pic that describes this in a bit more detail:

good explanation Daso:bigup:

One other thing about wheels. Even if some wheels are the right bolt pattern for a particular car, that doesn't necessarily mean they will fit properly. Offsets play a big role as well.(offset is how many millimeters the wheel is off the hub. For example, a 17 inch wheel with a bolt pattern of 5x114.3 and an offset of 42mm will definitely fit properly on a last generation Honda Prelude, but will not fit properly on a Honda S2000 even though they have the same bolt pattern. Basicaly, if you don't have the proper offset, your wheels will be rubbing all the time and do damage to the car.

here's a pic to clarify what Shane is talking about.