Wheels & Tyres  
Buying wheels and tyres
First it's time to find our way around the wheel buying maze. Fitting wheels and tyres is one of the first mods we do to our motors. They can be the difference between a shopping-mobile and cruiseworthy street machine. But before you splash your wonga, it's important to what you're talking about. Here's the jargon explained...

Offset
Offset is defined as the distance between the dead centre of the wheel and the mouting hub - the part of the wheel that attaches to the car's hub. Choosing a set of rims with the correct offset is essential. An incorrect offset can bring the wheel into contact with the brake caliper, arch and suspension - not nice! To keep you on the right track, the most Pugs around are running a ET value of 16

Tyre size
As with offset, choosing the correct tyre size is crucial. Too many people concentrate on picking a pukka set of rims and forget to pick the proper size of rubbers.

Jargon busters
The information displayed on a tyrewall can easily confuse. Below is a diagram, explaining those numbers and letters.
 
(A)
(B)

(C)
(D)
(E)
(F)		 Tyre width (mm)
Aspect ration. The height of the tyrewall as a percentage of the width
Construction type. R = radial
Diameter of rim (mm)
Load index (lbs)
Speed rating symbol (mph)
Tough terms explained

Split-rim A wheel that is split into sections. They usually comprise of three pieces - spoked centre section, inner and outer rim halves. But beware of imitations - they have riveted rims and an expensive price tag, but are simple one-piece jobs.
 
Deep-dish A wheel with recessed internals. Deep-dish rims are put to best use on wide-arch French hatches and retro-look Euro's cars.
 
PCD Pitch Circle Diameter. On a four stud pattern, this is the distance from the centre of one wheel stud to the centre of the opposite stud (in mm). On a five stud pattern, the PCD is measured from the centre of one wheel stud, to the middle of the opposite two studs. The correct PCD is essential to ensure an accurate hub fitment.
 

Buy right
Wheel / tyre packages are one of the best ways to buy rims and rubbers. These packages usually cost less than buying both individually, but there are a few things to beware of: - Check the make and model of tyre. Some companies use these packages as a vehicle to sell old stock.
- Check the tyre size is to your requirements, High-profile tyres on big rims look well naff.

Tyre brands & sub-brands
The table on the right shows the different sub-brands that the big tyre brands own.

What the MoT say
As long as the wheels and tyres don't foul the brakes, suspension and arches, there's no problem. Fitting big wheels and tyres without rolling the arches is a bad idea. The odd bit of scrubbage is okay, but excessive wear can mean a big boot in the balls from the MoT crew. 		 
Main brand Sub brand(s)
Bridgestone Dayton, Firestone, Firsstop
Continental Barum, Gislaved, Mabor, Semperit,
Uniroyal, Us General brand, Viking
Dunlop India, Pneumant
Goodyear Debica, Fulda, Kelly, Lee, Sava
Michelin BF Goodrich, Kleber, Riken
Pirelli Ceat, Courier
Vredestein Maloya