I am finally just about ready to get new rims, tires, and a leveling kit put on the front of my ram....just some last final questions, and thanks to everyone who has helped so far.

I am looking at rims and they have a backspace listed, some 4in. some 4.5in.....what exactly does that determine, how far the rim will stick out from the truck? If so is it the higher the number the more it sticks out? Cause what I'm after is having the new tires and rims stick out more than whats there, but not past the fender flares, cause then whats the point of having them? But I atleast want them to meet the fender or perhaps slightly past it. Also whats the backspacing on the stock 16x7 rims, just curious as to see how much more I want them to stick out before deciding on particular ones. Thanks everybody.


Greg

 

take the wheel/tire off the truck and lay it down flat, inside edge up. lay a straight edge across the rim (not the tire), and measure to the center of the wheel. that distance is the backspace. so the larger the number, the deeper the wheel goes into the wheel well. as to whether it "sticks out" more or less, that depends on the wheel width. assuming the same width, the smaller backspace number would stick out more.

extreme example - backspace = 1" would stick way out. backspace = 8" would stick way in.

a word of caution. as you move the wheels out, it increases the stress and wear on the wheel bearings. a small amount doesn't hurt much. a large amount will cause your truck to eat those expensive bearings.

 

Back spacing is not how far they stick out, but how far they "stick in".

Measure from the inside mounting surface (where wheel touches drum/rotor) to the inside edge of the rim. You need a straghtedge and ruler.

LESS backspace makes the wheel stick OUT more (for a given wheel width) A wider wheel with more backspace MAY look the same on the outside if the backspace is increased the same amount as the wheel is widened.

MOST "custom" wheels I've seen have shorter backspacing, which makes the wheel stick out.

As I recall, our stock wheels have ~5" back space.




Offset is a little different.

 

Dhvaughan posted as I was writing, and is correct.

Having the correct OFFSET can help.

Linky:
http://www.chevellestuff.com/tech/wheel_offset.htm

 

Do a search for "scrub radius" and read up on it. While many articles are quite technical and may not cover your Dodge, there are certain facts and rules of engineering that should help you pick the proper wheel. Very informative and helpful for those who want to do the job right.

I found a very basic explaination here, and though it's about jeeps, a 2nd gen ram is set up in much the same way.

http://www.aev-conversions.com/produ...el_fitment.php

Here's a very long but exacting article, even discusses off road driving!

http://students.washington.edu/denny...s/STEERAXS.TXT