Mostly, wheel adapters would create the necessary distance on the inner portion of the wheel for the clearance issues of wheel rims, big brakes, tie rods and other suspension components. If you plan to keep your current wheels and increase the offset of your car for enhancing the handling performance or exterior looks, then wheel adapters will be your ideal choice. In addition, wheel adapters can change the bolt pattern and center bore to allow you to mount wheels that are not made for your car. If you intend to convert PCD/CB for fitting the wheels, then wheel adapters will be your instant and effective solution. Moreover, a hub-centric wheel adapter can transform a lug-centric wheel (one that centers by fastening the wheel lugs rather than a hub-specific mounting surface) into a hub-centric wheel, reducing the high-speed vibration. Done properly, your modifications will be beneficial.
Converting Bolt Patterns for Aftermarket Wheel Rims
Wheel adapters (often also referred to as PCD adapters or PCD hub adapters) allow you to fit wheels to your vehicle when the PCD doesn’t match. By using the wheel adapters, you can build your own PCD conversion custom specification. For example, the BMW 3 Series G20 uses F30 wheels. The G20 has a 5×112 bolt pattern. By putting a wheel adapter on the BMW G20 that has a 5×112 bolt pattern on the hub side (that will fasten with the matching lug bolts) and the wheel mounting side of the adapter will have matching inner lug nuts on it in a 5×120 bolt pattern. This allows 5×120 BMW 3 Series F30 OEM wheels to be attached to a 5×112 BMW G20 wheel assembly.
Correcting Positive Offset for Aftermarket Wheels
Large wheels often come with wrong offset issues. When the wheel mounting plate is closer to the outside, this is called a positive offset. An excessive positive offset will cause the inner edge of your rims and tires to rub against the suspension components when the vehicle takes a U-turn. It can also negatively affect your car’s handling, making it potentially dangerous to drive. In this type of situation, custom offset wheel spacers are useful to firmly fit in new rims that normally are not adjustable. They can set the wheel forward and flush the fender liner, preventing your wheels from hitting the control arms and other suspension components. Through this function, they can give your car an excellent look as well. Wheel spacers result to be cost-effective when used in the installation of wider wheels. This also saves the cost of buying a set of new custom aftermarket wheels.
Converting Center Bore Diameters for Aftermarket Wheel Rims
Wheel adapters can also be used to change the center bore of your car, making it possible for you to fit wheels with a different center bore to your vehicle. Most aftermarket wheels are lug-centric design because this allows manufacturers to make larger center bore diameter wheels that can fit a wider range of vehicles. Due to the larger center diameter of the wheel, there is a certain gap between the axle and the hub. Hub centric wheel spacers are designed to fill this gap, making a snug connection between wheel and vehicle hub. You can also custom the center diameter size, for example, 66.5mm to 72.5mm. By installing a wheel adapter on the 66.5mm size hub, you can mount a 72.5mm CB size aftermarket wheel. The center ring is machined to fit the existing wheel hub of your vehicle, while the hub-centric is made to fit your new wheels and the wheels are bolted onto the adapter with proper fastening.
