623-434-5277
Call Us
FREE SHIPPING on Orders over $70
Menu
Toggle navigation
Search
Search
CHECKOUT
Cart
0
Shopping Cart
Log In
My Stage 3
My Stage 3
My Account
Contact
Contact
Price Match
Price Match
Blog
Blog
Menu
Toggle navigation
home
F150
2024-2025 Ford F-150
5.0L V8 Coyote
3.5L V6 EcoBoost
2.7L V6 EcoBoost
3.5L V6 Powerboost
SHOP ALL
2021-2023 Ford F-150
5.0L V8 Coyote
3.5L V6 EcoBoost
2.7L V6 EcoBoost
3.5L V6 Powerboost
3.3L V6 Duratec
SHOP ALL
2018-2020 FORD F-150
5.0L V8 Coyote
3.5L V6 EcoBoost
2.7L V6 EcoBoost
3.3L V6 Duratec
3.0L V6 Powerstroke
SHOP ALL
2015-2017 FORD F-150
5.0L V8 Coyote
3.5L V6 EcoBoost
2.7L V6 EcoBoost
3.5L V6 Duratec
SHOP ALL
2011-2014 FORD F-150
3.5L V6 EcoBoost
5.0L V8 Coyote
6.2L V8 Boss
3.7L V6 Cyclone
SHOP ALL
2009-2010 FORD F-150
SHOP ALL
2004-2008 FORD F-150
SHOP ALL
1997-2003 FORD F-150
SHOP ALL
Raptor
2024-2025 F-150 Raptor
3.5L V6 HO EcoBoost
TOP CATEGORIES:
Engine Upgrades
Lighting Upgrades
Off-Road Bumpers
Tonneau Covers
Bed Accessories
Suspension
Suspension (Raptor 37)
SHOP ALL
2021-2023 F-150 Raptor
3.5L V6 HO EcoBoost
TOP CATEGORIES:
Engine Upgrades
Lighting Upgrades
Off-Road Bumpers
Tonneau Covers
Bed Accessories
Suspension
Suspension (Raptor 37)
SHOP ALL
2017-2020 F-150 Raptor
3.5L V6 HO EcoBoost
TOP CATEGORIES:
Engine Upgrades
Exhaust Kits
Lighting Upgrades
Off-Road Bumpers
Tonneau Covers
Bed Accessories
Suspension
SHOP ALL
2010-2014 F-150 Raptor
6.2L V8 Boss
TOP CATEGORIES:
Engine Upgrades
Exhaust Kits
Lighting Upgrades
Off-Road Bumpers
Tonneau Covers
Bed Accessories
Suspension
SHOP ALL
Super Duty
2020-2024 6.7L Diesel
Engine Upgrades
Exhaust Kits
Lighting
Tonneau Covers
Leveling Kits
Bumpers & Racks
Exterior
Wheels & Tires
>>Shop All...
2020-2024 7.3L Gas
Engine Upgrades
Exhaust Kits
Lighting
Tonneau Covers
Leveling Kits
Bumpers & Racks
Exterior
Wheels & Tires
>>Shop All...
2017-2019 6.7L Diesel
Engine Upgrades
Exhaust Kits
Lighting
Tonneau Covers
Suspension
Leveling Kits
Exterior
Wheels & Tires
>>Shop All...
2017-2019 6.2L Gas
Intakes
Exhaust Kits
Lighting
Tonneau Covers
Suspension
Leveling Kits
Exterior
Wheels & Tires
>>Shop All...
2011-2016 6.7L Diesel
Engine Upgrades
Turbo Upgrades
Lighting
Tonneau Covers
Suspension
Lift Kits
Exterior
Wheels & Tires
>>Shop All...
2011-2016 F250 6.2L Gas
Engine Upgrades
Exhaust Kits
Lighting
Tonneau Covers
Suspension
Lift Kits
Exterior
Wheels & Tires
>>Shop All...
2008-2010 6.4L Diesel
Engine Upgrades
Exhaust Kits
Lighting
Tonneau Covers
Suspension
Lift Kits
Exterior
Wheels & Tires
>>Shop All...
2004-2007 6.0L Diesel
Engine Upgrades
Exhaust Kits
Lighting
Tonneau Covers
Suspension
Lift Kits
Exterior
Wheels & Tires
>>Shop All...
1994-2003 7.3L Diesel
Engine Upgrades
Turbo Upgrades
Lighting
Tonneau Covers
Lift & Leveling
Exterior
Wheels & Tires
>>Shop All...
Ranger
2024-2025 2.3L / 2.7L EcoBoost
2.3L Engine Upgrades
2.7L Engine Upgrades
2.3L Turbo Upgrades
Bumpers & Armor
Lighting Upgrades
Leveling Kits
Tonneau Covers
Exterior Upgrades
Overland Upgrades
Wheels & Tires
>>Shop All...
2019-2023 2.3L EcoBoost
Engine Upgrades
Cold Air Intakes
Turbo Upgrades
Bumpers & Armor
Lighting Upgrades
Leveling Kits
Tonneau Covers
Exterior Upgrades
Overland Upgrades
Wheels & Tires
>>Shop All...
2011-2016 T6
Bronco
2021-2025 Bronco 4-Door
Soft Tops
2.3L Engine Upgrades
2.7L Engine Upgrades
Exhaust Kits
Lighting
Interior
Suspension
Bumpers & Skids
Wheels & Tires
>>Shop All...
2021-2025 Bronco 2-Door
Soft Tops
2.3L Engine Upgrades
2.7L Engine Upgrades
Exhaust Kits
Lighting
Interior
Suspension
Bumpers & Skids
Wheels & Tires
>>Shop All...
2021-2025 Bronco Sport
2.0L Engine Upgrades
Exhaust
Lighting
Interior
Suspension
Exterior
>>Shop All...
Other Fords
2022-2023 Ford Maverick
2.0L EcoBoost Engine Upgrades
Lighting Upgrades
Leveling Kits
Tonneau Covers
Exterior
>>Shop All...
2011-2017 Explorer
Engine Upgrades
Exhaust Kits
Lighting
Brakes
Exterior
>>Shop All...
2015-2017 Expedition
Engine Upgrades
Exhaust Kits
Lighting
Exterior
Interior
>>Shop All...
2007-2014 Expedition
Cold Air Intakes
Tuners & Monitors
Suspension Upgrades
Brakes
Wheels & Tires
>>Shop All...
2013-2018 Focus ST
Intakes
Exhaust Kits
Suspension
>>Shop All...
2016-2017 Focus RS
Engine Upgrades
Exhaust Kits
Suspension
>>Shop All...
2015-2022 Mustang
2015-2022 Mustang GT
2015-2022 Mustang EcoBoost
2015-2017 Mustang V6
>>Shop All...
2011-2014 Mustang
2011-2014 Mustang GT
2011-2014 Mustang V6
2007-2014 Shelby GT500
>>Shop All...
2005-2009 Mustang
2005-2009 Mustang GT
2005-2009 Mustang V6
>>Shop All...
1999-2004 Mustang
1999-2004 Mustang GT
1999-2004 Mustang V6
1999-2004 SVT Cobra
>>Shop All...
2010-2017 Taurus
Engine Upgrades
Suspension
Brakes
>>Shop All...
2014-2017 Fiesta ST
2005-2017 Ford 6.8L V10 RV
Toyota
2024+ Tacoma
Engine Upgrades
Lighting Upgrades
Leveling Kits
Tonneau Covers
Exterior Upgrades
Wheels & Tires
>>Shop All...
2016-2023 Tacoma
Engine Upgrades
Lighting Upgrades
Leveling Kits
Tonneau Covers
Exterior Upgrades
Overland Upgrades
Wheels & Tires
>>Shop All...
2005-2015 Tacoma
Engine Upgrades
Lighting Upgrades
Leveling Kits
Tonneau Covers
Exterior Upgrades
Overland Upgrades
Wheels & Tires
>>Shop All...
2010-2024 4Runner
Engine Upgrades
Lighting Upgrades
Leveling Kits
Cargo Upgrades
Exterior Upgrades
Overland Upgrades
Wheels & Tires
>>Shop All...
2022-2025 Tundra
Lighting Upgrades
Leveling Kits
Tonneau Covers
>>Shop All...
2014-2021 Tundra
Lighting Upgrades
Leveling Kits
Tonneau Covers
>>Shop All...
Ram
2025 Ram 1500 3.0L
>>Shop All...
2019-2024 Ram 1500 5.7L Hemi
Engine Upgrades
Exhaust Kits
Lighting
Leveling Kits
Lift Kits
Tonneau Covers
>>Shop All...
2019-2024 Ram 1500 3.0L EcoDiesel
Engine Upgrades
Exhaust Kits
Lighting
Leveling Kits
Lift Kits
Tonneau Covers
>>Shop All...
2009-2018 Ram 1500
Engine Upgrades
Exhaust Kits
Lighting
Leveling Kits
Lift Kits
Tonneau Covers
>>Shop All...
Projects
F150 Builds
2021 F150 EcoBoost STX 4x4 Build
2020 F150 First Lite Hunting Truck
2020 F150 Lariat FX4 (2021 Giveaway)
2020 F150 5.0L FX4 (2020 Giveaway)
2019 F150 King of the Desert Build
2018 F150 Budget Build
2015 F150 Red FX4 Build
2015 F150 White XLT Build
2014 Tremor Overland Build
2014 F150 Hunting Truck Build
2013 Raptor Weekend Warrior
>>View More...
Super Duty Builds
2017 6.7L Build
2014 F250 6.7L Lariat Build
2011 F350 6.7L Build
2006 F250 6.0L Big Red Build
>>View More...
Ranger Builds
2019 Ranger 2.3L EcoBoost Build
Bronco Builds
2021 Bronco Badlands Sasquatch Build
2021 Bronco Black Diamond Build
Other Ford Builds
2012 Expedition Build
2016 Focus ST Build
Toyota Builds
2018 Tacoma SR Build
2019 4Runner TRD Build
2018 Tacoma TRD Build
Items 0
Cart
Search
Search
Search
Search
Search
Cart
Home
Blog Home
F150 Wheel Offsets, Backspacing, and Tire Fitments Explained!
Posted by Jason Locke on 11/4/2022 to
With the sheer amount of aftermarket wheels on the market for the
2004-2014 F150s
and
2015-2022 F150s
, it's hard enough to make decision purely based on looks and style alone. Factor in arguably the two most confusing parts of aftermarket wheels, backspacing and offset, and you make picking out a new set of F150 wheels outright anxiety-inducing. With all the questions we get on a regular basis about backspacing and offsets, we thought we should probably do an in-depth breakdown of what offset and backspace even are, what different offsets and backspacings mean for your truck, and how backspace and offsets of your wheels actually affect tire fitment. The good news is that F150 wheel backspacing and offset are more complicated on paper than they are in reality, though it can be difficult to grasp it all spatially, and there's really not a "wrong" answer to F150 wheel offsets, just some things you ought to know before taking a dive into the F150 wheel market.
What is Wheel Offset and Backspace
Before we get started on how offset and backspacing actually work on your F150, we have to understand what these two things actually are and how they play off each other to a pretty huge extent. We'll start with backspacing, since backspacing isn't as reliant on other aspects of the wheel (more on that in a bit).
Backspacing
is the measurement of the hub mounting surface to the back of the wheel. This means that wheels with higher backspacing result in the wheels tucking
MORE
under the wheel well. Wheels with lower backspacing tuck
LESS
under the wheel well and push out farther from your truck. Backspacing is affected by wheel width and offset, but backspacing alone is a good metric of roughly where a wheel will sit and if you'll clear suspension mods like UCAs and the knuckles on lift kits with a given wheel and tire.
As much as most folks emphasize offset when talking about wheels, offset alone is actually a much less useful specification than a lot of people realize.
Offset
is the measurement of the hub mounting surface versus the CENTERLINE of the wheel. A wheel with a positive offset will have its hub closer to the outside of the wheel, while a wheel with a negative offset will have the hub closer to the inside of the wheel. Like with backspacing, a wheel with a higher offset will have
MORE
tuck under the wheel well, while a wheel with a lower offset will have
LESS
tuck and stick out farther from your truck. HOWEVER, since offset is calculated based off the centerline of the wheel, you also need to know the wheel's width in order to actually figure out how a wheel will sit on your truck. For instance, you can have two wheels with the exact same offset, but if they have different widths, they'll sit differently and have different tire clearances which could potentially be a problem. As an example, a 20x9" wheel with a +12mm offset has a backspace of about 5.47", but a 20x10" wheel with a +12mm offset has a 5.97" backspace, giving them different clearances with your F150's wheel wells and suspension, which can potentially be an issue. While offsets can be handy when comparing wheels of the same width, alone, it's not as useful as backspace.
How Offset and Backspacing Work on the F150s
With boring definitions out of the way, we can actually get the meat of the situation and how wheel backspace and offset work on the F150s. The stock wheels on most F150s have a pretty high 6.5" backspace with high offsets that range from +44mm to +55mm depending on the width of the wheel (again, this is why offset alone isn't a great spec). In general, most aftermarket F150 wheels have less backspacing and offset than stock, which push them out a bit from the truck's body and wheel wells. Granted, there's still a pretty huge range of backspacing options available, and there's plenty or reasons why you may want to go with a wheel with a high offset and backspace and vice versa.
Why you may want High Offset and Backspace Wheels on your F150
Wheels that have pretty high backspacing and offsets get kind of a worse rap than they really deserve, though they can cause some issues with wide tires and certain suspension modifications. The biggest reason why you may want wheels with a high backspacing and offset is that they do stay tucked under the wheel well. Keeping your choice of tire within or in line with the wheel well is absolutely critical if you live in an area that doesn't allow you to have your tires outside the wheel well. As a secondary benefit, if your tire is under the wheel well, your truck's sides and love handles won't get as dirty when you're ripping around. Wheels with a bit more backspacing also tend to let you clear slightly taller tires without trimming than wheels with lower offset and backspacing.
Why you may want Low Offset and Backspace Wheels on your F150
Wheels with low offsets and backspace are by far the most popular choices for F150 owners, and there's plenty of reasons why. First, most people don't live in areas that have strict laws regarding how far tires can stick out, and giving your F150 a big, bold look is never a bad thing. More importantly, wheels with low backspacing and offsets will allow you to use pretty wide tires while still clearing certain suspension modifications. Aftermarket upper control arms, lift kits with larger knuckles, coilovers with remote reservoirs, and others have backspacing requirements in order to clear wide tires (usually 12.50", but sometimes others), and wheels with fairly low backspacing and offsets may be your only option. That being said, wheels with low backspacing and offsets paired with pretty wide and tall tires will likely require some valance trimming in order to fit on your truck, which is something you'll need to keep in mind.
How Offset and Backspacing Affect Tire Fitment
One of the most important factors when picking a wheel with a particular offset and backspacing is what tire size you're planning to use, since offset and backspacing play a huge role in potential tire fitments. A tire with certain heights and widths may clear just fine on a wheel with fairly high backspacing and offsets, but may have issues on a wheel with low backspacing and offsets. The reason why has a lot to do with the curvature of the F150's wheel wells and how wheels with a low backspace push the apex of the tire out to where the wheel well starts to curve back in. This means that taller and wider tires may need trimming depending on the wheels you choose. In general, wheels on the higher end of the offset and backspace spectrum will let you clear bigger tires without trimming (though you will run into clearance problems with certain mods, like we already mentioned), while wheels with lower backspacing and offsets will limit you a bit on tire sizing unless you're willing to trim.
Wheel Offset Chart and Final Thoughts
In the end, wheel offset and backspace are actually pretty simple concepts, but how they interact with your F150 and your choice of tires can get pretty complicated in one heck of a hurry. The good news is that we here at Stage 3 are here to help you out. We've put together a ton of different F150 builds over the years using all sorts of different wheels and tires of different widths, backspacing, and sizes. If you ever need some help, just give us a call directly at 623-434-5277 or email us at
[email protected]
. Also check out our handy offset chart below that shows what different offsets look like on a wheel with the same tire and width for a more visual example.
Previous Post
Next Post
Add Comment
Name
*
Email
*
Comment
*
×
Add Reply Comment
Name
*
Email
*
Comment
*
Categories
Just Added
Top Mods
Before you Buy
Before you Go
In-Depth Review
Postmortem
Customer Rides
How It Works
Informative Articles
Install guides
Installed Photos
Manufacturer News
Mustang Photos
New Products
Sales
Special Events
Tidbits
Website Updates / Changes
Categories
F150
21-24 3.5L EcoBoost
21-24 2.7L EcoBoost
21-24 3.5L PowerBoost
21-24 5.0L V8
2021 3.0L Powerstroke
2021 3.3L V6
18-20 3.5L EcoBoost
18-20 2.7L EcoBoost
18-20 5.0L V8
18-20 3.3L V6
18-20 3.0L Powerstroke
15-17 3.5L EcoBoost
15-17 2.7L EcoBoost
15-17 5.0L V8
15-17 3.5L V6
11-14 3.5L EcoBoost
11-14 5.0L V8
11-14 6.2L V8
11-14 3.7L V6
09-10 4.6L & 5.4L
04-08 4.6L & 5.4L
97-03 V8
Raptor
21-24 Raptor 35
21-24 Raptor 37
17-20 Raptor
10-14 SVT Raptor
Ranger
24-25 Ranger
19-23 Ranger
11-16 T6
Bronco
21-24 Bronco 4-Door
21-24 Bronco 2-Door
21-24 Bronco Sport
Super Duty
20-24 6.7L
20-23 7.3L
17-19 6.7L
17-19 6.2L
11-16 6.7L
11-16 6.2L
08-10 6.4L
04-07 6.0L
94-03 7.3L
Mustang
05-09 4.0L V6
05-09 GT 3V 4.6L
07-14 Shelby GT500
11-14 3.7L V6
11-14 5.0L GT
15-22 GT / V6 / EcoBoost
Other Fords
22-23 Ford Maverick
13-18 Focus ST
14-17 Fiesta ST
16-18 Focus RS
10-18 Taurus
15-17 Expedition
04-14 Expedition
11-18 Explorer
20-23 Explorer ST
Ford 6.8L V10 RVs
Toyota
2024+ Tacoma
16-23 Tacoma
05-15 Tacoma
10-23 4Runner
22-23 Tundra
14-21 Tundra
Ram 1500
19-23 Ram 1500 5.7L
19-23 Ram 1500 3.0L
09-18 Ram 1500
Projects
F150 Projects
Super Duty Projects
Ranger Projects
Toyota Projects
Bronco Projects
Other Projects
Save
Price Match
Coupon Codes
First Responders Discount
Giveaways
Military Discount
Newsletter
Blog
Rewards Program
Rewards Login
My Stage 3
My Account
Shopping Cart
Checkout
Contact Us
623-434-5277
Call Us
[email protected]
Email
×
Close
Store Search
Search
Search