Q - Do you have any catalogues?
Yes, we do have catalogues. Catalogues can be provided upon request. All catalogues are $10 plus shipping charge.

Q - It has been a while since I ordered, what is going on?
Your order might be delayed for a few reasons. Most likely is due to a back-order of one of the products you ordered. If you have any questions please give customer service department a call.

Q - I do not see what I want online, can you guys special order it?
If you do not see something you need on our website, we can possibly special order it for you. Please contact our sales department and someone there will be able to assist you.

Q - I want to do a group buy, can I get a discount?
Yes, to set up a group buy, you must first contact our sales department and get details of the group buy. We will provide you in detail of the prices and what you need to do.

Q - How do I get a sponsorship?
For sponsorships, please contact our customer service department for an application. Once the applications are returned, we will review it and determine the status for you request.

Q - Can I pick up my order?
Yes, you may set up a pick-up, or will call for your order.

Wheel Offset
The offset of a vehicle's wheel is the distance between the centerline of the wheel and the plane of the part of the wheel bolted to the hub. It can thus be either positive or negative, and is typically measured in millimeters. Offset has a significant effect on many elements of a vehicle's suspension, including suspension geometry, clearance between the tire and suspension elements, the scrub radius of the steering system, and visually, the width of the wheel faces relative to the car's bodywork.

Zero Offset - The plane of the hub mounting surface is even with the centerline of the wheel.
Positive Offset - The plane of the hub mounting surface is shifted from the centerline toward the front or outside of the wheel. Positive offset wheels are generally found on front wheel drive cars and newer rear drive cars.

Negative Offset - The plane of the hub mounting surface is toward the back or brake side of the wheel's centerline.

"Deep dish" wheels typically have negative offset or a very low positive offset.

To maintain handling characteristics and avoid undue loads on bushings and ball joints, the car manufacturer's original offset should be maintained when choosing new wheels unless there are overriding clearance issues.

Wheels are usually stamped with their offset using the German prefix "ET", meaning "Einpresstiefe" or, literally, "insertion depth". An example would be "ET45" for a 45mm offset.

Calculating the offset of a wheel is a fairly easy mathematical equation. First, measure the overall width of the wheel (remember, just because a wheel is 18x7.5, does not mean that the OVERALL width is 7.5”. It means that the measurement between the outboard flange and the inboard flange is 7.5”). Next, divide that width of the wheel by two; this will give you the centerline of the wheel.

Overall width/2 = Centerline

After determining the centerline, measure from the mounting pad to the edge of the inboard flange (if the wheel were laying flat on the ground – face up – your measurement would be from the ground to the mounting pad). This is your back spacing.

Back Spacing - Centerline = Offset in Inches

Proper Tire Pressure
Routine tire maintenance increases fuel efficiency and lengthens the life of the tires. The government of Canada says proper tire maintenance can improve your car efficiency to the tune of two "free" weeks of gas a year, and because your tires will last longer, you could save the cost of one or two new sets Inflation of tires over the life of your vehicle. Proper tire maintenance will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Proper tire pressure is critical to the safe operation of your car and contributes to gas savings. To ensure your tires are properly inflated: • measure the tire pressure of each tire, including the spare, with an accurate tire guage once a month. • the correct tire pressure for your vehicle is listed on the information placard, usually on the edge of one of the vehicle doors. The vehicle owner's manual will also list the correct tire pressure for your vehicle, or tell you where to find the information placard. Note: the pressure listed on the tire sidewall is the maximum tire pressure not the manufacturer's recommended tire pressure. • measure your tire pressure when your tires are cold - when the vehicle has been stopped for at least three hours or has not been driven more than 2 km (a mile or so). Other tire maintenance procedures such as alignment, balancing and rotation of your tires will also save fuel.

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Rotating Your Tires
Tire rotation or rotating tires is the practice of moving automobile tires from one wheel to another to ensure even tire wear. Tire wear is uneven for any number of reasons. Even tire wear is desirable to maintain consistent performance in the vehicle.


By design, the weight on the front and rear axles differs which causes uneven wear. With the majority of cars being front-engine cars, the front axle typically has more of the weight. For rear wheel drive vehicles, the weight distribution between front and back approaches 50:50. Front wheel drive vehicles also have the differential in front, adding to the weight with a typical weight distribution of no better than 60:40. This means, all else being equal, the front tires wear out at almost twice the rate of the rear wheels, especially when factoring the additional stress that braking puts on the front tires. Thus, tire rotation needs to occur more frequently for front-wheel drive vehicles.



Turning the vehicle will cause uneven tire wear. The outside, front tire is worn disproportionately. Cloverleaf interchanges and parking ramps turn right in right hand drive countries, causing the left front tire to be worn faster than the right front. Furthermore, right turns are tighter than left turns, also causing more tire wear. Conversely the sidewalls on the right tire tends to be bumped and rubbed against the curb while parking the vehicle, causing asymmetric sidewall wear. The symmetric opposite occurs in countries that drive on the left.





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P.C.D
Bolt pattern
The bolt pattern is merely the number of bolts on the wheel. As the bolts will be evenly spaced, the number determines the bolt pattern. For example, most U.S. passenger cars have 5 bolts while compact models sometimes have only 4 and pick-up trucks can have as many as 6 or 8.

Bolt circle
The bolt circle is the circle determined by the positions of the bolts; the center of every bolt lies on the circumference of the bolt circle.

The important measurement is the "pitch circle diameter" (PCD), usually expressed in millimeters, although inches are sometimes used. For a 4- or 6-bolt car, this measurement is merely the distance between the center of two diametrically opposite bolts. In the 4-bolt picture below, this would be the distance between holes #1 and #4. Some basic geometry is needed to find the center of a 5-bolt pattern: draw a line between any two neighboring bolts, and draw a line from the midpoint of this line to the opposite bolt. Repeat with a different set of three bolts, and the two long lines will cross in the center, thereby making the distance between this intersection and the center of a bolt the radius of the bolt circle.

The PCD can be calculated for any wheel from the number of bolts (n) and the measured center distance between two adjacent bolts (d) as; PCD = d / SIN(π/n).
A 1974 MG B is a 4/4.5" (4/114.3) car, meaning it is, again, a 4-bolt pattern with a 4.5" or 114.3 mm bolt circle.

The most common PCD values are 100 mm and 114.3 mm. This difference arises from the manufacturers' measurement convention - whether they are designing around metric values (100 mm) or imperial values (4.5 inches, i.e. 114.3 mm).

Lug nuts or bolts
Another thing to consider when new wheels are purchased is proper lug nuts or bolts. They are usually either flat, tapered (generally at 90degrees), or ball seats, meaning the mounting surfaces are flat, tapered, or spherical respectively. For example, most Hondas have ball lug seats from the factory while most aftermarket wheels have a tapered lug design. If you buy aftermarket wheels for a Honda make sure you get the proper lug nuts for the wheel or the wheel will not be properly centered. Some manufacturers (e.g. Nissan) have used taper lug nuts for steel wheels and flat seated lug nuts for alloy wheels.

Some aftermarket wheels will only fit smaller lug nuts, or not allow an ordinary lug nut to be properly torqued down because a socket will not fit into the lug hole. Tuner lug nuts were created to solve the problem. Tuner lug nuts utilize a special key to allow removal and installation with standard lug wrench or socket. The design of tuner lug nuts can range from spline drive to multisided, and are sometimes lightweight for performance purposes. A variation is the "locking wheel nut", which is almost universally used for alloy wheels in the United Kingdom. One standard lug nut on each wheel is replaced with a nut which requires a special and unique key (typically a computer-designed, rounded star shape) to fit and remove the nut. This helps to discourage theft of wheels. However, universal removal tools are available which grip the head of the locking nut using a hardened left-hand thread. The success of these depends on whether there is room to use it in the lug hole, and whether the manufacturer has incorporated a free-spinning outer casing to the locking.

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Centerbore and Hubcentric Rings
This refers to the center bore in the wheel that centers the wheel on the hub of the car. Since most wheels are mass produced, they have a large center bore to accommodate several different vehicles. If there is a vibration problem, it is recommended that you use hub centric rings. Hub rings are hard plastic rings that link the wheel to the vehicle. This centers the wheel and makes your wheel hub centric. Without hub rings it is possible to get vibrations even if the wheel and tire package is completely balanced.

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Wheel Fitment
Dubz Direct has pioneered a fitment program that ensures a 100% proper fit for your vehicle. Our staff is constantly at work making sure wheel specifications are compatible with your vehicle. If you have any upgraded brakes or suspensions please contact our staff before you order.

Plus Sizing
Plus sizing your wheel and tire package is intended to enhance vehicle performance and looks by allowing fitment of larger diameter rims and lower profile tires. The idea is that while making these changes, you keep the overall tire diameter within 3% of the original equipment. If you exceed 3% you open the door to lots of other problems.

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Wheel Care
Always keep your wheels clean at all times this way you can protect your investment. Don’t let dust or dirt sit on your wheels this might destroy the finish. Never use steam cleaners or automatic car washes; they can damage your wheels. The best product to use is a mild soap, cleaning one wheel at a time. Rinse immediately, this way you don’t get a soap scum buildup. Always wait until your wheels are cool before cleaning them. After the wheels are clean and dry you may add a very light coat of wheel wax to protect your wheels from the elements.

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Torque
Always use a torque wrench when installing your wheels, it's important to torque the lugs properly. Wheels are frequently over-torqued onto a vehicle's hub bore, which can lead to brake problems or even the lugs breaking right off the wheel. The best way to torque your wheels is by hand, using a torque wrench. Your owner's manual contains the optimal torque specifications for your vehicle. Always re-torque after your first 50 miles.

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Wheel Construction
Most alloy wheels are made in one, two or three piece construction types. One piece is a wheel made in a mold as a single piece of metal. Two piece wheels are made of two separate pieces center and barrel that are usually welded or bolted together. Three piece wheels are made of three separate pieces bolted together.

Wheels are manufactured in a variety of ways: Forging, Low pressure Casting and Counter pressure Casting.

Forging
This is the process of forcing a solid billet of aluminum between the forging dies under an extreme amount of pressure. This creates a finished product that is very dense, very strong and therefore very light.

Low Pressure Casting
This is the most common form of rim manufacturing. Liquid metal is poured into a mold and allowed to harden until the finished wheel is cool enough to be taken out of the casting.

Counter Pressure Casting
This method actually sucks the metal into a mold using a vacuum. This reduces impurities making the wheel much stronger than a low pressure cast

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