The offset of a wheel is the distance from its hub mounting surface to the centerline of the wheel. I attached two pictures for a visual!
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Zero Offset
- The hub mounting surface is even with the centerline of the wheel.
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Positive Offset
- The hub mounting surface is located in the front half of the wheel closer to the wheel face. This tucks the entire wheel in toward the brakes and vehicle suspension. Positive offset wheels are generally found on front-wheel drive cars and newer rear-wheel drive cars.
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Negative Offset
- The hub mounting surface is located in the back half of the wheel closer to the back lip flange. This moves the wheel out away from the vehicle brakes and suspension. "Deep dish" wheels and wheels for lifted trucks are typically a negative offset.
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Backspacing
- Backspacing refers to how much space there is between the back side of the wheel and the mounting surface of the wheel.