You will find here explanations of all the various symbols found on the sidewalls of tires.
An important rim dimension is the press-in depth «d». This is the distance between the middle of the rim and the surface of its contact with the wheel hub.
- 5 ½, 6: Rim width in inches, measured from the base of the rim flange across the direction of wheel travel.
- J: designation of the height of the rim flange, x: depth of the rim recess.
- 14.15: rim diameter in inches, measured bead to bead.
- ET 39, 49: pressing depth 39 or 49 mm. This setting is illustrated by our figure above.
- H 2: symbol for a double hump rim, Two protrusions on the inside of the rim flange prevent the tire from slipping off the rim under side load (sharp turn at low air pressure).
These standard designations only give the basic dimensions of the rims, they are not vehicle specification data such as the number of mounting holes on the wheel or the diameter of the holes.
What rims should be used?
Rims, like tires, cannot be mounted in any size. The rim designations that are valid for your vehicle are listed above.
Rim Care
Light metal rims require special care if you want to keep them looking shiny. If the rims are not thoroughly cleaned, the inevitable abrasion products of the brake linings lead to corrosion. After an automatic wash, too much dirt remains between the spokes of the rims, so manual work is also recommended.
The best results without harming the top coat are obtained with a not too hard sponge, cloth, or used toothbrush with a cold cleaning agent or an alcohol-free alkaline soap solution. A final treatment with hard wax or lacquer polish will facilitate subsequent cleaning.
High-pressure cleaners and steam jets are harmful to light metal rims, as due to high temperature or high water pressure, the coating varnish may chip off. Rim cleaners are often too strong and corrode the surface of the rims. Scouring powders or steel wool leave scratches in which dirt and dust from abrasion of the linings settle even more.
Installation of non-standard rims
In the official language, non-standard wheels are those that do not correspond to serial ones in shape and material. Because due to subsequently installed wheels and tires, there are constant difficulties during police control or during technical inspections at DEKRA or TUV, here are a few points that you should consider
There will be no problem if the dimensions of the rims and tires match the data in the vehicle documents and the rims are genuine Opel parts.
If there is a license to operate the wheels (AVE) and the tire sizes correspond to the data in the documents for the vehicle, then it is enough to make changes to the documents produced by the inspection for the admission of motor vehicles to operation.
According to §19 (2) Rules for the admission of vehicles to traffic (StVZO), TUV approval required (partial examination) and making changes to the vehicle documents if the tire sizes do not match the data in the documents and/or there is only a TOv report for the rims.
When purchasing non-standard rims, they must be accompanied by a service permit or TUV report.
Before buying used non-genuine rims without proper documentation, you must, based on the exact name of the manufacturer and type, as well as the date of manufacture (stamped or molded on the rim), find in the TUV wheels catalog: whether they have a permit for operation (AVE) or TUV report.
In Germany, it is not allowed to mount wheels without an operating permit or a TUV report.
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