Tires and Wheels
What size are standard golf car tires?
Most golf car manufacturers sell their cars with an industry standard tire and wheel assembly. The steel wheel measures 7" across and is 8" in diameter at the bead where the tubeless tire seats. The wheel has four 1/2" lug bolt holes centered on a 4" circle and it has an 18 x 8.5 x 8 tire mounted on it. That means 18" tall (ground to top of inflated tire) by 8.5" wide (tread width) by 8" inner diameter (at the bead seat).
What is a "negative offset" wheel?
Negative offset wheels have an off-center mounting flange (the flat plate in the middle of the wheel that your lug bolts come through) that is moved toward the car. Standard OEM wheels have the mounting flange in the center of the wheel. A negative offset wheel has the mounting flange moved towards the car’s hub (usually about 4 inches from the outside of the wheel and about 3 inches from the inside). This, in effect, causes the whole tire and wheel assembly to be moved outward, away from the car, more than a regular tire and wheel would. Negative offset wheels are perfect for adding wider off-road tires to your car. Without moving these wider than normal tires away from the car, you may experience the tire's inner edge rubbing against the rear fender wells or frame, or the front leaf springs & frame when turning sharply.
What is the proper inflation for a standard golf car wheel?
We recommend that the tires (both front and rear) be filled the same. Proper inflation is between 20 and 22 PSI. If you are using the car off-road, you may want a little less pressure for extra traction, especially if you are using ATV style tires. If you have back pain you can lower the tire pressure of a gas powered car to 10 or 12 pounds. For an electric battery powered car low tire pressure greatly increases the rolling resistance of the tire. This creates a much larger load on the batteries so they can't push you as far. For most purposes it probably wouldn't matter. Both too much tire pressure and too little tire pressure will cause premature tread wear.
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