Sizing It Up – CSA Raptor v MR Triton

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Sizing It Up – CSA Raptor v MR Triton

By Published On: October 23, 2023

The CSA Raptor wheels have been on the MitsiMates Triton for over 6 months now, and we’re still feeling the same love as the day they were fitted. It’s not just us either, the Raptor is a hugely popular wheel, in fact historically, it’s CSA’s bestselling alloy wheel.

We love the style, the way it lifts the look of the Triton out of the mundane, and the fact that we can rely on the Raptors in the types of hostile environments that we like to explore, particularly Queensland beaches. They’re tough, they won’t bend, and they’re coated in a high-quality satin black finish, that resists salt spray and abrasion and comes up looking brand new again after the post-trip wash. On the subject of washing, they score highly there as well, with their fuss free design being really easy to keep clean.

Importantly, they’re available in the right size and offset to suit the Triton perfectly, and here’s why.

A stock Triton runs an 18×7.5 size wheel with a 38 POS (positive) offset, which means the wheel sits well inside the guard. The Raptors we’re running are an 18×8 with a 25 POS offset, so the outside edge of each wheel extends 19mm out from the stock wheel position and there is an extra 7mm of clearance between the inside of the wheel and the front suspension struts. The best way to understand offset is to imagine a wheel. If the inside face of the centre of the wheel, the area that bolts up tight to the cars hub, is dead in the centre of the wheel, then there is 0 offset.

If that inside face of the wheel centre is moved forward, towards the front face of the wheel, then that’s introducing positive offset, one example of which is the stock Triton wheel with its 38 POS offset. If that inner face is located between the wheel centre and the back or inside face of the wheel, then the wheel has a negative offset.

Track width, which is the distance between the centres of both wheels on an axle, is changed by the difference in the offset between the OEM wheels (38 POS) and the new wheels (25 POS), which in this case is an increase of 13mm each side, or an overall increase of 26mm. This sits comfortably inside the National Code Of Practice (NCOP) legal track width increase limit of 50mm allowed for MC classified vehicles, such as the Triton. Many, but not necessarily all 4WDs have an MC classification, and you’ll find the category rating on your vehicle’s compliance sticker/tag.

Now, if you know MR Tritons like we do, you’ll know that not all of the 17” or 18” alloys on the market will fit the higher spec models (GLS and GSR) with the larger front brakes, but Raptor does, as do most CSA offroad wheels. It all comes down to the design of the inside face of the wheel and if there is clearance for the larger calipers.

The best advice I can give you is to firstly check out the CSA Wheel Fitment guide, where you will find a variety of wheel designs and sizes that are known to fit your car and from there, get in touch with one of the sales team at CSA. They more than anyone, will know what will fit your car, and what offsets will be legal or require modifications, like wheel arch flares.

But Wait, There’s More…

The CSA Raptor wheels have been on the MitsiMates Triton for over 6 months now, and we’re still feeling the same love as the day they were fitted. It’s not just us either, the Raptor is a hugely popular wheel, in fact historically, it’s CSA’s bestselling alloy wheel.

We love the style, the way it lifts the look of the Triton out of the mundane, and the fact that we can rely on the Raptors in the types of hostile environments that we like to explore, particularly Queensland beaches. They’re tough, they won’t bend, and they’re coated in a high-quality satin black finish, that resists salt spray and abrasion and comes up looking brand new again after the post-trip wash. On the subject of washing, they score highly there as well, with their fuss free design being really easy to keep clean.

Importantly, they’re available in the right size and offset to suit the Triton perfectly, and here’s why.

A stock Triton runs an 18×7.5 size wheel with a 38 POS (positive) offset, which means the wheel sits well inside the guard. The Raptors we’re running are an 18×8 with a 25 POS offset, so the outside edge of each wheel extends 19mm out from the stock wheel position and there is an extra 7mm of clearance between the inside of the wheel and the front suspension struts. The best way to understand offset is to imagine a wheel. If the inside face of the centre of the wheel, the area that bolts up tight to the cars hub, is dead in the centre of the wheel, then there is 0 offset.

If that inside face of the wheel centre is moved forward, towards the front face of the wheel, then that’s introducing positive offset, one example of which is the stock Triton wheel with its 38 POS offset. If that inner face is located between the wheel centre and the back or inside face of the wheel, then the wheel has a negative offset.

Track width, which is the distance between the centres of both wheels on an axle, is changed by the difference in the offset between the OEM wheels (38 POS) and the new wheels (25 POS), which in this case is an increase of 13mm each side, or an overall increase of 26mm. This sits comfortably inside the National Code Of Practice (NCOP) legal track width increase limit of 50mm allowed for MC classified vehicles, such as the Triton. Many, but not necessarily all 4WDs have an MC classification, and you’ll find the category rating on your vehicle’s compliance sticker/tag.

Now, if you know MR Tritons like we do, you’ll know that not all of the 17” or 18” alloys on the market will fit the higher spec models (GLS and GSR) with the larger front brakes, but Raptor does, as do most CSA offroad wheels. It all comes down to the design of the inside face of the wheel and if there is clearance for the larger calipers.

The best advice I can give you is to firstly check out the CSA Wheel Fitment guide, where you will find a variety of wheel designs and sizes that are known to fit your car and from there, get in touch with one of the sales team at CSA. They more than anyone, will know what will fit your car, and what offsets will be legal or require modifications, like wheel arch flares.

But Wait, There’s More…