wheel question.. why is width and diameter in inches but

[Alex Kowalski]

It's not a stupid question.  The simple answer is that Jimmy Carter tried to convert the United States to the metric system.  The only people who used the metric system at that time were engineers and scientists who were looking for something complicated like a universal, base-ten measurement system with which they could communicate with their peers across the oceans of the world without needing translation, and the people who didn't use the metric system who were gas station attendants, and were looking for something simple like continuing to measure things in furlongs per fortnight, so they could continue to communicate with their buddy Earl down the street without needing translation.  The gas station attendants won.

Jimmy Carter may have been wrong about a lot of other things, but unfortunately on the metric system he was correct but lacking the popular support to carry it through.

It's just that simple.

Cheers,
Alex Kowalski
'87 5KCSTQ -- All metric.  At least at a BP station.

--
"I gargle with gasoline because here in the USA it's cheaper than Listerine and makes me a much hotter kisser, too."


> Message: 4
> Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2005 13:38:37 EST
> From: JordanVw at aol.com
> Subject: wheel question.. why is width and diameter in inches but
> 	offset is	in MM??
> To: vanagon at GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Cc: quattro at audifans.com
> Message-ID: <da.217f459e.2f67342d at aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
> 
> here is stupid question i always wondered about..   why is wheel diameter and 
> width always in inches, but the offset is in Millimeters?       just always 
> wondered why..
> 
> anyone know?
> 
> chris