Dubs

JonesNTN · June 19, 2003

where the name got started...

It appears that "dub" is commonly used for "20" in urban slang, and not specifically for big rims. As far as I can tell (slang etymology can be hard to trace), its roots come from the drug world. Marijuana is typically purchased in a "dime bag" — a bag that costs $10. If you buy twice as much, it's called a "dub [double] sack" and costs $20.

"Dub" by extension has been used in other situations to mean "double" or, perhaps more frequently, "20." So when you're rollin' on dubs, you're driving with 20-inch rims. If you're rollin' on dub-deuces, you just upgraded to 22-inch rims. Nelly's jealous.

Courtesy of the Answer Man

pacodiablo · June 19, 2003

What I heard is that it came from 'wheel.' People would say I got new 'w's' but that evolved into 'dubs' because the lack of more than one syllabal made it easier to say.