Wheels & Rims
The tendency to enhance the vehicle's exterior styling led to the popularity of the automobile improvements that in its turn resulted in development of a new industry of automotive accessories. Nowadays, there are thousands of the car accessories that help to create the unique and distinct look of your vehicle. The alloy wheels as well as rims are considered to be the most popular automotive accessories used to customize the vehicle. Their popularity can be explained by the superior quality when compared with the rims and tires made from steel, and with other kinds of automobile wheels.
Alloy wheels are very often used on automobiles to enhance cosmetic look as well as to improve performance of the vehicle or sometimes for both mentioned purposes. Alloy wheels are produced from an alloy of aluminum or magnesium (or sometimes a mixture of both materials.) The popularity of the alloy wheels is caused by a wide range of the benefits they provide. Come in a huge choice of styles they can add your vehicle a more custom appearance than the factory wheels. There are a lot of wheel designs that create an individual and unique look of your car, making it stand out from the crowd.
Compared to the steel wheels the alloy wheels are much lighter for the same strength. Their light weight positively influences on the vehicle's performance by providing improved handling and steering. Moreover, the alloy wheels also ensure better responsiveness during acceleration and braking as the weight of the car's rotational mass is diminished. They are better heat conductors than the steel wheels, therefore the alloy wheels ensure better heat dissipation from the brakes. This can prolong the brakes life and minimize the chances of brake failure. The next benefit of the alloy wheels is improved rigidity by reducing wheel and tire deflection in cornering. In view of the above, the alloy wheels and rims offer a number of benefits in terms of vehicle performance. Equipped with such wheels, the vehicle will get better speed level, while the driver will get the more benefit from driving.
Custom wheels always attract attention no matter the car is in motion or on parking. They are differ from the wheels supplied by the manufacturer when the vehicle is first sold. The custom wheels can be ordered along with the order for a new vehicle or can be purchased at a later date. Nowadays, there are a lot of different types of the custom wheels that can be a stylish addition to the appearance of the vehicle. They are made of steel, aluminum, chrome and titanium and come available in a wide choice of shapes and styles. The wheel finishes for aftermarket rims ranges from polished, chrome, aluminum, brushed, powder coated and even gold plated. People decide on the purchase of custom wheels because they are lighter versus the traditional wheels. Designed and produced from materials that give the rim a stronger base, the custom wheels provide more wheel strength. Plus they can give a car better gas mileage as the custom wheel ensure better stability that leads to a smoother ride. Custom wheels are also called rims.
Prior to purchase the alloy wheels, pay attention to the following important aspects in order to be sure that the new custom-made wheels will fit your car. The important aspects are Pitch Circle Diameter, the offset, also known as the ET that is translated from the German as 'insertion depth', and one other is the spigot size. The size of the wheels can range from 12 to 28 inches, so make sure that you know your vehicle's wheels size.
Pitch Circle Diameter is measured in millimeters. If you set a compasses to draw a circle that passes through the bolt holes center then find this circle diameter that is the Pitch Circle Diameter. A set of alloy wheels has the Pitch Circle Diameter (PCD) specification that includes the bolts number, which usually equals to 4 or 5. Thus, if a wheel features a 150 mm diameter and has 4 bolt holes, the PCD specification will be as follows: 4x150. However, it does not mean that the rims of one model with a PCD of 4x150 will precisely match another model, which features the same PCD. This is caused by the different spigot size.
Being located in the center of the wheel hub, the spigot holds the wheel in place while locating the bolt holes and screwing in the bolts. The spigot hole on the aftermarket alloy wheels can be bigger than the spigot on the wheel hub. The spigot is designed to carry most of the weight of the car. It is to be fit correctly otherwise all the weight of the vehicle would be carried by the bolts. If you drove too fast or jam on the brakes the bolts would likely sheer off.
When choosing the new custom wheels for your vehicle you need to consider the wheel offset. It is the measurement between the bolt face and the centre of the wheel. There are positive and negative offset. The positive offset is when the bolt face is closer to the outside edge than to the center of the vehicle wheel, while the negative offset is when the bolt face is closer to the inside edge than to the center of the wheel. Offset has a significant affect on many elements of the vehicle's suspension, and if it's wrong you will have problems with the steering and handling.
There are several places where you can purchase the wheels for you vehicle. The most popular choice is professional automotive store where you can buy the wheels in person or online. Nowadays, online you can choose from impressive selection of the wheels and find a set of wheels that meet all your needs and expectations. It is unnecessary to spend money on gasoline to get to the dealership, you can place the order online and wait for a door bell. The professional customer support will help to know what PCDs, spigot, offset and wheel sizes are appropriate for your vehicle, and suggest several variants, leaving the decision in your hands.