How to Choose the Right Rims for Your Tires
Many drivers believe that driving is all about performance, but there’s nothing wrong with a cool-looking car. People pay a lot of money for paint jobs, window tints, and custom lamps, but there’s nothing wrong with paying good money for a full set of new rims.
While stock parts are perfectly functional and look pretty good as they are, you can always add a whole new look to your car by changing your rims. Installing new rims is a job for professional auto modders, but choosing rims is all up to you. Here are some tips to help you choose the right rim design for your car’s wheels.
Rim and Tire Size
Big rims may be the coolest thing to hit the market today, but the rims, tires, and wheels you choose all depend on what you use your car for. car rimsMuch of you and your passengers’ safety rely on the kind of rims and wheels you use on your car. Whenever you choose a set of custom rims and wheels, you have to consider both the radius and the width of the wheel:
Wheel radius refers to the total distance from the center point of the wheel to the edge of the wheel. Double the value of the radius and you get the wheel diameter. Most daily driving cars have 17 to 20 inch wheels, which are perfect for all-around control and the longevity of your car parts.
Wheel width. The wheelbase and the width of your tires determine the width of your rims and wheels. A larger wheel width results in more stability, but makes the car more difficult to turn without the aid of power steering. A narrow wheel width allows your car to turn faster, but is more likely to turn over on high speeds.
Structural Design
How a wheel is built also has a significant impact on your car’s overall performance. The right structural design can mean all the difference between a safe vehicle and one bound for a serious accident. The way your wheels are made all depends on your needs on the road:
Steel wheels. Steel is a durable, inexpensive material that is used on many stock vehicles. To reduce the weight of the wheel, the steel used for rims are usually shaped into tubes or with other hollow construction techniques.
Light alloy wheels are recommended if you want the same durable qualities of steel, but without the extra weight. Light alloy wheels are often used for racing and other high-performance applications, although they are more expensive than steel wheels.
Exterior Design
Stock wheels and rims work just fine, but you can add a whole new look to your car if you buy specially-designed wheels. On high speeds, performance rims help cool the brake discs, but they don’t serve any useful function during ordinary driving. They do make your car look good, and add value to the overall look of your car. Here are some rim designs you may want to consider:
Spoke wheels. If you have expensive, high-performance brakes, you may want to try spoke wheels. Spoke wheels are quite stable, and are perfect for showing off the inner workings of your vehicle.
Wire rims. For vintage cars, classic sports cars, and muscle cars, a set of rims built with wire spokes give you that clean, vintage body-shop look most classics have.
Chrome spinners. If you want to add that extra bit of bling to your vehicle, a set of chrome spinners will definitely make your vehicle a looker on the road. The spinner rim is loosely attached to the actual rim of the vehicle, and moves independently of the actual rim through an electrical system or a gear mechanism. Some chrome spinner rims also have neon or LED lighting in between the spinner rim and the actual rim.
Wheels and rims may not seem like much, but they add extra value and improve the overall look of your car. The next time you take your car to the body shop or the auto modding garage, you may want to consider buying a full set of new rims to make your car look better, be safer, and go faster.