Alloy Wheels: Advantages, Disadvantages, & Everything You Need To Know Before Purchase

Alloywheelsenhancethelooksofthecaranditcanmakeevenamundane-lookingcarlookgood.So,ifyouareinthemarkettobuyalloywheels,hereareafewadvantages,anddisadvantagesalongwithafewotherimportantdetails.

ImprovesFuelEconomy:Thisisaveryminorimprovementbecausealloywheelsaregenerallylighterthansteelwheels.Asaresult,itreducestheoverallenergyrequiredtospringthewheels,whichislikelytoenhancefuelefficiency.

ImprovesHandling:Beinglighterinweight,alloywheelsreducetheunsprungmass.Thisusuallyresultsinreducedsteeringeffortandbetterhandling.Thelowerunsprungmassalsoresultsinbettercomfortaswell.

MoreDurable:Alloywheelsaresturdierthansteelwheelsastheyaremadeofhardenedaluminiummagnesiumalloy,whichdoesnotbendlikeasteelwheel.Also,theyarebettersuitedfortubelesstyresastheyretaintheirshapeandthereforeaireasily.

DoNotRust:Aluminumalloywheelsdonotrustlikesteelwheelsandarethereforebetterforcars,especiallyforcarsusedincoastalareasandplaceswithhighrainfall.

ImprovedBrakingPerformance:Alloywheelsalsoimprovebrakingperformancebecausemanyhaveabetterventilationpatternintherimandconductheatbetterthansteelwheels,allowingthebrakesofthecartoruncooler.

HighInitialPurchaseCost:Analloywheelis2-3timesmoreexpensivecomparedtoasimilarsteelwheel.Also,alloywheelscannotberepairedandtheyusuallycrackunderhighimpact.Assuch,anydamagetoalloywheelsusuallyendupinreplacement.

NeedsWheelBalancingChecks:Analloywheeldoesnotallowyoutouseclip-onwheelbalancingweights.Insteadoneneedstousestick-onweightsontheinsideoftherim,whicharemorelikelytofalloffthanclip-onweights.

PCD:PCDstandsforpitchcirclediameter.Thisisthedistanceofthewheelboltsorstudsfromthecentrepointoraxleofthewheel.Italsoaccountsforhowmanyholesorstudsthatyouhaveontherim.

Rimwidth:Whenpurchasinganewalloywheel,itisimportanttokeepaneyeonthewidthofthealloywheelrim.Apartfromhavingtobuynewtyres,widerrimscanalsofoulwiththefender,steeringrodorsuspensioncomponents.

Upsizing:Whenyouareupsizingyourtyres,youusuallycangoinforwideralloystoaccommodatethewidertyres.However,don'tchangetheoveralldiameterofthetyreandalloycombinationbecausethiswillchangeodometerreadingsonyourcaraswellasaffecthandlingadversely.

Thoughts:Thereareplentyofrumoursandconfusionregardingalloywheelsincars.Theabovearticlewillhelpyouchoosetherighttypeofalloywheelforyourneworoldcar.