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Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Car Mechanics - Fitting Your Vehicle With Appropriate Rims Could Enhance Its Performance

A vehicle's general wheel assembly consists of wheels, tires, rims and hubs. These chief components are the ones that leave your driving prints on the road and the ones that ensure your vehicle is still connected to the road. Together with your brakes, these assemblies are the primary articles where your life depends on when you travel. For the foregoing reasons, it is therefore an imperative that you periodically attend to the upgrading and maintenance needs of your wheels to oversee that they will perform at their best and to safeguard your life.


If you've decided to swap your old wheels to a set of new ones, it is of great importance that you have an idea what type of wheels are appropriate for your vehicle. Today, car rims are not only fitted to vehicles to improve their performance. They are also considered as essential car integrations that improve the aesthetics of any vehicle. In fact, the auto parts market is now profuse with wheels in an assortment of styles and finishes that could definitely complement the differing personalities of car owners. Hence, you could readily pick the ones that would go with your vehicle's style and performance. What follows below are some of the most popular types of rims available in the market today.


Steel wheels are perhaps the most basic form of rims that has been consistently used on many automobiles for years. Wheels that are made from steel are normally covered with hub caps for improved aesthetics and they are also acknowledged for their heavy weight, which makes them the wheels' of choice for heavier vehicles and for off-road and winter driving. Despite the fact that they are not equally at par with their counterparts when it comes to aesthetics, many car owners still prefer using steel wheels because they are inexpensive. Yet, the use of these wheels are slowly losing pace because of the introduction of inexpensive alloy rims in the market.


Alloy wheels or more preferably called as "mags" are vehicle rims derived from magnesium alloy or aluminum. Unlike steel rims that are heavy, alloy rims are lightweight in nature and are known for their durability, which in turn give vehicles increased handling performance and air circulation. They are also acknowledged for their refined aesthetics, making them the rims of choice for city drivers and car show enthusiasts.


If you would like to own rims to further heighten the exterior appearance of your vehicle, other than steel and alloy, you still have several rim options to choose from including chrome, spinner and billet. Chrome wheels are mostly preferred by car show enthusiasts because of their shiny finishes and distinct appeal that they could easily lend to the vehicle they are integrated to. On the other hand, spinners became widely popular because of their optical illusion effect with which they seem to be spinning even if the vehicle is stationary. Meanwhile, billet wheels are crafted from two pieces of solid aluminum that gives them their durable finish, but they cannot be painted or plaited making them rugged-looking, which is a good choice if you would like to dress your vehicle with a street look.


Before your change the rims of your vehicle, you must take into account that this change could affect the general performance of your ride. Hence, whether you would like to fit your vehicle with spinner custom rims or heavy steel wheels, it is imperative that you carefully regard the wheel specifications of your vehicle to know which wheels are suitable for it. It also pays to ask some advise from a professional mechanic in order for you to make an informed decision. Always remember that your driving safety is at the mercy of these components, so you better pick the right ones to ensure that you won't have troubles while you drive.
The tires, rims, hubs and wheels of your automobile are what generally make-up your wheel assembly. Therefore, it is essential that you regularly upgrade them so as to maintain their functionality and to ensure that you would drive safely on the road. When changing your car rims, you have to pay special attention to what type of rims your car really needs. If you frequently use your vehicle for off-road driving, it would be more preferable to settle for steel wheels. If you're driving your vehicle in the city, it would be wiser to opt for alloy custom wheels to make it more lightweight and aesthetically pleasing.




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