Top 10 Extreme Tips When Buying Aftermarket Wheels and Rims

Before buying aftermarket wheels these top 10 tips are extremely important to investigate for cost-saving. If one does not consider the risks involved, it might end up damaging the traction control, antilock braking system (ABS), and speedometer.

Tip 1: Circumference of the Car Wheel

When we are buying aftermarket wheels, it is important to know that the circumference of the previous OEM wheels and the new aftermarket wheels is the same. This is because if the newly bought car wheel is either of a bigger or smaller size it is going to negatively affect the speedometer ABS and traction control. The lost car rim will not fit and thus causing problems while driving. The gears go from your transmission to your engine and the performance of the wheel depends on the final gear. Thus, the circumference for the new aftermarket wheel should be within 3 percent of the previous OEM wheel.

Tip 2: Choosing the Right Car Rim Size

The size you want to choose for your OEM wheels depends on the look that you desire. A 17 inches car rim can be considered a smaller rim which means that you have a larger wheel rubber and less chance of bending the car rim upon hitting the road. 18 inches is said to be the ideal size as it gives a fresh look and prevents your car rim to get damaged. Similarly, if we have a larger car rim say 19 inches rim or 20 inches rim it reduces the size of the rubber wheel which may bend or damage your wheel depending upon whether the vehicle is having an on-road or off-road drive.

Tip 3: Choosing Proper Width of Car Rim

Once you decide the size for your car rim one can then choose a good-sized aftermarket car wheel to fit on the rim. If the tire does not fit the car rim it will stretch the rubber wheels and proper pressure is not divided across the width of the car rim. This is absolutely not recommended as the wear and tear is too great to handle as time passes and can damage the car rim easily when it hits a hard bump. Moreover, your tire can easily come off in the worst-case scenarios.

Tip 4: Comparison metrics of OEM and Aftermarket Wheels:

You can compare the section rim width, rim diameter, rim width range, speedometer reading, circumference, and radius of the car wheel and compare it with different options that you have while buying the aftermarket wheels. You do not want to choose a wider width for your aftermarket wheel as it would rub the inside line of the wheel with the fender due to choosing the wrong offset. 

Tip 5: Choosing the Right Stock Ride Height

When chosen properly the front car wheels and the back-car wheels are completely flushed and look symmetrically aligned. Now as a bonus tip when your buying new OEM wheels you want to consider your suspension, if you are running a stock ride height and want to install coil covers down the road. You are adjusting how your car sits on your wheels when you adjust the ride height by either lowering or raising the vehicle. When you're going to go on a bump the control arms are going to be moved accordingly so our advice to you would be to dial in your suspension correctly and measure the previous OEM wheel size and then decide which size you want to choose when buying a new set.

Tip 6: Having a Proper Offset

Having proper offset is also very important so that the brake caliper does not interfere with your rim. If you have chosen a car rim that has a lot of space between the car rim and the brake caliber then a wheel spacer has to be installed at the back of the wheel to push the wheel forward and minimize the gap. Here you are basically adding offset without changing the size of the wheel. You need to dial in your suspension and brakes before buying a proper set of wheels.

Tip 7: Matching the Bore Size

The inside diameter of the wheel is called its bore. How big is the bore of the car rim as it is to be compared to the bore of the car and it should be smaller to or equal in size to the bore of the car? If the bore is smaller a hub-centric ring is mounted on the bore to make it fit properly.  

Tip 8: Choosing the Right Lug Nut

Depending upon which car wheel one chooses, there are different styles of lug nut that can be properly used to mount the wheel on the car. The different designs for the nut lugs can be acorn lug, tapered lug, mag seat lug nut. So one may break the wheel if a wrong lug nut is chosen so choose the lug nut carefully while choosing the car wheel. 

Tip 9: Shifting the Front Wheels to the Back of the Car

Another important point is to shift your front wheels to your back as it would extend the overall life of your car wheel. The disadvantage is that the car wheels will have less traction and less rubber. A stagger setup is adopted when your rear wheels are wider than your front wheels which gives more friction and more traction and will be able to fit different rims.

Tip 10: Buying Real wheels instead of Knock off’s

When your buying aftermarket wheels do not buy knock-off aftermarket wheels as these are not real wheels. The real wheels are inexpensive, lightweight, cast-framed wheels. If you are going for cheap aftermarket wheels, they can actually break the wheel off of the face, snapping the barrel clean off of the wheel leading to an accident. 

Conclusion:

The circumference of the new wheels should be within 3 percent of the old wheels. 18 inches is the ideal size of the car rim to avoid damages to the rim on a bumpy track. The selection of the car rim is crucial so that the wheel rubber does not have to stretch to be adjusted on the car rim. Compare parameters like rim circumference and width properly before buying aftermarket wheels to avoid adjustment issues. The car rim after installment may demand ride height to be adjusted if the offset is not chosen properly. Match the bore size and choose the right nut lug. Shift the wheels front the front end to the back to extend the lifetime and last but not least buy proper replacement wheels from Factory Wheel Warehouse and if damage occurs repair our best car rim repair service by the name of the Elite of Albany. Drive safe and follow the tips to avoid damages to your rim.  

For professional customer services about rims and wheels call us at +1 518-579-9260.

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