Rims are an important component of a modern car. Probably after the engine this is the second most important detail – the car will not pass without them. When choosing rims for their “iron horse”, most motorists are guided primarily by their design and cost, but when choosing it is important to take into account other, no less important nuances!
Which rims to choose: steel, alloy or forged?
So how do we choose 17 inch rims ? Such a question arises in almost every driver. The rims differ in size, fitting and production technology. There are steel and alloy rims, the latter in turn are divided into alloy and forged. By design, the rims are foldable and non-foldable. Prefabricated discs are very rare, and the disc and rim in them are fastened together with threaded connections.
HOW TO CHOOSE CAR RIMS
rims are an important component of a modern car. Probably after the engine this is the second most important detail – the car will not pass without them. When choosing rims for their “iron horse”, most motorists are guided primarily by their design and cost, but when choosing it is important to take into account other, no less important nuances!
Which rims to choose: steel, alloy or forged?
So how do we choose car rims? Such a question arises in almost every driver. The rims differ in size, fitting and production technology. There are steel and alloy rims, the latter in turn are divided into alloy and forged. By design, the rims are foldable and non-foldable. Prefabricated discs are very rare, and the disc and rim in them are fastened together with threaded connections.
Stamped rims are the most common. Most often, such rims are installed on a car from the factory. The main advantages of steel discs are their excellent maintenance in case of failure, as well as low cost. A steel disc is just a piece of iron, so it takes an extremely hard blow to break or crack. And since such rims often wrinkle, their recovery will not be difficult. Steel discs have significant disadvantages, among which we can distinguish a significant mass, an absolute lack of design and not very attractive appearance, as well as poor corrosion resistance. Well, enamel discs rust especially fast.
Alloy rims are made using aluminum or magnesium. Such rims are made in two ways: by casting or forging. The main advantages of alloy rims can be called their light weight, which improves the smoothness of the ride and reduces wear on the suspension, high corrosion resistance and stylish design. Their geometry is perfect, so with proper balancing, any wheel vibration is eliminated.
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Alloy rims are cast or forged. The flying rims have an internally granular metal construction, which can be attributed to their main drawback. During operation, mainly on poor roads, invisible microcracks accumulate, which can cause the disc to crack on impact.
Forged rims have a multilayer fibrous metal structure, thanks to which they have the highest strength. This feature allows such a product to withstand even strong shocks. Theoretically, forged rims, of course, can be pressed, but most often the drive remains intact and the suspension fails. Well, the main disadvantage of such rims is considered to be unnecessarily high cost, as a result of which they have not yet become widespread.
It is worth noting that when replacing ordinary stamped steel discs on alloy rims, it is often necessary to use studs or bolts of increased length, as the rims of light alloys have a large thickness. Therefore, the size of the standard fastening may not be sufficient.
The choice of rims: size plays a significant role
When choosing car rims, you need to consider their size, as they are especially important. Many car owners try to “glue” the largest possible rims that can be installed on a particular car. But such actions are often wrong.
First of all, you need to know the mounting size of the rims for the machine. rims with a diameter of 10, 12 – 22 inches are most often used in production cars, including SUVs. Most cars are equipped with 13 to 17 inch discs, and larger diameter rims are usually installed on SUVs or sports models.
Recently, the trend of increasing the mounting diameter of the wheel is gaining popularity. For example, cars equipped with 13-inch rims are equipped with 14-inch rims. Such changes are made to use low-profile tires that have better driving capabilities than large-profile tires. However, such improvements will be useful if the car uses light alloy rims, as larger steel rims will add extra weight.