Wheels have a definite impact on the aesthetics of a car and they also have a larger part to play with it comes to function and performance. When you are choosing new wheels for the vehicle, there are many factors to consider and you need to ensure that the new wheels don’t bring down the performance or safety of the vehicle.
There has been a lot of innovation over the years when it comes to wheels and you will find so many different types of wheels on the market. The basic wheels that you see in the market are steel wheels and they are a standard option that is used by many manufacturers for low end vehicles. Steel is a hard material but it is also heavier than alloy wheels. Hubcaps are used often to cover most of the steel wheels and there are many decorative options to choose from.
This elevates the look of steel to that of alloy wheels. Alloy wheels are most commonly used today and they are cheaper than steel wheels. These are manufactured using aluminium and magnesium. These have the same strength as pure metal but the main benefit is that they are lighter. They also look a lot better.
You may have heard the term mag wheels and originally they were made of magnesium and used especially for racing. You may see pure magnesium wheels in classic cars but this can cause the wheel to crack and corrode. But due to the issues in magnesium wheels, alloy wheels were manufactured. Alloy wheels are stronger than steel wheels and they are more efficient in heat conduction. They have now become high performance wheels.
Most of the wheels you find in the market have a layer of paint to prevent corrosion. This is generally used in low end wheels. But when it comes to high end or expensive wheels, chromium is used on the surface. This instantly elevates the appearance of the wheels and therefore is preferred by many car enthusiasts. Multi-piece wheels have about two or three components. You can find two piece wheels where the rim and the wheel face are attached with rim screws. For tighter securing, a sealant is applied once the screws are fixed. There are also three piece wheels. The wheel rim is divided into two and this allows you to adjust the width of the wheel. However, these wheels are heavier than single piece wheels and they also tend to be weaker. There are some multi-piece wheels that use rolled rim technology for higher strength.
Forged wheels are aftermarket wheels that are forged by a single piece of solid aluminium into the wheel rim shape. There are also cast wheels you can find under the same aftermarket category but the manufacturing process is different. Here the aluminium is liquefied and poured into a mould to create the wheel. Forged wheels are lighter and stronger which contributes to higher performance. But they are also more expensive than cast wheels. Diamond cut wheels are similar to alloy wheels but you will notice that they have a different finish.
They tend to be more shiny or glossy. This high shine is achieved by machine lathe. This is generally something that changes appearance only. You can achieve a more personalised appearance with diamond cut wheels as there is a variety of colours available as well.