![]() ![]() American inventor James JD Gragg of International and American Tru-Spinners were the original ones and were leaders in the industry. With the larger alloy wheels came Tru-Spinner Wheels and spinner wheel add-on spinners that would free-spin and continue to free-spin after the alloy wheel itself came to rest. Ī sizable selection of alloy wheels are available to automobile owners who want lighter, more visually appealing, rarer, and/or larger wheels on their cars, going from 14 and 15 inch standard wheels up to 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 26, 28 and 30 inch wheel sizes. BBS RS is one of the most famous three-piece modular forged wheels. All parts of a modular wheel are held with bolts. Typical multi-piece wheels consist of the inner rim base, outer rim lip and wheel center piece with openings for lug nuts. Modular forged wheels may feature two- or three-piece design. There are two types of forged wheels: one piece and modular. Forged wheels are usually lighter, stronger, but much more expensive than cast wheels. Most alloy wheels are manufactured using casting, but some are forged. ![]() The high cost of alloy wheels makes them attractive to thieves to counter this, automakers and dealers often use locking lug nuts or bolts which require a special key to remove. Alloy wheels have long been included as standard equipment on higher-priced luxury or sports cars, with larger-sized or "exclusive" alloy wheels being options. However, alloy wheels have become considerably more common since 2000, now being offered on economy and subcompact cars, compared to a decade earlier where alloy wheels were often not factory options on inexpensive vehicles. Also, alloy wheels are more difficult to repair than steel wheels when bent, but their higher price usually makes repairs cheaper than replacement.Īlloy wheels are more expensive to produce than standard steel wheels, and thus are often not included as standard equipment, instead being marketed as optional add-ons or as part of a more expensive trim package. In contrast, steel wheels are usually pressed from sheet metal, and then welded together (often leaving unsightly bumps) and must be painted to avoid corrosion and/or hidden with wheel covers/hub caps.Īlloy wheels are prone to galvanic corrosion, which can cause the tires to leak air if appropriate preventive measures are not taken. The manufacturing processes also allow intricate, bold designs. Even if so protected the wheels in use will eventually start to corrode after 3 to 5 years but refurbishment is now widely available at a cost. Alloys allow the use of attractive bare-metal finishes, but these need to be sealed with paint or wheel covers. Reduction in overall vehicle mass can also help to reduce fuel consumption.īetter heat conduction and a more open wheel design can help dissipate heat from the brakes, which improves braking performance in more demanding driving conditions and reduces the chance of diminished brake performance or even failure due to overheating.Īlloy wheels are also purchased for cosmetic purposes although the cheaper alloys used are usually not corrosion-resistant. Lighter wheels can improve handling by reducing unsprung mass, allowing suspension to follow the terrain more closely and thus improve grip, however not all alloy wheels are lighter than their steel equivalents. Once these aluminium casting improvements were more widely adopted, the aluminium wheel took the place of magnesium as low cost, high-performance wheels for motorsports. Because light-alloy wheels at the time were often made of magnesium (often referred to as "mags"), these early wheel failures were later attributed to magnesium's low ductility, when in many instances these wheels were poorly cast aluminium alloy wheels. Until this time, most aluminium wheels suffered from low ductility, usually ranging from 2-3% elongation. In the mid-to-late 1960s, aluminium-casting refinements allowed the manufacture of safer wheels that were not as brittle. Although they lost favor on common vehicles, they remained popular through the 1960s, albeit in very limited numbers. The earliest light-alloy wheels were made of magnesium alloys. Although steel, the most common material used in wheel production, is an alloy of iron and carbon, the term "alloy wheel" is usually reserved for wheels made from nonferrous alloys. Alloys of aluminium or magnesium are typically lighter for the same strength, provide better heat conduction, and often produce improved cosmetic appearance over steel wheels. They generally provide greater strength over pure metals, which are usually much softer and more ductile. Alloys are mixtures of a metal and other elements. In the automotive industry, alloy wheels are wheels that are made from an alloy of aluminium or magnesium. ![]()
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