CHOOSING RIGHT ALLOY WHEELS FOR YOUR CAR

SIZE OF THE WHEEL:

 If you are buying a new set of alloys but do not wish to change your tyres then buy alloys that are the same size as your rims and you can use your original wheels. So if you have 15-inch steel rims then you need to buy 15-inch alloy wheels. If you are willing to change your tyres as well then maintain the specified wheel and tyre combination

PCD?

PCD or pitch circle diameter is the distance between the wheel bolts and the center point or axle of the wheel. It also takes into account the number of studs that you have on the rim. For e.g.: A PCD of 5×160 indicates that the rim has a 160 mm diameter on which the 5 evenly spaced bolts are located. If you don’t match the PCD exactly to what the car came with, you won’t be able to fit your alloy on the car’s wheel hub.

OFF SET?

Some people play the offset on purpose to make the alloy wheels stick out of the wheel arches. That is high negative offset while positive offset means that the wheel hub protrudes out further, when compared to the rest of the wheel. Most alloy wheels come with zero offset or slight negative offset.

It is best to stay within 1-inch of deviation from the stock setup. Negative offset aids handling while too much offset puts pressure on the hub and axle. This can even cause breakage of these parts.

RIMS WIDTH?

Take care that the alloy rim that you are buying is not too wide. Apart from having to buy new tyres, wider rims can also foul with the fender, steering rod or suspension components. The width of the alloy wheel is denoted by numbers such as 6.5 J, 7 J, 8 J etc, where 6.5 is the width in inches and J is the shape of the rim lip .

UPGRADING THE SIZE OF THE TYRE?

You will need to get wider alloy wheels if you upsize your tyres. The overall diameter of the tyre and alloy combination should stay the same. If this is not done then the reading on your odometer will not be correct and your car’s handling will suffer.

Reduce the profile size of the tyre based on the increase in the tyre’s width. Upsizing is essentially increasing the diameter of your wheels and reducing the profile of your tyre to accommodate the tyre and maintain the rolling radius.