Bumping up the aesthetic appeal of your car with aftermarket components helps in standing apart from the crowd and also brings in a lot of perks in terms of ride quality. These bumps can range from a simple decal pack to a fully-fledged body kit. But among all these, the most versatile option is to swap those factory rims with a cool set of aftermarket ones. There are relatively easy swaps as opposed to the hardcore body kits, and the plethora of designs can help you relieve one closer to your imagination! We assist you by giving you an insight into the types of alloy wheels, their perks, and the best ones to buy in 2021.
Cool Looks And Loads Of Designs: It is all about the aesthetic appeal first. The technical bits of losing weight and improved handling are secondary. With various dedicated manufacturers bringing out newer and cooler designs day on day, cool looks are a necessity when it comes to aftermarket wheels, and you are sure to get hold of one that will make you stare at your ride, every single time!
Lightweight And Improved Dynamics: Now comes the technical part. Aftermarket wheels are generally opted for amplifying your car’s cool looks. But the correct set of wheels should always be lighter than your stock ones. It helps in reducing the unsprung mass which in turn helps in improving the handling, acceleration, and braking.
TYPES OF AFTERMARKET CAR WHEELS
There are 3 major types of aftermarket car wheels and are based on the manufacturing processes involved.
Cast Wheels: Casting is the most common method of manufacturing custom alloy wheels and these are the cheapest aftermarket wheels available right now. The root formula is to fill up a mold and let it cool. But hardcore fanatics will know that there are two types of casting processes for wheels as well – Gravity cast (the old school one) and Low-pressure cast. Gravity cast, as mentioned earlier, make use of gravity as you fill up molten aluminum in mold. Give it time, and it settles down. But there is a scope of air bubbles being formed that can affect the rigidity of the wheels.
This is where the low-pressure casting method comes in. Instead of filling into a mold from the top, this method injects the molten metal from the bottom, effectively eliminating the chances of bubble formation. Apart from this, both methods don’t bring about any major changes to the tensile strength or crystalline structure.
Flow Formed Wheels: These are wheels made using a hybrid method that puts it in between the cheaper cast wheels and the top-of-the-line forged wheels. This starts with a pre-mature cast rim that is loaded into a machine that spins it. This is done while pressing rollers against the rim, to pull it outwards into its final width. This genius method stretches the metal and thus realigns the structure of aluminum allow which improves its tensile strength and strengthened crystalline structure. These wheels end up being about 25% lighter than cast wheels without any changes in size or shape.
Mold forging requires a lot of brute force and involves the chunk of aluminum being pressed using a 10,000-ton forging machine. This helps the alloy’s internal grain structure and fiber flow to adapt to the wheel’s shape. This provides for greater strength and improved flexing properties.
Machine forging makes use of a CNC mill to cut out the wheel from the chunk of metal. In these wheels, the grain structure is pre-defined and doesn’t change with the wheel’s shape. These have impressive strength and are extremely light, but it still lags behind the mold form forged wheels in terms of rigidity and flexing properties.
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHILE CHOOSING YOUR SET OF AFTERMARKET WHEELS
Manufacturer: Choosing a well-revered manufacturer is important for an aftermarket alloy wheel. Wheel manufacturing is an art and, the more experienced the artists, the more polished products you get. Companies like Volk, BBS, TSW, Enkei, Konig, and BORBET to name a few have testimonials that make them some of the most sought-after brands when it comes to the road as well as track use.
Choosing the type of wheels: Choosing from the cast, forged or flow-formed wheels is dependent on your budget and type of usage. If you are a budget-friendly person who is picking a set of track use, then going for flow-formed wheels makes sense. If it’s for project road car but budget-friendly then cast wheels would suffice. And if you want the absolute best of the wheel world, then forged rims are the way to go. A newer trend coming up is carbon fiber wheels which are extremely light and are mostly famed among luxury and supercar owners, as well as competitive racing.
Your style: This is where your imagination comes to play. With the increasing portfolio of design out there, you have the liberty to even materialize a design that you have in mind as well. So, make sure you take your own sweet time and choose one that you would stare at all day!
Pricing: Pricing is not a standalone factor, as manufacturers and types of wheels also play a crucial role. But the simplest method would be to the first lock onto your budget, and then go about choosing a wheel. This way you can finally end up on the absolute best that your money can buy.
HERE ARE THE BEST AFTERMARKET CAR WHEELS TO BUY IN 2021
This is one of the most iconic aftermarket wheels of all time and chances are high for you to remember it from Need For Speed Underground! These are the performance series from BBS and are flow-formed wheels. These make it stronger and lighter than cast wheels but also more on the pricey side as well. Quality is impeccable and it comes in 3 diameters (18, 19, and 20-inches) and 8 widths. All of this allows for a wider scope of application of varying wheel hub sizes. There are 4 colors offered, all of which look dapper.
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Iconic brand and design
Roll formed rim for more rigidity
Lightweight
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Pricey
Too glossy. Not everyone’s cup of tea
BBS CH-R Black Wheel with Painted Finish and Polished Stainless Steel Rim (19 x 8.5 inches /5 x 112 mm, 48 mm Offset)
This is all about classic JDM appeal. This is a rather new manufacturer which is gaining traction for tickling with nostalgia. This unique 5-spoke design makes it look both aggressive and classy at once and goes on well with cars from different years as well. It comes in 17 and 18 inches and is offered in 3 varying widths, mostly in line with the classic JDM machines like the Honda Prelude, Mitsubishi Eclipse, and Honda Integra. Kansei has stuck to the original designs which help it stand apart from the seat of custom wheels. Order your news wheels from Amazon today!
This is also an iconic design in the tuner world but takes on a more sharp layout rather than the old-school JDM ones. The funny part about this brand is that many people know of it from cool decals and stickers on modified cars (they sure make some dope full body stickers). Raijin is more of an all-rounder with a daily drivable nature as well as occasional aggressive driving. It is offered in 2 diameters – 18 and 19-inches and comes in 4 widths and 4 colors. We dig the copper finish and this design goes well with all sharp-looking cars. It manages to cater to a neutral ground when it comes to value. Order your news wheels from Amazon today!
This is a very popular wheel design from Cosmis Racing and many in the car scene know the brand because of this design. It is known for sheer versatility as it comes in an insane list of 18 shades, 6 diameters, and 9 widths. So, this wheel can literally fit anything and everything out there! Its multi spoke design helps it stand out and provides a distinguishing appeal, no matter the car type. Slap this on a Ferrari and it will look quite appealing as well. Order your news wheels from Amazon today!
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Iconic wheel design, famed among tuners
Rigid build quality and fine-tuned for performance machines
Loads of choices with 18 shades to choose from
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Pricey
Cosmis Racing Wheels XT-206R Custom Wheel – 17×8, 30 Offset, 5×114.3 Bolt Pattern, 73.1mm Hub – Black Rim
Another wheel, another iconic manufacturer. This wheel is particularly common among high-rollers. It has a classy design appeal without compromising on performance. the 2 split 5-spoke design has a trippy appeal and forms a mesmerizing 3D pattern. This is available in 2 diameters – 17 and 18-inches and looks cool in both its shades – titanium silver and mystic matte black. Order your news wheels from Amazon today!
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Unique 3D spoke pattern
Impressive fit and finsih
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Limited rim diameter options; thus restricted fitment options
This is also an iconic wheel manufacturer but like many out there, not based in Japan. This German aftermarket alloy manufacturer is all about class and appeal. But they don’t compromise on performance and are very much common among supercar owners. This is a 5-spoke unit that is build using casting. It comes in just one size of 18 inches, the fit and finish on this one are marvelous. It is quite lightweight at just 20 pounds and has been told to take on the forces of nature with ease. Order your news wheels from Amazon today!
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Versatility with fitment for various tyre sizes
Stagger friendly
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Lug nuts nor included in the box
Pricey
Konig OVERSTEER Gloss Black Wheel with Painted and tpms (18 x 8. inches /5 x 112 mm, 45 mm Offset)
This has to be the most popular aftermarket alloy wheel design to date. It is a chunky 6-spoke unit and is offered in 2 diameters – 17 and 18 inches. This is one of those few wheels that will go well with any car out there differentiated by body styles as well as age. And to top it all, this wheel is priced quite right for what it puts on the table. it is offered in 6 shades – black, blue, bronze, gloss black, hyper black, and white. Order your news wheels from Amazon today!
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Versatile with a bunch of compatible sizes
Iconic bronze shade is drool-worthy
All-aluminum build makes it quite durable and light
Finally one for the muscle fam. This is an iconic alloy wheel design that is very much common among muscle car tuners for its seamless transition with all those burbly body types of the 80s and 90s. The AR105 is built out of high-grade aluminum which makes it impressively light and durable. It can take on miles and take on the forces of nature without losing that shine. It weighs just 17 pounds which is ironic to be put on a muscle car, but it sure does help in improving the handling characteristics. It is offered in the widest diameter options in this bunch – from 16 to 22 inches. Order your news wheels from Amazon today!
This set from Motegi flaunts the brushed aluminum and contrasting black layout with ease. Constructed using aluminum, it is quite light and doesn’t compromise on rigidity. It is offered in 4 diameters – 16, 17, 18, and 20 inches which help you to find the perfect one for your ride. Varying off-sets and widths also make it a good choice for custom projects as well. It comes in just one shade – bedazzling gloss black. Order your news wheels from Amazon today!
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Lifetime structural and 1-year finish warranty
Impressive durability for a classy design
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The chrome highlights is not everyone’s cup of tea
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