Basic Info on Rims
Every part of the vehicle is important, but rims are undoubtedly among the most noticeable ones. Nevertheless, many drivers don’t realize that they have a large influence on how cars perform. For that reason, changing the rims can be an incredible and easy way both to give your car a more striking appearance and to achieve special performance advantages. Before choosing the correct rims for your four-wheeled friend, it’s of high importance to understand what exactly a rim is and how to match it to tires. Once you learn the basics, you’ll be able to find the item you want at an online or auto supply store as well as to pick some factory replica rims.
Many drivers are confused about what a rim actually is. In fact, they use the term “wheel” interchangeably with “rim”. Let’s sort that out! A rim is actually the part of the wheel, its outer edge which holds the tire in place so that it is able to rotate in conjunction with other parts of the wheel. The rim is connected to the wheel hub by spokes.
You can buy a rim as a separate piece to fit with multi-piece wheels or as a part of single-piece wheels. Most manufacturing companies cast the hub, the spokes and the rims together in a single-piece wheel, why the rest of them cast these parts separately and afterwards attach them one to another. For that reason, single-piece wheels usually cost less than multi-piece ones. Nevertheless, single-piece wheels require you to replace the entire wheel even if only one part of it becomes damaged. On the other hand, you can replace just one part, for example the rims if you have the vehicle with multi-piece wheels.
Before making any final decisions on buying rims or entire wheels, make sure you understand the difference it will make on your driving experience.