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There is plethora of sports wheels
available in the market, all designed to complement
high-performance tyres in terms of appearence and performance, as
well as to appeal to your aesthetic sense in individualizing your
car. The varities are virtually endless, featuring materials such as
aluminium, hot die forged aluminium, split and cold die forged
aluminium, cast alloy, and cast steel. You can choose from one-,
two-or three-pieces makes or chrome plated, clear coated, painted,
brushed and polished.
Selection
It is very important to ensure that the new wheels you are
purchasing are of the proper size, dimension and load-carrying
capacity. Basically, the size of the tyres and ride application will
determine wheel size.
Each tyre size comes with its approved range may result in stress on
the tyre and poor performance.The general rule of thumb is that a
narrow rim gives a more comfortable ride while a wider rim increases
steering response. The happy medium would be to select wheels within
the mid-range rim widths. This will maintain a balance between
precision handling and ride comfort.
Backspacing (the space between the inner plane across the rim to the
surface of the centre disc at the lug bolt holes) must also be taken
into consideration. It is best to stay with the original backspacing
figure. This way, you avoid vehicles suspension problems during
cornering. Backspace is determined by first laying the wheel space
down. Then, a straight edge is laid across the back of the wheel.
The distance from the straight edge to the wheel hub's mounting
surface is the backspacing.
Installation
Always is a torque wrench to install sports wheels and ensure that
proper tightening proceduresare followed. Before installing a wheel,
be sure to check that the nuts and lugs are of the correct size and
correct seat design. Otherwise, the wheel may not sit correctly on
the hub.
After wheel has been mounted, snugly tighten the nuts on with your
hands. Just like a normal tyre change, tighten the nuts in a criss-cross
pattern. Also, pay attention to the clearance and tyre diameter when
upgrading to a bigger wheel and tyre size. The wheels and tyres must
not extend beyond the fender or interfere with any parts in the
inner side. The outer diameter of the new tyres should be within +
or -3% that of the standard tyres.
Maintenance
Sports wheels need to be frequently cleaned to prevent accumulation
of brake dust. It is recommended that you use after market wheel
cleanes with pH levels ranging from 8.5 to 9.5. Normal is too weak
to wash off brake dust. Wait until the wheels have cooled off before
washing. Spraying water on wheels when they are hot could cause
sudden contractions that may the drum and rotors.
Article contributed by AAM
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