Recently, our inbox has been filled with queries about fitment of after market alloy wheels and upsizing of tyres.
While it might look simple as to choose an alloy wheel design of your tastes and tyres of a reputable brand, to get driving again, there are a host of problems that could arise if not done correctly.
For one, the wrong off-set could lead to additional stresses on your suspension components. Or choosing the wrong Pitch Circle Diameter and not centring the wheel properly could result in high speed wheel tramp. It was a little confusing and we needed an expert to throw more light into the topic. So to get our facts right, we headed to the Global Tyres in Cochin who were more than happy to help us.
We were taken through a mesmerizing array of alloy wheel patterns on display. The collection ranges from budget conscious brands like Aura, Neo, League (Rs 11,000 onwards) to high end ones like Lenso, Momo, Borbett(Rs 23,500-Rs 80,000) etc. If that wasn’t enough, Global Tyres had a whole set of brochures that contained more patterns that could be made available without much delay. We were told that the trend of alloy wheels is fast changing. People now prefer white, grey, gun-metal, bronze finishes to chrome and black combinations that were the rage two years ago. Red and black are two colours that could add a true racer look but not too many buyers’ liking. Hyper silver, as the colour is called, is an all time favourite that won’t slip out of fashion any time soon.
Now comes the question of choosing the right upsize. While 17 or 18 inchers might look cool, it will be too harsh on anything less than the smoothest of tarmac and least impractical for a midsize car with 14 or 15 inchers as standard.
Go larger in diameter if you prefer looks and handling over ride quality.
You will feel as though your car handles like it is on rails due to less sidewall flexing. The larger you go on the diameter of the wheel; the lower the tyre profile goes in order to maintain the outer diameter of the wheel and to keep errors out of your odo and speedometer readings. Thinner side walls of tyres also mean more imperfections filtering into the cabin and the suspension working more to filt e r m i n u t e shocks. Stick to one or two upsize at max and you will be fine.
Next we were onto gaining some gyan on tyres and luckily Global Tyres had a wide range of tyres that caught our interest. There were imported brands like Michelin, Yokohama, Continental, Dunlop and also some native ones like Apollo, MRF too. There were comfort tyres that last longer and have less noise along with less grip and sport tyres with leech like grip but with a soft compound that would not last very long. The width of the tyre improves the grip, braking and stability of the car, but at the cost of fuel efficiency. Too wide tyres can make your steering heavy and even slow the car down, thanks to the additional drag.
With all the selection process completed, you can sit back and relax in the air-conditioned lounge with a huge plasma screen tuning in the dish TV content of your choice while your car gets done. Or else you could go there and watch the action while it happens.
The tyres being eased in to the rim flanges, the bursting sound when they snap onto the rims when filled up, the way the wheels are fitted on to the car using air powered nut fasteners like in a F1 pit, the way the wheel alignment is carried on with computer aided mechanisms- it all has to be seen.
Philip of Global says, “People are more and more interested in changing over to alloys, especially those who buy cars like the Honda City which doesn’t come with alloys as standard.” When we returned, we realized there is more to wheel upsizing than just tightening the nuts using a spanner.