While a lot of vehicle owners expect the wheel they want will be readily available for the kind of size and finish they imagine, custom wheels do not oftentimes comply with this. Most auto owners give up before even trying different sets of custom wheels on their vehicles. This is because somehow they do not know how to approach buying custom wheels. The main goal of this article is to guide custom wheel shoppers throughout the buying experience as well as to identify and avoid the common pitfalls.
Get to Know Your Vehicle
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The first thing is to do a little research. Look up your vehicle. Take note of the exact bolt pattern, stock, and offset tire size of your auto. This will be the first criterion in finding out what kind of wheel you can actually get. For example, a 22 x 9.5” set wheels will not fit on a 2001 Honda Civic car. You also have to understand the bolt patterns of your vehicle. The following are the list of common vehicles that have bolt patterns: 5 x 130 Porsche; 4 x 4.25/108 Ford Focus; 5 x 105 Chevy Volt; 6 x 4.5 Dodge Durango/Nissan Frontier; 6 x 115 Cadillac CTS-V; 6 x 5 Chevy Trailblazer; 6 x 132 GM Acadia; 8 x 180 Chevrolet 2500 and 3500; 8 x 200 Ford Superduty; 8 x 210 Chevrolet Dually; 8 x 225 Ford Superduty Dually. Moreover, there are vehicles that have unusual offset which can make shopping for custom wheels hard. Among those difficult to fit include Corvettes, Dodge, 4WD Chevrolet S-10 trucks, and 1992-2003 Camaros.
Do a Research about Wheels
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Next, visit some manufacturer websites. Most of the wheel lines displayed on the market come from major manufacturers. You can also check a few online outlets that sell factory direct rims. While browsing through the websites, it is best to adapt an open attitude towards a particular wheel. Do not get attached to a single type of wheel. There is not much demand for custom wheels so manufacturers do not always produce a wide variety of wheels. Most manufacturers would likely produce their best-selling models. Unfortunately, only a few manufacturers will give you a list of best-sellers so make sure you get a good feel of the manufacturer’s style. Being flexible about sizes will also be convenient since the wheel size is relatively immaterial on how tall your car sits. Flexibility will also help you cope with availability or price constraints in case these do not possibly fit your preference and budget.
Set a Working Budget
Before you visit your preferred outlet, make a budget that you will be able to follow. Wheels can be expensive. For example, painted wheels can be as much as $100 to $300 per wheel, depending on the size. For polished wheels, you might spend between $20 and $40 a wheel. Chrome wheels, on the other hand, cost $50-100 apiece. But if you like to spend more, forget your budget and buy multi-piece wheels which cost over $10 thousand on each set. Tires will usually cost just as much as the wheels. If you’re changing your wheels to a different size, you will also have to get a different set of tires. There are some manufacturers that ship for free so you can definitely count on this to save you some money.
Visit and Canvass on Tire & Wheel Dealers
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Now with your plan and budget ready, you can now head to your trusted store. Remember to ask someone who knows much as selling wheels, given that wheels can be complex and you don’t really want to wait to get the correct wheels for your vehicle. Tell the salesperson the details of your preferred wheel along with important information about your vehicle such as the year, make, and model. He/she will also be needing information about modifications done to your vehicle such as lift kits or brakes. If possible, have the salesperson contact the distribution to know which wheels are available together with the price. Do this for a few dealers before finally making that purchase. Make sure to choose the best dealer that gives a lower mark-up.