You know that guy in your neighborhood?
The one who thinks he has the best looking car on the block, but he’s needed rims for five years, and no one has the heart to tell him?
Yeah. Nobody wants to be that guy. But how do you know when to replace rims?
Well, today’s your lucky day because you’re about to find out!
Stick with us, and we’ll give you the 411.
What Do Rims Do
Before we get into when you should replace them, it helps to have a basic understanding of what rims do for your car.
Rims reduce friction while your car is driving. They also support the weight of your vehicle and keep your tire intact.
This is why it’s essential to make sure whatever rims you buy are correctly installed. A proper fit between your rim and tire is needed to get the most out of both. If the tires aren’t fitted onto your rims properly, you’ll need to replace rims, and you’ll need to replace them often.
Rims Have A Shelf Life
In case you haven’t heard: people refer to rims as “shoes.” And just like shoes, you need a new “pair” every so often.
Even if you take care of your rims like they’re made of gold, you’ll still need new ones throughout the life of your car. Driving is a tough business, and miles and miles on the road will put wear and tear on your rims. No matter what.
You Get What You Pay For
Rims come in a variety of different materials, from steel to chrome. A lot of people end up buying steel rims to cut costs on the front end, but they don’t realize that they are sacrificing a lot in quality.
Sure, you may be saving some money in the short-term, but after you’ve replaced a few pairs of steel rims, you’ll have spent just as much as if you’d bought an aluminum or carbon fiber set from the beginning.
When Do You Need To Replace Rims
The first thing to understand is: Your rims are just as important as any other car part. You should be checking on them and maintaining them regularly, just like you do with your fluids, filters, etc.
If your rims are cracking/splintering at the edges, it’s a good sign that they need replacing. This is one of the more severe instances for replacing your rims, and it should be done as soon as possible before your rim does any sort of damage to your tire.
You’ll especially want to look out for this if you’re rolling on a set of high-performance tires. Those Pirellis can get expensive! We don’t want you to waste one if you don’t have to. No worries! We’ve got your back with some asanti wheels for sale.
Also, anytime you’ve hit a large pothole, gone over a rough road, or came too close to a curb, it is a good time to check up on your rims. If you’ve hit an uneven surface hard enough, your rim could easily become cracked or bent. These are usually easy to spot, though, because your tire has also gone flat.
However, there are some other not-so-obvious signs that you may need to get some new rims.
Alignment
If your car is out of alignment and starts pulling in either direction, you may need to replace the rims on your vehicle. You can check this by briefly letting your hands off the wheel while the car is moving forward(obviously, you need to be SAFE while doing this).
If your hands aren’t on the wheel and the car starts drifting either left or right, it’s a possible sign that you may have a damaged wheel.
Bulging
Another common issue that may result in you having to replace rims is bulging. If you feel there is something wrong with the tires on your car, check to see if the wheels are bulging. This is more likely to happen in hotter climates, where heat and humidity can affect the interior air pressure of your tires. Be on the lookout!
Vibration
If, while you’re driving your car, you feel a lot of vibration, it could be another sign that your wheels need replacing. Other things can cause vibration in your vehicle, but you want to make sure that your mechanic checks the wheels in the case of vibration. It’s something that could be easily overlooked, and you want to make sure to stay on top of it.
Any sign of vibration or shakiness is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly, and something that needs to be addressed. Putting things off will only result in more significant, more costly repairs down the line.
Tires Constantly Deflating
We talked earlier about making sure your tire and rim fit perfectly together. Both your rim and your tire play an important role in the health of your car. Nobody wants to be driving 65-70 mph and have a tire blowout because of an improper fit to your rim.
If you have a tire that’s constantly deflating, and needs to be filled up every few days or every week, you need to monitor that tire and rim in order to avoid the situation of a severe blowout or avoid changing a rim.
Poor Handling
If your steering wheel isn’t responding the way it normally would, you may want to check your tires and rims. Check the obvious things first like power steering fluid, but if that doesn’t solve it, it may be a deeper issue.
Where The Rubber Meets The Road
Rims and tires are often overlooked, but they are some of the most important parts of your car. They are the only point of contact your car has with the road.
You need to make sure they are healthy and maintained at all times. Not keeping up with them can cause some major repairs or injuries, so please keep up with your rim and tire maintenance.
We hope getting a little insight on when to replace rims has helped you do that.
What other topics would you love to hear from us? Let us know in the comments!
