When to replace rims?

Replacing a rim on your car is not a difficult thing. But when is it worth doing? In what situations is it absolutely necessary to replace the rim?

Learn everything you need to know about changing wheels, especially why, when to change wheels, where and with what. Alloy wheels or steel wheels? What to look for when buying new rims and is it worth having two sets of them together with winter and summer tires? This is valuable and important knowledge - you will find it in the following paragraphs.

Why replace rims?

The primary reason for replacing a rim is damage to it. However, this is not the only situation where you may want to buy new rims. It is also common to replace the rims with larger ones. This is usually due to the desire to use low-profile tires, which many people find nicer, or to take advantage of their greater sporting capabilities.

If you are changing tires for winter tires, the best solution is (together with the purchase of the first set of tires) to also purchase the appropriate rims, so that you do not have to change the tires every six months, but replace the whole wheels . A set of wheels takes up the same space as the tires themselves, and changing tires with rims is much faster and easier. Sample BMW rims can be purchased for as little as PLN 1,000 per set, so the money saved twice a year when replacing tires will quickly pay off.

How do you know when a rim needs to be replaced?

Replacing your car's rims if they've been damaged isn't complicated. But when is the rim so damaged that it can no longer be used? The symptoms of a damaged rim are primarily symptoms such as:

• body vibrations;
• steering vibration;
• rim beating while driving.

In this situation, you should take a close look at the rims. If no damage is visible on them, you should go to a workshop that will thoroughly check the condition of the car. In the case of some damage, it is possible to repair the rims. Usually, however, steel rims are repaired, replacing aluminum rims is more popular than repairing them, due to the type of material they are made of. Not every aluminum alloy can be remachined and not all damage can be repaired. Damage to alloy wheels that cannot be removed includes, but is not limited to:

• damage to the arms or spokes;
• deep surface scratches;
• distortion of the rim axle.

In the case of steel rims, quite often the cost of reconditioning them would exceed the cost of buying new ones, so it is unprofitable.

If you are constantly losing air from one of your tires, of course, in addition to assessing the tire itself, it is also good to look at the rim itself and look for any damage.

How often should the rims be replaced?

Rims, like any part of a car, wear out. Apart from the obvious need to replace them in the event of serious damage, they become weaker and weaker over time. Good steel wheels should last the life of the car. With aluminum rims, it can be a bit worse - replacement will certainly be necessary if there are problems with wheel balancing. Here, of course, you need to carefully check whether the problem is the rims or tires. On the streets sometimes you see cars with a lot of lead weights that are fixed on the rim. However, this is a symptom that something is wrong with the wheel or tire and you should get to the bottom of the problem, not solve it that way. When to replace the rims? The paragraph below lists the cases when a wheel replacement is necessary.

Can I drive with a damaged rim?

Driving with a damaged rim puts both your car and you at risk. Any damage listed below means that the rim must be repaired or replaced.

Rim distortion

Curling the rim has many unpleasant effects. First of all: it introduces vibrations that make it difficult for the driver to drive and have a very bad effect on the wheel bearings. Second: a bent rim can also mean a loss of pressure in the wheel. This means that one of the tires must be constantly inflated. Driving with too little pressure in one wheel causes the car to pull to one side, which is extremely dangerous when braking and can lead to tire damage.

Rim runout while driving

Runout of the rim while driving means that it has been bent and driving on such a rim may result in the consequences described above. In the case of steel rims, it is possible to repair them, but it is not always and even rarely profitable. In the case of aluminum rims, repair is much more problematic. A better solution here is to replace the damaged rim.

Aluminum rim breakage

Cracking an aluminum rim immediately disqualifies it from further use. Such a rim should be replaced immediately.

Deep scratches on the rim

This is very dangerous damage, often underestimated by owners of aluminum rims. Such deep scratches are a place where further cracking of the material can occur later. Here, too, various types of repairs are used (for example, aluminum welding), but they do not restore the full strength of the new wheel.

Replacing alloy wheels is therefore often a necessity and you must do it for your safety.

What to look for when buying new rims?

There are many parameters to consider when buying new rims. Of course, the aesthetic value depends only on your taste and matching the model or color of your car.

Each rim has the specs on its inside. A typical rim designation is, for example, 16 inch alloy wheels:

7.5Jx16H2 ET35

where:

• 7.5 – width in inches;
• J – flange profile;
• 16 – rim diameter in inches;
• H2 – rim section profile;
• ET35 – depth of rim embedment.

First: remember to order rims in the size allowed by the car manufacturer, sometimes it's only one diameter, for example 16 inches, and sometimes two: 15 and 16 inches. The right 16-inch alloy wheels will certainly change the look of the car to the plus.

The second important thing is the spacing of the screws and their number. Most popular models are similar here, but there are less typical solutions. For example, 15 4x108 alloy wheels means 15 inch, 4 108 pitch wheel studs.

You should also find the embedment depth in the car's manual and match the ordered rims to it.

It is important in the case of alloy wheels whether they are adapted to use in winter conditions. Not all aluminum rims are properly protected against such conditions, which can result in much faster wear and, consequently, damage.

Buying used rims is also not the smartest solution. This is especially true of aluminum rims, which may look great but have hidden flaws that will come out (for example) when you try to balance the wheel.

Does changing tires damage the rims?

Each time you remove and install a tire, you can damage the rim. Especially more susceptible to scratches or dents aluminum rims. A good workshop should carry out the entire operation (without damage to the tire and rim), but there is never a 100% guarantee. That is why buying winter tires with a set of rims is becoming so popular, which saves time and guarantees a longer life of such a set. It also allows the use of alloy wheels in the summer set, which are not adapted to Polish winter conditions.

Replacing rims with bigger ones

There are many things to keep in mind when upgrading to larger rims. They must fit with the tire in the wheel arch in all positions as far as the front axle is concerned. The manufacturer of the car specifies what rims can be used in it and it is usually one size or two adjacent ones. When replacing with even larger ones, low-profile tires are connected with them, thanks to which the whole thing fits in the wheel arch. However, this has a large impact on the cushioning properties and is a very vulnerable solution.

Many people make such a change, however, because of the visual qualities of the whole car on such a set. The low profile also facilitates fast cornering, which, however, would be more applicable on the track than in traffic. If you are thinking about replacing your wheels with larger ones, check out the offer for example 17 5x112-alloy wheels or even bigger alloy wheels 19.

Replacing rims and the pressure sensor

Replacing rims with a pressure sensor requires a new sensor number to be entered into the car's computer. This is a fairly simple operation, for which the workshop may add an additional fee. When ordering rims, be sure to check if a small device like pressure sensors can be fitted if your car is equipped with a direct tire pressure monitoring system. Replacing rims without a sensor requires no software changes and is usually slightly cheaper.