You might be intrigued by the sight of alloy wheels and high-end tyres – together they look fantastic – but feel a little unsure of how to achieve the same effect on your own vehicle. Is that even possible? The short answer is, yes, you can make your car’s wheels and tyres look great by switching to alloys. This ultimate car buyer’s guide to choosing alloy wheels and tyres will give you a good basic understanding of what you need to know so you can ask for the right thing when the time comes to change your wheels to alloys and update your tyres.
What Are Alloy Wheels and Do They Use Special Tyres?
Alloy is a word meaning ‘a mixture’ and it is usually applied to metals and earth minerals. Alloy wheels, therefore, are those made from a mixture of metals; often primarily aluminium or magnesium, along with a smorgasbord of other metals: copper, zinc, manganese, and zirconium amongst others. Alloy wheels are lighter than their steel counterparts, and this offers drivers a host of advantages including improved response times, better fuel efficiency and reduced wear and tear. When it comes to your tyres, no, alloy wheels don’t require special tyres. However, your car is designed to work best with tyres that meet a set criteria so do pay attention to that when buying new tyres to go with your stylish new alloys. Get your alloy wheels and tyres from The Wheel Guys, and they will make sure the tyres and new alloy wheels are properly fitted and ready to go!
How To Choose Alloy Wheels and Tyres?
When it comes to your car it is always best to admit your ignorance and ask for help. It is better by far to feel a little embarrassed at asking what feels like a ‘silly question’, than to assume your best guess is good enough and then reap the consequences thereof… Having said that, choose alloy wheels that you think look nice and that will go well with your car’s aesthetic. Read reviews about which alloys are best when deployed in wheels as they are not all equal – some (rare) alloys are actually heavier than steel wheels, immediately removing one of the advantages of alloys! Have a look at the various colours and styles that alloys come in, and choose those that best suit your tastes and needs. When it comes to tyres, you know best under which conditions you will be driving and should purchase your tyres with that in mind. Will you be driving for hours every week, perhaps commuting between Birmingham and Croydon? Or will you be braving steep and untreated mountain roads? Or perhaps your commute is a tiny few miles each day, without much need for anything too fancy or rugged? Only you can make this decision. However, with both your alloy wheels and your tyres, always choose the best quality that you can afford in order to give yourself years of trouble-free motoring.
Which Tyres Go Best With Alloy Wheels?
While non-drivers (or drivers who are not especially interested in their cars other than as the means to travel from A to B as expeditiously as possible!) might think that a tyre is a tyre, motoring enthusiasts know that this is not the case at all. Choose between low-profile and high-profile tyres – the difference is in the height of the side between the wheel and the road’s surface, between wide and narrow tyres (and do be aware of the legality of overly fat or overly thin tyres), and between budget and premium tyres too – all of these choices offer a slightly different driving experience and make a noticeable difference to the quality of your ride. But also be aware of your wheel sizes. While there is little difference to the ride quality when your wheels are 16-inches to 20-inches in diameters, as your wheel sizes go up, you do actually lose some of the advantages incurred by investing in high-quality tyres and sturdy and elegant alloy wheels. Wheels of 22 inches and above can offer a positively uncomfortable ride as well as offering increased noise when you are driving – neither of which are particularly desirable!