A good looking set of alloy wheels can transform the appearance of your car, as can a back looking set of alloy wheels. So, if you want your car to look great, you want to protect your wheels from damage. Here are five ways to keep your wheels looking great.
1. Clean Your Wheels, Especially In Winter
Most alloy wheels are more similar to your car’s body panels than you might believe. Typically, alloy wheels are painted and then clear coated, just like the rest of your car. So, if you want the wheels to look great, you need to wash them regularly.
It’s important to note that your wheels are much more exposed to corrosive elements than the rest of your car. Namely: Brake dust, which collects on wheels and can eat away at the clear coat.
Road salt and (in states where it’s used) magnesium chloride, which are both bad for your wheels for different reasons. So, it’s arguably more important to wash your wheels than it is to wash your pain, especially in winter. Also, avoid using steel wool and acid-based cleaners on your wheels because they will strip away the clear coating.
2. Wheel Waxing Is Never A Bad Idea
Wax is beneficial for any painted or clear-coated surface because it protects the surface from dirt and grime. OEM aluminum wheels are usually painted and clear-coated, so waxing them will definitely help keep them spotless.
While there are waxes available specifically for wheels, any kind of wax will work. However, since wheels can be very hard to wax (lots of nooks and crannies), many people ‘cheat’ and use a spray-on wax rather than using a dedicated wheel wax. We don’t have any strong opinions here, but we will say that removing the wheel makes it much easier to wax.
3. Wwheel repair machine is Best for Scratches
Not only do scratched-up wheels look bad, but they’re also pretty costly to repair new wheels. The most common way to repair your wheels is to use diamond cut wheel repair machine. This kind of machine can remove all scratches on the surface and lip of wheels, make them look good as new and shiny again.
4. Good Driving Habits
Last but not least, you can reduce the risk of wheel damage by adopting some good driving habits, such as: parallel parking a few inches away from the curb, rather than snugging right up to it avoiding potholes taking your time in parking lots to avoid curbs which are easy to miss while turning.
5. Correct Fitting of Winter Tyres on Alloy Rims
Regardless of sporty aluminium or robust steel rims – ultimately the decision is down to the selection of suitable tyres for the wheels. If the tyre is too large or too small, it is quite possible that it will not fit on the desired wheel rim. An unstable assembly like this can lead to dangerous situations while behind the wheel. If, for example, you already have wheel rims and simply need winter tyres, you should definitely take note of this and only choose tyres that match the size of your wheel rims. Also remember that: Only winter tyres with rims with special coatings are suitable for use in mud and snow.
