A tire's most important job is to carry the load required of it, and the load range/ply rating branded on the tire's sidewall indicates how much load the tire is designed to carry (at a specific pressure). Whenever changing tire sizes or from one tire type to another, it's important to ensure...
Why do we change our tires and wheels? Aside from necessity, most of us do it for performance, comfort and style. But to be sure our tires are performing properly and that we're rolling comfortably and in style, we'll need to correctly install our new tires and wheels. Here's a few tips from us...
Proper wheel installation requires the wheel-attaching hardware (lug nuts or bolts) be tightened to the recommended torque specification for the vehicle make, model and year. Torque specifications are usually found in the vehicle's owner's manual.* Proper torque requires using the correct...
Coil Spring: Provides a cushion to absorb road imperfections and returns the vehicle to a predetermined ride height. A major contributor to a vehicle's handling balance and ride quality. Higher spring rates and shorter overall lengths are commonly used to lower the vehicle's ride height for...
A good rule of thumb is that most cars can be lowered about 1.5 inches without complications. Beyond that, changes in a severely lowered car's suspension may negatively affect ride quality, tire wear and increase the risk of "bottoming." Increased spring rates are required to control vehicle...
When it comes to improving your vehicle's performance, shock absorbers are probably one of the last things you consider. However, shock absorbers as an integral part of your vehicle's suspension, work to maximize the ability of your tires to perform. The springs in your suspension hold up the...
No matter what you drive, your vehicle's development engineers were faced with considerations that ultimately affected its performance - bumper heights, snow chain clearance and the number of people the vehicle was designed to carry. To accommodate all of those variables, your car's suspension...
For real driving enthusiasts there aren't many feelings that equal the excitement of running laps on a racetrack at their vehicles' performance limit. And while race tracks were once only accessible to race-prepared cars, today many car clubs and some professional driving schools allow drivers...
Using the Hunter TC3500 mounting machine, optimal matching of the tire alignment relative to the wheel can be done with higher accuracy and help to eliminate vibration problems. The Hunter GSP9700 Road Force measurement balancer road tests the mounted tire and wheel to effectively measure...
Wheel style is usually the first consideration when selecting new aftermarket wheels because most wheels are purchased for their different-than-factory styling which helps personalize the vehicle's looks to match its driver's tastes. After that comes the functional requirements of selecting a...
Alloy metals provide superior strength and dramatic weight reductions over ferrous metals such as steel, and as such they represent the ideal material from which to create a high performance wheel. In fact, today it is hard to imagine a world class racing car or high performance road vehicle...
All wheel covers must have a metal ring with an indent. If the ring is missing or does not have an indent, call our customer service department toll free at 888-981-3953. We will replace it free of charge. The ring indent must be lined up with the valve stem stamp diagram that is located on...
Quality, integrity, and value - these are important factors when you consider making any kind of purchase or investment. The Tire Rack focuses on each of these factors in selecting the wheels that we offer to our customers. Creating Quality, Integrity and Value Proper size is more than a...
While many aftermarket alloy wheels are designed to use your car's original lug nuts or bolts, others require new hardware. It may be something as critical as differences in the wheel's lug seat design as shown below, or something as simple as shorter lug heads to allow the wheel's center caps...
The offset of a wheel is the distance from its hub mounting surface to the centerline of the wheel. The offset can be one of three types (measured in millimeters).* "The offset of a wheel is the distance from its hub mounting surface to the centerline of the wheel." Zero Offset The hub...
Need help choosing the right products for your vehicle? Our team of highly trained experts has the knowledge and passion to help. Just pick up the phone and give us a ring. Or let's chat via email. We love solving problems and lending a hand (or an ear).
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