Psssst….. want to know an easy way of smartening up your ride? Here’s the easiest thing to do if you are bored with your car or tired of its looks – it’ll both freshen the looks and makes it stand out on the road. Yes, you could customise it and make your car look very, very different. But that costs a lot of money, and what if the whole project goes wrong? Remember those Tatamobiles wandering around trying to look like a ‘desi’ Mercedes Benz? Every example was bad and ugly! No, I’m talking about something simpler. To make your mundane everyday car into a snazzy set of wheels, just go out and buy yourself, well, a snazzy set of wheels – simple! Confused? Actually what I’m referring to is a snazzy set of new alloy wheels or wheel rims. A good set of wheel rims certainly makes a difference to a car’s overall looks – ever wondered why cars in advertisements are shown with snazzy wheels? It’s to get your attention, and then read the small print at the bottom of the advertisement that says, “Accessories shown are not part of standard equipment.” So, when should you buy a set of new wheel rims? Anytime you feel like is the obvious answer, but perhaps the most practical period would be when its time to get a set of new tyres. There are several imported brands available in the market if you look carefully, and you won’t go wrong with names like Enkei, OZ Racing, Rial, BBS and Ronal – look out for cheap replicas though. Now, however, similar wheels are available here courtesy of some Indian companies, and these are actually manufactured here in sizes that fit Indian cars. Brands that one can check out are Neo Wheels and Aura from Hindalco amongst the Indian ones. The latter actually advertises its wheel rim designs as jewellery for your car, and, indeed, that’s what wheel rims do – accentuate the looks, just like jewellery on a fine lady. Lately, Apollo Tyres has got into the act as well, and, in collaboration with YHI, will be selling wheel and tyre combination packages.

However, you can’t just go out and buy any old (new) set of rims and mount them on your pride and joy. So, what does one have to look out for while buying a new set of wheels? Well, that depends on whether you’re going for a direct fit replacement or upstepping. Direct fit replacement is essentially replacing the standard rims & tyres with new tyres and rims of the same size. Upstepping is the act of fitting wheels that are taller or wider than the OE fitment, and there are certain requirements that need to be observed in this case.

The basic principle is to make sure that the overall diameter of the new wheel-tyre combination is the same as, or very closely matches, that of the original fitment. This is where aspect ratio comes in, which is the ratio of the tread width to the height of the sidewall, which in turn is the distance between the edge of the rim and the top edge of the tyre tread – the lower the height of the sidewall, the lower the overall diameter. Lower aspect ratio tyres not only make a car look sportier and meaner, they also improve handling and help a car turn in more aggressively. A wider tread means a more stable car while cornering, as well as better braking, because the contact patch interacting with the road surface is now greater.

275/35 ZR20 – 275 indicates your tyres width in mm. 35 reflects the aspect ratio, which indicates that sidewall height is 35% of 275mm. Z indicates a speed capability in excess of 240 km/hr. R stands for radial construction. 20 reflects the wheel diameter in inches Alloy wheels today come in all shapes, sizes and finishes — not to mention price points Indian manufacturers like Neo Wheels (shown here), Aura from Hindalco, and now Apollo provide wheels to fit most Indian cars

Therefore, in a tyre that’s rated 155/80 R13: 155 refers to the tread width in mm, 80 is the aspect ratio, and 13 is the wheel diameter in inches. A lower aspect ratio 175/70 R13 or 195/60 R14 tyre could replace this for example. Here 175 implies a wider tread, and 70 implies a lower aspect ratio tyre fitted onto a rim of the same height. The second figure means the tyre width is 195, the aspect ratio is 60, but because the aspect ratio is lower, the overall diameter is less. So, one uses a 14 inch rim instead of a 13 incher to get back to the original diameter. Why not stay with the lower combination? Because the idea is to keep the overall gearing of the car unchanged while enhancing the looks of the car. There may seem to be a performance increase with a smaller overall diameter, but fuel economy is likely to drop. Also, it’s not very wise to opt for extreme low aspect ratios because then there isn’t enough of the tyre’s sidewall to provide cushioning and shock absorption – so the ride will become uncomfortable and the rim itself will be susceptible to damage. So unless one is going racing, a single step up is usually the way to go. The other reason not to consider a very wide tread is that if the tyre is too wide, the edge will foul the bodywork while the car is turning.



The other thing to note while upstepping or direct fit replacement, especially if the wheel is not a direct replacement, is the PCD or the pitch circle diameter and the bolt pattern. PCD is the diameter of an imaginary circle drawn through the studs of the hub. It should be the same as the PCD of the stud holes of the rim to ensure a perfect fit. Bolt pattern is not an issue with the Indian wheels because these are made for Indian cars. It’s when one is opting for an imported wheel that you need to watch out for the bolt pattern. Having said that, none of the cars on Indian roads today, except the Tata Indica / Indigo and the Mahindra Scorpio / Bolero / Xylo, are true Indian cars, so the chances of finding an exact fit for a Hyundai Santro or a Chevrolet Optra (Suzuki Forenza in the USA) or Mitsubishi Lancer for example are pretty good.

Apart from the handling benefits, manufacturers claim that the cars are easier to drive and fuel economy improves, as these wheels are lighter than OE wheels. Most people look at that as a side benefit because the primary reason is the cool looks, which is reason enough really.