The wheel assembly is one of those things that can help vehicles truly stand out. Wheels, in particular, offer your customers a wide variety of options to customize their ride. Let’s dive into some of those trends that are hot in the wheel market today in this Tire Review Continental Tire Garage Studio video.
In your tire business, you know that tire and wheel trends change as vehicle trends change. And right now, vehicle OEMs are focused on increasing fuel economy and making everything lighter. And that directly translates to the wheel assembly.
That’s why more alloy metals are being used to produce today’s wheels. They provide superior strength and dramatic weight reductions over other metals such as steel and are an ideal material from which to create a high-performance wheel.
It will also come as no surprise that as tires and wheels get lighter, higher rim diameter wheels are coming to OE on vehicles not only for aesthetics but also to save on weight. In talking about aesthetics, wheels today are a lot more sporty across the board. Oftentimes, you’ll see that wheels help to define the aesthetic of the vehicle. are used to highlight brake calipers.
Another big wheel trend today is add-ons to wheels. For example, you could have an aluminum wheel with chrome inserts bolted or glued on. Options come in different colors. You could have a painted aluminum wheel that has colored inserts – the combinations are endless.
And let’s not forget about some timeless trends. Wheels are flexible in style and design yet black and charcoal wheels are hot trends coming from OEMs. Why? Well, a lot of the time black wheels blend in with any truck color and can still look good when packed with dirt after a trip off-road. For SUVs, more subtle uses of black can make otherwise ordinary rims pop out. Black and charcoal rims give off an effortlessly cool look.
As you know, wheels help to dictate the style of the vehicle. If your customer is looking to change up their wheels, find out about the aesthetic they’re going for and the driving they most often do to pair them with the right fit and look.
