A couple of months ago, we discussed one of the dark secrets of the wheel industry – substituting bolt patterns. Many in our industry have made a good living by practicing this method of selling aftermarket wheels.

It is time that we ask – and, yes, demand – better from suppliers that are doing this and reward the ones that spend the time to engineer and develop wheels that will fit properly and not cause vibration or liability issues. If we all agree to take a stand now, perhaps we can avoid government intervention. The last thing we need is a TREAD Act for the wheel industry.

The Right Fit

That said, I want you to know about many of the companies that are doing it right, even amidst fierce competition and soaring raw material costs.

First, any time you mention custom wheels, the name American Racing comes to mind. It is one of the oldest wheel companies around, (American Racing celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.) and considering the ‘fly by night‚ here-today-gone-tomorrow’ wheel companies that seem to pop up every day, that is saying something.

As OEMs continue to develop new bolt patterns and various hub designs, American Racing, among others, has stepped up to the plate and made the decision to invest in the tooling and inventory to fit these new vehicle specs properly.

Take the Chrysler 300C that we mentioned in the February issue, the one that has a unique offset and bolt pattern combination. American Racing has been building wheels that fit just this vehicle (along with the Dodge Magnum) since the 300C arrived in showrooms. One of the newest wheel styles to fit these cars and most trucks is the Cryptic.

This wheel is built in just three sizes: 20×8.5, 22×9.5 and 24×10. The SKUs in this one style include three separate 6×5.5 bolt patterns but with various offsets and hub diameters to allow the wheel to fit specific vehicles properly. Wheel makers accomplish this in two ways: Either change the top half of the mold to cast the different offsets or cast a low offset with a thick mounting pad that is then shaved down to the higher offset, which increases production time.

In either case, it costs money and time to produce these different part numbers. As for the 300C, the wheel is drilled to 5x115mm and cast with the medium offset required to clear the calipers and struts.

Modified Fitments

Going a step further to cover altered vehicles, American Racing offers a classic wheel – the Torque-Thrust II – that is designed to fit lowered trucks. This wheel will typically have a higher offset than normal to set the wheel further into the fenderwell and provide clearance for the fender lip. In its Twenty Inches Strong lineup, the TIS 10 is built with a 5×4.25/5×4.5 bolt pattern, but offered in a +30mm and a +38mm offset. The +30mm is a non-stock item; regardless, it’s phenomenal that there is a vehicle requiring a 3/4-inch offset difference and a company that makes a wheel to fit it.

Center Line Wheels, which has been in business for 40 years, produces one of the strongest rotary forged wheels possible. The company accomplishes this by designing and developing proprietary machines and equipment to create a wheel up to 22 inches in diameter that can be up to 50% lighter than a cast wheel.

As we have mentioned before, brakes are overlooked in our industry. In many cases, factory brake systems and components aren’t able to handle the rotating mass of heavy cast wheels and tires exceeding 100 pounds combined.

Now, take a look at Center Line’s tech databook, and you will see the notation “H.C.” by many bolt circle listings. This indicates that the wheel is hub centric – just like the OE wheel. It’s not the same oversized hub with different bolt patterns so it will fit 10 different vehicles. The wheel covers just a scant few – those that require that particular bolt pattern, offset and hub diameter combination.

In many cases, vehicles like the 1999 and newer GM 1/2-ton SUVs require hub centric wheels to ride smoothly. In addition to this application, which is common among most manufacturers, Center Line provides a hub centric wheel for the 1997-03 and 2004-present F-150, along with the Dodge Ram 1500. One of the wheels that offers this OE fit is the Raptor II, part of the Millennium Series.

Center Line wheels also has addressed air sensor devices that are offered with most new vehicles. Wheels have the correct location and angle for these type of valve stems.

If you have a very discriminating customer, probably dialed in to high performance, I would suggest one of the high-end, three-piece wheel manufacturers, such as HRE, Fikse or Kenisis. These U.S. companies build a variety of wheels to fit practically any application, and they will build it specifically for each vehicle – just like an OE wheel, except with a high performance edge.

Everything – including style, finish, width, diameter, offset, center bore, caliper clearance and OE valve sensor integration – is assembled per specific requests. For European clientele, CEC (cecwheels.com) offers several brands.

AC Schnitzer is a BMW tuning brand, Brabus is a Mercedes-Benz tuning brand and TechArt is a Porsche tuning brand. All of these wheel brands, built vehicle-specific, are made in Germany, which means that they meet TÜV specs.

Because counterfeiting is alive and well in our industry, AC Schnitzer has a certificate of authenticity for the Type V shown below. This wheel is designed for these specific models: E60, E60 M5, E61, E63, E63 M6, E64. Considering that most BMWs have either of two offsets and the same bolt pattern, making wheels that fit a subgroup tells you just how precisely these wheels are designed to fit each vehicle.

Any one of these wheels could have several offsets within just millimeters of each other because they have been direct-fit tested on the vehicle, usually in stock trim and with performance upgrades, such as bigger exhaust, sway bars and lowering springs, etc., that may change the amount of clearance needed.

At this level, I shouldn’t have to tell you how much to expect to pay for these wheels. But, considering the vehicles to which they are typically bolted, money usually isn’t an issue.

As owners and managers, you are responsible for what leaves your shop. By knowing about these critical issues ahead of time, you can hopefully avoid serious problems down the road.

I would suggest developing a program that rewards employees who spend the time to learn and understand the dynamics of the aftermarket wheel business. That way, when a salesperson from a wheel company tries to tell your employees that a wheel will ‘fit,’ you’ll know your employees have the knowledge to verify the information first and not just take the salesperson’s word for it.