Introduction

You should seek professional support for getting the best deal while buying a used car. You can consult REVS for getting the car history report for making informed buying decisions. They can provide you the car history report once you share the VIN number or registration number and pay a small fee to them. 

Buying an aftermarket alloy wheel for your used car can be a good investment. However, you need to be careful and consider the following tips before buying alloy wheels for your used car: 

Buy from Reputed Seller

Shopping for the perfect after-market alloy wheels for your used car can be a daunting task due to the wide variety of options available. It is important to buy alloy wheels from a reputed seller. They will be selling only high-quality alloy wheels which will meet the Australian Design Rules (ADRs). Buying cheap alloy wheels can be dangerous as they are not reliable for their strength and durability. They can easily break on slightest of impacts and shatter which can render the car uncontrollable while driving. Buying from authorized dealers also ensures that you get proper warranty for your purchase. 

Buy Wheels with Compatible Bolt Patterns

You should buy the alloy wheels which is consistent with your lug and bolt pattern. The stud pattern of the wheels is generally provided in your car’s user manual. If your car has a stud pattern of 5x114, it means the wheel will have 5 mounting holes and the distance between the centre of the holes will be 114mm. If you end up buying wheels with different stud pattern, they cannot be mounted on your car’s wheel hub. 

Rim Width 

Rim width is another important consideration before buying the ideal alloy wheels for your used car. Most car owners make the mistake of buying wider rims. Ideally, you can go up to 2-inches in diameter and 1-inch wider. You should also ensure that the rim width is not too wide for your car tyres, else you will have to buy new tyres to fit on the rims properly. If you try to stretch your tyre excessively to fit on wider rims, it can compromise the structural integrity of the tyre, and can be dangerous during driving. 

Choose Correct Sized Wheels 

Buying a bigger-sized wheel to provide a sportier look to the car is a common mistake made by most car owners. Bigger wheels may look pretty, but they can compromise the car safety and comfort. Bigger wheel and tyre combination is heavier and it weighs down your suspension which degrades the ride quality. 

Be Careful of the Offset

The wheel offset is the distance between centerline of the wheel and the mounting face of the hub. Wheel offsets can be negative, zero, or positive. Zero offset indicates that the hub mounting surface is even with the centre of the wheel. Positive offset means that the hub mounting surface is towards the outside of the wheel. You should buy alloy wheels with the correct offset. If the offset is too low, it will hit your fenders and if it’s too high, it will hit the inner suspension components.