Enhance your car’s look and protect it

Today, there are hundreds of sport rim finishes, including shiny chrome and captivating black, and from myriads of size options, from elegant 18 inch rims to gargantuan 28” wheels. Most of these are available at auto parts shops and at some fuel stations where new tyres are sold. Aftermarket sport rims are a brilliant upgrade that not only adds to the look and feel of any vehicle, but also delivers a smoother ride and improved handling, which is definitely more enjoyable. Stronger, shinier, and way hotter - the right rims always make a huge difference.

A custom wheel may seem simple, yet the production process that stands behind it is by no means an easy thing to do. There are cars, actually several of them these days, that come with custom made sport rims. Talk about the VW Golf GTI, Subaru (Legacy, Outback, Forester, Impreza), Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Lexus, Audi TT (see picture above right) and most SUVs among other cars have standard sport rims. The problem with wheel caps is that at fast speeds they can fall off if not tethered like a goat with some strap. But if your car has wheel caps instead, don’t worry, it is time you upgraded it with sport rims.

Mind the logos
However, although some sport rims fit on other car with similar tyre sizes, it doesn’t look cool to have a Mercedes Benz
logo on a Toyota. Besides, ask the dealer which rims would be ideal for your car because some look funny on some cars especially very small cars. Wilson Kiggundu of Mpinga Auto Parts notes that different rims go on different car types and sizes. “Usually, the size of the rim depends on the size of the tyre.

The advantages of sport rims over wheel caps are many. Some wheel caps fade and look awful, some crack and break into pieces and when dirty, they really look bad. Sport rims are easy to wash and are rarely stolen. One would really have to be aggressive or take the entire four wheels with them.

“A sport rim is mainly for car stability,” argues Allan Kanyesigye of Alaka Auto Parts at Kisekka market. Kanyesigye notes that sport rims are not only for beauty but also support a moving car. “A car with sport rims is firm on the road and it is hard for thieves to take the tyre since the nuts are covered as compared to the ordinary rims,” he says. Unlike caps that may often be replaced, sport rims take you miles.

The rims are normally purchased from Japan and Taiwan. The cost ranges betweenShs300,000 to Shs800,000 for a set of four. Labour for fixing them is usually between Shs15,000 to Shs20,000 depending on where the service is given. Like the name suggests, sports rims are usually meant for sports cars but even other cars can have them too and look flashy.

editorial@ug.nationmedia.com