It is often said that mankind’s greatest invention was the very first wheel. This was something that, like all great inventions, appears so simple and obvious – once someone has thought of it. A wheel will always be round so that it can easily roll over a surface and it needs to be fitted onto something that people want to move. Cart wheels have existed for eons and those today are not all that different from those of yesterday.
Automobile Wheels
Without wheels, the basic motor car will not go anywhere and the early motor cars simply used existing wooden cart wheels. The result did not give a smooth ride but it enabled the car to get from A to B. The invention of rubber tires and then inflatable rubber tires were major steps forward with regard to the comfort of the ride. However, an all rubber wheel would not have been practical so pressed steel wheels with a hub for the axle and an outer rim to accommodate the tire became the norm.
Practical and Aesthetic Considerations
At first, the novelty of driving a car was what counted; but, relatively quickly, car owners began to take pride in their vehicles and the makers responded by designing cars that were both practical as a means of conveyance and good to look at. The main areas for visual improvement were the body design and the finishing paintwork.
However; practical as it is; a bare, exposed pressed steel wheel can never really look attractive. Initially, this was solved by hiding it behind a cover of more attractive appearance. Note – the term hub cap strictly applies to a cap placed over the actual wheel hub (a practice that goes back to cart wheels); wheel trim is a more correct term for a disc that covers the whole wheel.
Shaped Alloy And/Or Spoked Wheels
Obviously, the wheel has to have strength between its hub and the rim where the tire is to be fitted. Some sportier car manufacturers used spokes similar to (but stronger than) those on a bicycle. Others borrowed from ‘50’s racing car design and used light weight aluminum or magnesium wheels where a reasonable thick web of metal came from the hub up to the rim. Each maker would have their own design for their alloy wheels.
However, because such wheels were generally more expensive; they tended to be restricted to higher end models. This led to rapid growth in aftermarket alloy wheels for those who wished to customize their car’s appearance.
Owners of vehicles with alloy wheels soon discovered that one, excusable; misjudgment when parking along curbside can scrape or scratch their “beautiful” wheel to an extent that cannot be easily hidden. Fortunately; the firm of RimSkins LLC has a protective solution to this problem. Not only do their Car Wheel Rims protect the wheel alloy; they can also, add extra visual appeal.
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