Fixing on new alloy wheels may come across as being the simplest of jobs to the new starter yet on closer inspection it’s unbelievably more difficult than may be believed at first. To get this completed right you should be adopting a one by one strategy that handles each stage into a manageable bite sized piece.
The down side to this snail like approach and may be that it takes longer to change your alloy wheels but when you have finished you are most likely to make the change without making amateur mistakes. Lay down the facts, how much of the road are you needing to travel with these wheels……………….with out a doubt want to make sure the wheels on your car have been mounted in the right way and in a safe way and for the look of the car!
Getting started is one of the basic differences to getting this process completed and you need to be certain you are confident to carry on. This is the most basic stage but you would be overwhelmed by the sheer number of individuals who bomb out. Be certain that before you commence with other things you must make sure your tire has a exact alignment to the wheels.
No doubt you are ware but it is always a precaution to double check the manual before commencing with the fitting of the new tires. Attempt not to go to a lot of trouble in fitting the tire only to reveal the tire is the wrong spec and the wrong fit. At this stage make sure that you have the right tools for doing the job right. Absent of the correct tools it will make the work too hard and you’ll have no chance to get the job done.
Make sure that you have the car on a flat uprise or better even so a lifting ramp. Once you have get at to the wheels you will have to dispatch the wheel nuts or lug nuts as the yanks like to call them. You can use a standard four way wheel wrench for this job or if you have access to an air gun then this will be better still, but you must be careful as these can sometimes damage the nuts and this is the last thing that you want.
Next stage is to determine if the wheel will fit snugly onto the hub. For those of you who have access you might consider using a focussing ring but its not critical and if you don’t have one don’t vex. The wheel should now be resting flush against the surface and should be seamed up in n exact position for the bolts. Now if all is not well at this stage and you feel that there is an thing with the fitting then it is vitally important to cite to the manufacturer’s instructions as you may have done something wrong. If it still isn’t fitting properly after referring to the manufacturer’s instructions then make sure that you contact the manufacturer instantly and get their valued look on the subject?. Do a test of the bolts and nuts before fixing the wheel and make sure that all the threads are sound and worthy.
Next step is to make sure that the space between the brake disc and the wheels is wide enough for the calipers to fit. Next start turning the nuts with your fingers and turn them as far as they will go without using your wheel wrench. At any point your wheel nuts should go onto the bolts without giving any resistance. If you feel any resistance then unthread the nuts and try again as it may be that they haven’t caught properly. Never ever force them as you risk stripping the threads and that is an avoidable mistake.
All done and your euphoric with the fit of the wheel, nuts and bolts you now need to put the car in neutral so that you can physically spin the wheel by hand. Now is the time to check that the rim of the wheel doesn’t catch the caliper. If everything is ok at this stage then you can lower the ramp or jack so that the car is resting with all four wheels on the ground. Now you can take your wheel wrench and tighten each nut so that the wheels are fixed firmly in place. Please, please make sure that you’re not tempted to over tighten the nuts as this can have a detrimental effect and can crack the nuts or make it impossible to remove them. It goes without saying but you will also have to make sure that they are not loose or there is a danger that they might come loose through the vibe of the wheel on movement of the car.
If all is good then you should have a new set of tires to go with your fantastic alloy car wheels.