Alloy Upgrades' Alloy Wheel Jargon Buster

Tongue twister aside, Alloy Upgrades LTD understand that buying new alloys for your car can be a confusing and sometimes mind boggling experience - with conflict in information across 'the industry' along with myths and misconceptions. In this blog we take our time to focus on technical jargon, terms, gobbldy-gook, jibbersh that is sometimes referred to, in relation to car wheels. Please feel free to drop us a message if we have missed any out or if you have any terms that you would like clarified. Disclaimer: We are not professional writers or bloggers, we don't sit in over priced coffee shops with expensive laptops typing away all day (one can only dream). Any text viewed on this website is provided by experienced wheel enthusiasts with a keyboard, please allow for any mistakes and typos - feel free to get in-touch and highlight anything we may have missed or added too much of. Lets start, in no particular order..

ALLOYS: Wheels made of a mixture of aluminium and other metals. Generalised as 'Alloy' wheels or 'Alloys'. Often lighter and most often better styled than standard STEEL WHEELS.

ALLOY WHEELS:

Wheels made of a mixture of aluminium and other metals. Generalised as 'Alloy' wheels or 'Alloys'. Often lighter and most often better styled than standard STEEL WHEELS RIMS: Wheels. Also known as ALLOY, ALLOY WHEELS, MAGS, MAG WHEELS, SHOES.

RIM BLADES: Plastic items that fit around alloy wheels to protect from kerbing - the offending object causing the kerbing will meet the RIM BLADE before it meets your wheel. STEEL WHEELS: Wheels made of STEEL. Often on base model vehicles.

STEELIES: Wheels made of STEEL. Often on base models.

OFFSET: Determines where / how the wheel is positioned when fitted. Some wheels are referred to as LOW OFFSET (sits further away from INNER ARCH or HIGH OFFSET - sits closer to the OUTER ARCH. The high or low terms will be in comparison to the OEM wheel specs. The offset refers to the thickness back of the rim at the BACKPIECE where it sits against the cars HUB. OFFSET is measured in millimetres (mm) and often referred to as ET. PROFILE:

The height of a tyre. Low profile, high profile, standard profile are often used to describe the differences. The profile of a tyre determines your ride comfort, rim protection, look, and handling. OEM: Original Equipment of the Manufacturer. The manufacturer being referred to is the manufacturer of the vehicle. OEM parts are generally made by companies that has been licenced by the vehicle manufacturer, and then parts are branded under the OEM label. Example - BBS, BORBET, RONAL produce wheels for Manufacturers such as Mercedes Benz, BMW and AUDI. HUB: Part of your car's suspension where the wheel mounts BACKPEICE:

The rear part of an alloy wheel, where it meets the HUB. The thickness of this backpiece is the OFFSET. LOW PROFILE: Also known as LOW PROS, LOW PROFILES, LOW PROFILE TYRES, RUBBER BANDS, RUBBER BAND,

BICYCLE TYRES Also known as RUBBER BANDS. A tyre which has a very low thickness or height.

This often (each to their own) looks better on a wheel and even better when fitted to a car. Low profile tyres have benefits too. They are also used when clearance is required when upgrading to larger wheels that the car originally was manufactured with. RUBBER BANDS: Bands made of rubber, or referring to how a low profile or stretched tyre looks on a rim. A slinky tyre looks like a black rubber band on a rim.

BICYCLE TYRES: Referring to how a low profile or stretched tyre looks on a rim.

ET: Short for a German word which refers to OFFSET.

IS: See OFFSET.

RIM WIDTH: The width of the wheel, in relation to the tyre. This is measured from certain points, not from edge to edge. RIM DIAMETER: The overall diameter of the wheel. This is measured from certain points.

RIM SIZE: Referring to the diameter and or the width of the wheel, which relates to the size of tyre that can be fitted to it. Example - RIM SIZE 18" x 7.5J or 18 x 7.5J which is the DIAMETER and the WIDTH. RIM INCH: Example: 19" or 19 Inch. The overall diameter of the wheel. This is measured from certain points.

INCH: Used in the context of wheels, example - 18 INCH ALLOY WHEELS - referring to the diameter of the wheel, which relates to the size of tyre that can be fitted to it. " : This symbol is often found along side other words, example - 19" ALLOYS - referring to the diameter of the wheel, which relates to the size of tyre that can be fitted to it. J: Refers to the 'width' of the wheel. This determines how wide the wheel is, which determines what tyre sizes you can fit onto said wheels.

AFTERMARKET WHEELS / AFTERMARKET ALLOYS: Alloy wheels that were not offered as an option for a vehicle. Produced by companies with the intention of being an alternative part which may have various uses or applications. Generally produced for the car enthusiast and modification market where requirements are greater than what can be achieved with OEM parts. For example; aftermarket alloy wheels may sit wider or narrower than

OEM parts depending on the application. Sometimes certain designs will only come in a 20 inch, but aftermarket can produce a similar design but in an 18 inch or 19 inch for example. Aftermarket wheels can also come in different ratings example load ratings - where you can have the wheel design of a sports car on a family van.

REPLICA ALLOYS: Aftermarket wheels that have a face (front) which has a resemblance or similarity to another design. A design that is inspired by another design or influence. See AFTERMARKET ALLOYS. REPLICA DESIGN : A design that is inspired by another design or influence.

REPS: Aftermarket wheels that have a face (front) which has a resemblance or similarity to another design. A design that is inspired by another design or influence. The cool, 2000s car guy abbreviation for REPLICA DESIGN WHEELS.

REP: Another cool, 2000s car guy abbreviation for REPLICA DESIGN WHEELS.

STYLE: Some alloys will have a similar design to other well known styles. These wheels are sometimes referred to or labels as STYLE or DESIGN wheels. Example : Turbine Design or Competition Design.

STAGGERED: One row is wider than the other. Example: A narrower tyre on the front vs a slightly wider tyre on the rear. This is a staggered tyre setup. You may use staggered tyres on non staggered wheels however - see our blog on this to explain better! RUNFLAT: Tyres that have strengthened sidewalls to prevent them from collapsing when punctured - allowing you to continue your journey cautiously for a short period of time at a restricted speed, until you reach a garage for a replacement. Also known as 'Run on a Flat' - the 'flat' referring to what it would be if you had punctured a standard tyre. See our Blog on Runflat tyres and their pros & cons.

RF: See RUN FLAT. RFT: See RUN FLAT. BUDGET: A product that has the price point in mind. For the benefit of the buyer. Often unbranded or from a brand that focuses less on its marketing or over heads. Budget items should still meet industry standards.

DESIGN:

Some alloys will have a similar design to other well known styles. These wheels are sometimes referred to or labels as DESIGN wheels. Example : Turbine Design.