Finishing off the look and performance capabilities of your ride is as much about style as it is about substance. Some decisions and strategies are cosmetic and about feeling good and proud about the vehicle. On the other hand, some of it is about what is the best choice for racing, going off-road, driving around town or motoring for pleasure or work.
For car enthusiasts on a quest to enhance their driving experience, the mission includes tweaking up with new aftermarket wheels and tires. Customization is the key, as car and truck owners seek to put their own signature and personality on their rides. This customization includes the rims or wheels serving as platforms for the appropriate choice of tires.
According to TDot Performance, a company that specializes in selling rims in Canada, “After-market rims are artistic, functional and can strike emotional chords. They finish off a car or truck’s look and are widely available for on and off-road use, in modern, classic, racing, and vintage American Muscle styles. Targeted for winter or summer, for racing or cruising, for high performance or just for looking good, rims are a popular way to complete a vehicle’s personality and capability.”
Rims are generally available in chrome, steel, or black matte, but other finishes such as bronze, flat and wheels bathed in various colors have gained in popularity. From aluminum alloy rims to mag wheels, most rim buyers gravitate to those wheels that match their wheel size and those that can accommodate their local weather and road conditions. Priced from under $100 to more than $2000, in various colors, finishes, weights, sturdiness, focus (off-road, racing, cruising, etc.), spoke number and style to appeal to all tastes, wheel choices are plentiful.
With hundreds of options available and dozens of quality rim /wheel manufacturers marketing to Canada, here are nine rim manufacturers that are popular buys today.
1. Moto Metal
Founded in 2002, Moto Metal wheels are designed and marketed for the wild and non-mainstreamers. Like their owners, they don’t play by the rules. They are the final piece of a machine built to challenge the norm – loud, and ready to drop jaws. A combination of durability, precision and performance, the wheels are made of durable cast aluminum construction and are available four diameters and three finishes.
2. Fuel Off-Road
Fuel Off-Road has captured the attention of off-road enthusiasts with innovative designs, fitments, and technological advancements. Fuel Off-Road manufactures advanced off-road wheels, offering the latest in design and engineering innovations on the market. Fuel presents uniquely shaped spokes and five finishes in numerous styles.
3. Grid Off-Road
When your mission is to go off the grid or look good on the streets, GRID Off-Road manufactures truck wheels and Jeep wheels that are tough. With three finishes, and a dozen series, GD wheels are durable and designed to be customizable for a classic aftermarket upgrade for your off-road vehicle. The GD Wheels are capable of providing your truck or car with a new personalized look that will set your off-road vehicle apart from other vehicles on the off-roads.
4. Vossen Rims
For a sporty aura permeating luxury and performance forged wheels and hybrid forged wheels, Vossen uses advanced flow-forming to make a strong and attractive rim. Employing timeless design and modern functionality, the wheels fit anything from an exotic hyper car to off-truck applications.
5. Advanti Racing
Advanti Racing produces performance wheels for sport tuning vehicles using their proprietary DST, flow-forming process. Developed for sport-luxury tuning vehicles, Advanti Racing crafts every wheel design with precision and forward styling. Advanti Racing’s history in F1 Racing are the fundamentals on which wheels are designed.
6. American Racing Torq Thrust II Rims
Classically styled for more than 60 years, American racing wheels have graced ’60s muscle Mustangs, ’50s Chevy Bel Airs and classic muscle cars for decades. In fact, Hot Rod Magazine has named the American Racing Torq Thrust one of the top 20 speed parts that changed the world.
7. KMC Wheels
KMC Wheels has been redefining performance on and off the asphalt since 1995, with loyal customers dedicated to on-road and off-road pursuits. Individually styled and unmistakably bold, KMC Wheels deliver performance, style and functionality.
8. BBS
A high-performance automobile wheel design company, BBS produces wheels for motorsport, OEM, and aftermarket applications for just about every major European and Japanese automaker. The forged-aluminum RS, with its cross-spoke design, became an icon of performance in the ’80s and ’90s. The wheel is offered in an updated version called the Super RS, a good choice if you want to capture a vintage performance look.
9. Mayhem Wheels
Targeted for trucks, Jeep and SUV fitments, Mayhem offers a wide variety of sizes and fitments which supply a custom look to “Liberate your vehicle.” Manufactured from quality materials, the wheels offer an excellent combination of endurance and appearance to add style and brilliance to the vehicle’s exterior
These are just nine of the best. Honorable mention goes to such quality and creative rim manufacturers as Konig, Dirty Life, XXR, Raceline, Foose, Ion, Niche and ProComp.
