This time we offer the Professional Digital rim straightener and the hands-free Polisher.Top of their class.
2.24.2013
2.18.2013
Hello Enthusiasts,
This week we offer our entry-level rim straightener for a very affordable price.
For more information check:
This week's rim straightener special
This week we offer our entry-level rim straightener for a very affordable price.
For more information check:
This week's rim straightener special
2.10.2013
New week new Deal of the day:)
Don't forget to check out our special offer on Monday:
Best Deals on rim straighteners
Don't forget to check out our special offer on Monday:
Best Deals on rim straighteners
2.03.2013
Check out the next week's Super Deal!
Next week we give a serious discount on our Professional digital machine.
Professional rim straightener
Next week we give a serious discount on our Professional digital machine.
Professional rim straightener
1.18.2013
The truth about Winter Rims and tires
Winter tires can be crucial to maintaining your car’s performance, and your safety, in the colder months. Winter tires are proven to reduce braking distance and improve performance of vehicles in cold, snowy, or icy conditions – beyond the performance that can be expected of a typical "all-season" tire.
Tire Construction
The rubber compound that is used to make winter-rated tires is able to stay pliable at lower temperatures, which allows it to make better contact with the road. Summer tires, on the other hand, are composed of a harder rubber compound, which allows them to maintain their stance, even in intense heat. All season tires tend to be made of rubber compounds that fall somewhere between – and this can be dependent on tire make and model.
Rims
Steel rims are often recommended with winter tires – instead of the aluminum wheels that can be purchased OEM or aftermarket for almost any vehicle. This is because the changes in temperatures over the winter months cause the metal to expand and contract. Aluminum wheels tend to contract more in colder temperatures, which can cause inconsistent tire pressure, as well as allowing air to leak over time. Steel rims contract less in colder temperatures, which contributes to maintaining manufacturer’s specified tire pressure – which is beneficial to both vehicle performance (both handling and fuel consumption) and long term tire wear.
source:insurancehotline.com
For the latest rim refinishing equipment visit:
Rim straighten and refinish tools
1.14.2013
Let's get familiar with the rims
Welcome to Wheel Anatomy 101. Today we will be reviewing the major
structural aspects of automotive wheels, focusing on the outboard, or
structural face of the wheel. Students, if you will all take your seats,
we can begin the class.
The outboard face is the part of the wheel you can see when it is bolted onto the car. We often refer to it as the “cosmetic face” but it is also the structural face of the wheel, since the other side is essentially required to be an open cylinder. This makes the outer face less directly vulnerable to impact damage, since it is simply easier to bend the open cylinder than the structure, but it can also make the damage that does occur a lot worse.
To see standard wheel diagrams, click here, and here. You may find it useful to right-click and open the links in new tabs in order to refer to the diagrams while class is proceeding.
Center Bore
Structurally, the empty space inside the center bore is one of the most important points on the wheel. This hole fits over the end of the axle when the wheel is bolted on. It is this fit between the axle seat and the center bore that truly holds the weight of the car, as lugnuts only serve to keep the wheel on the axle. For this reason, OEM wheels are made to fit closely on the axle seats of their designated cars. When buying aftermarket rims, care must be taken to ensure that the center bore is the same or larger than the OEM size - large enough to fit over the axle. Most correct aftermarket wheels will have center bores that are larger than the OEM size, and so the gap between must be filled by “hub-centric spacers” to avoid damaging both wheels and lugnuts.
Plate
Around the center bore there is generally a substantial piece of metal interrupted only by the bolt holes. We call this the plate. The plate is the core of the wheel, the point of contact to the axle seat, the lug bolts and the lateral surface of the rotor. Everything else on the wheel is connected back to the plate.
Spokes
In essence, the spokes are the structures between the plate and the outer edge of the wheel. They are designed to tie the wheel together, support the outer edge and resist impacts. Spoke designs vary wildly, from the classic 5-spoke patterns to intricately overlapping multiple “Y”-spoke extravaganzas. It's important to note that the strength and damage resistance of spoke designs also vary, because if a spoke gets cracked by an impact the nature of the structural relationship is such that attempting to repair it by welding would be unwise and possibly dangerous.
Dish
Although it also refers to the outer part of a 3-piece wheel, the dish is generally thought of as that portion of the wheel that comes out beyond the spokes. A wheel where the spokes are sunk inches below the lip is a “deep-dish wheel.” Deep-dish wheels are mostly made for looks, with the extra space being used to showcase a polish or other nice finish. However, the deeper the dish, the more vulnerable the face of the wheel is to impact damage, as that outer rim is hanging out in space. The more distance from the spokes, the more leverage an impact has to bend that outer rim, or in the worst-case fold the dish against a spoke and crack it. This kind of crack is also not safe to repair, since the repair is inevitably weaker than the original and can fail catastrophically.
Bolt Circle
The bolt circle is the circle described by the centers of the lug bolts. It's diameter is inexplicably called the Bolt Circle Diameter, or BCD. The number of bolts plus the BCD comprises the bolt pattern, so that 5 lug bolts at a 4.5 inch BCD can be described as a 5x4.5” bolt pattern. Bolt patterns vary between car makers, sometimes even between model lines. For example, most BMW wheels are 5x120mm except some very early 4x100mm models, while almost all Mercedes wheels are 5x112mm, which is why you can't crossfit wheels from one to the other.
Valve Stem
Somewhere on the wheel a small hole must be drilled for a valve stem, that universal mechanism by which we fill our tires with air. Just that small hole will often make one side of the wheel lighter than the other side – enough so that a good spin balancer will often have to compensate for it. Valve stems range from the good old-fashioned snap-in rubber stems to fancy metal stems with rubber gasket seals to the current mandated explosion of TPMS modules with valve stems on them.
This completes our module on the structural aspects of automotive wheels. Thank you for your attention, and please join us next time for Wheel Anatomy 201, which will concentrate on the outer barrel and energy transfer points of the wheel.
credit goes to:
Sean Phillips Tires and Wheels Guide
The outboard face is the part of the wheel you can see when it is bolted onto the car. We often refer to it as the “cosmetic face” but it is also the structural face of the wheel, since the other side is essentially required to be an open cylinder. This makes the outer face less directly vulnerable to impact damage, since it is simply easier to bend the open cylinder than the structure, but it can also make the damage that does occur a lot worse.
To see standard wheel diagrams, click here, and here. You may find it useful to right-click and open the links in new tabs in order to refer to the diagrams while class is proceeding.
Center Bore
Structurally, the empty space inside the center bore is one of the most important points on the wheel. This hole fits over the end of the axle when the wheel is bolted on. It is this fit between the axle seat and the center bore that truly holds the weight of the car, as lugnuts only serve to keep the wheel on the axle. For this reason, OEM wheels are made to fit closely on the axle seats of their designated cars. When buying aftermarket rims, care must be taken to ensure that the center bore is the same or larger than the OEM size - large enough to fit over the axle. Most correct aftermarket wheels will have center bores that are larger than the OEM size, and so the gap between must be filled by “hub-centric spacers” to avoid damaging both wheels and lugnuts.
Plate
Around the center bore there is generally a substantial piece of metal interrupted only by the bolt holes. We call this the plate. The plate is the core of the wheel, the point of contact to the axle seat, the lug bolts and the lateral surface of the rotor. Everything else on the wheel is connected back to the plate.
Spokes
In essence, the spokes are the structures between the plate and the outer edge of the wheel. They are designed to tie the wheel together, support the outer edge and resist impacts. Spoke designs vary wildly, from the classic 5-spoke patterns to intricately overlapping multiple “Y”-spoke extravaganzas. It's important to note that the strength and damage resistance of spoke designs also vary, because if a spoke gets cracked by an impact the nature of the structural relationship is such that attempting to repair it by welding would be unwise and possibly dangerous.
Dish
Although it also refers to the outer part of a 3-piece wheel, the dish is generally thought of as that portion of the wheel that comes out beyond the spokes. A wheel where the spokes are sunk inches below the lip is a “deep-dish wheel.” Deep-dish wheels are mostly made for looks, with the extra space being used to showcase a polish or other nice finish. However, the deeper the dish, the more vulnerable the face of the wheel is to impact damage, as that outer rim is hanging out in space. The more distance from the spokes, the more leverage an impact has to bend that outer rim, or in the worst-case fold the dish against a spoke and crack it. This kind of crack is also not safe to repair, since the repair is inevitably weaker than the original and can fail catastrophically.
Bolt Circle
The bolt circle is the circle described by the centers of the lug bolts. It's diameter is inexplicably called the Bolt Circle Diameter, or BCD. The number of bolts plus the BCD comprises the bolt pattern, so that 5 lug bolts at a 4.5 inch BCD can be described as a 5x4.5” bolt pattern. Bolt patterns vary between car makers, sometimes even between model lines. For example, most BMW wheels are 5x120mm except some very early 4x100mm models, while almost all Mercedes wheels are 5x112mm, which is why you can't crossfit wheels from one to the other.
Valve Stem
Somewhere on the wheel a small hole must be drilled for a valve stem, that universal mechanism by which we fill our tires with air. Just that small hole will often make one side of the wheel lighter than the other side – enough so that a good spin balancer will often have to compensate for it. Valve stems range from the good old-fashioned snap-in rubber stems to fancy metal stems with rubber gasket seals to the current mandated explosion of TPMS modules with valve stems on them.
This completes our module on the structural aspects of automotive wheels. Thank you for your attention, and please join us next time for Wheel Anatomy 201, which will concentrate on the outer barrel and energy transfer points of the wheel.
credit goes to:
Sean Phillips Tires and Wheels Guide
1.06.2013
Chrome rim restoration can involve several different methods. If your
chrome rims have been scratched, the way to restore them most
effectively on your own is either by using a chrome rim cleaner or by
using chrome rim paint. The only way to re-plate them is by a process of
chrome rim dipping. It is, however, expensive and cannot be done at
home. This how-to guide will detail the process of getting your chrome
rims to look new as inexpensively and effectively as possible.
Tools and Materials
First, if your rims are tarnished, they are not chrome but polished aluminum. A tarnish remover will then be what you need. Once you are certain the rims are chrome, determine the extent of the damage. If they are just dirty or slightly rusted, a good cleaning may be all they require. If, on the other hand, they have scratches, you might want to clean them first then touch them up with chrome paint.
Step 2: Clean the Rims
Use a coarse rag to wipe off any large debris or dirt from the rims. Next, take the soft cloth and hold it over the open lid of the rubbing alcohol and wet it. Thoroughly rub down the chrome rims with the soft cloth and rubbing alcohol. If the rust is persistent, stick with it. Never use steel wool to remove any rust, for it will scratch the chrome.
Step 3: Touch Up Scratches
After the rims have been cleaned with rubbing alcohol, if any scratches are present, touch them up using chrome rim paint. Keep in mind, metal looks different than paint, so it may be noticeable from up close. Gladly, most onlookers never get that close, so if you can live with it, it's okay.
Step 4: Use Epoxy for Gashes
If your chrome rims have any deep dings or gashes that paint won't simply cover up, you can try a hard epoxy in a can. Follow the directions carefully, but basically you fill in the gash or indent and smooth it out after it dries. Again, use a smoothing material that won't scratch the chrome. After it is smoothed out, touch it up with chrome paint.
Chrome rim repair is something you can do at home. You probably do not have the materials, space or know how to re-plate your rims with fresh chrome--that is an expensive job that requires complex skill and materials. You can, however, clean them, fill in and smooth out gashes or nicks, and paint over scratches. Because you drive around with them exposed to road debris, they will sooner or later get scratched, but you can get them looking practically new again.
from carsdirect.com
Tools and Materials
- Soft cloth
- Rubbing alcohol
- Chrome rim paint
- Small paint brush
- Buffing cloth
First, if your rims are tarnished, they are not chrome but polished aluminum. A tarnish remover will then be what you need. Once you are certain the rims are chrome, determine the extent of the damage. If they are just dirty or slightly rusted, a good cleaning may be all they require. If, on the other hand, they have scratches, you might want to clean them first then touch them up with chrome paint.
Step 2: Clean the Rims
Use a coarse rag to wipe off any large debris or dirt from the rims. Next, take the soft cloth and hold it over the open lid of the rubbing alcohol and wet it. Thoroughly rub down the chrome rims with the soft cloth and rubbing alcohol. If the rust is persistent, stick with it. Never use steel wool to remove any rust, for it will scratch the chrome.
Step 3: Touch Up Scratches
After the rims have been cleaned with rubbing alcohol, if any scratches are present, touch them up using chrome rim paint. Keep in mind, metal looks different than paint, so it may be noticeable from up close. Gladly, most onlookers never get that close, so if you can live with it, it's okay.
Step 4: Use Epoxy for Gashes
If your chrome rims have any deep dings or gashes that paint won't simply cover up, you can try a hard epoxy in a can. Follow the directions carefully, but basically you fill in the gash or indent and smooth it out after it dries. Again, use a smoothing material that won't scratch the chrome. After it is smoothed out, touch it up with chrome paint.
Chrome rim repair is something you can do at home. You probably do not have the materials, space or know how to re-plate your rims with fresh chrome--that is an expensive job that requires complex skill and materials. You can, however, clean them, fill in and smooth out gashes or nicks, and paint over scratches. Because you drive around with them exposed to road debris, they will sooner or later get scratched, but you can get them looking practically new again.
from carsdirect.com
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