The Differences Between Steel Wheels and Alloys

In years gone by, most automobile wheels were made entirely of steel. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; after all, steel looks presentable and is very durable. However, in the auto racing world, good looks aren’t enough, and alloys or mag wheels online became more popular. Alloys are different than steel wheels in numerous ways, including:

• Composition. Alloys are made of aluminium, magnesium, and sometimes both
• Strength. Alloy wheels tend to have a higher strength-to-weight ratio than comparably sized steel wheels
• Alloys are better heat conductors
• Tuner car enthusiasts prefer alloys to steel wheels because of their connection to the world of motorsports
• Alloy wheels typically offer better vehicle handling than that found with steel wheels

Simply put, alloy wheels offer the same strength of a set of steel wheels, but with a lighter weight and all the performance benefits that come with it.

Why Should I Choose Alloys?

For the average Australian driver, the advantages of alloys aren’t substantial enough to make a big difference in the overall driving experience. As mentioned previously, mag wheel technology was born of the motorsports environment, where cutting weight is crucial.

However, for road performance enthusiasts, the benefits of alloy wheels are indeed persuasive. A good set of alloys makes a compelling visual statement, which is important for those who take their motoring seriously. The weight reduction benefits are highly relevant for performance-oriented vehicles, especially those that take part in the occasional track day. On the race track, light alloy wheels result in a lower unsprung weight and improved handling.

Alloys vs. Steel Wheels: It’s Up to You

In the end, the type of wheel you choose depends mainly on your aesthetic preferences and your driving habits. Whilst alloys are usually more expensive, they’re worth the investment if you want a truly premium driving experience.

What Makes Alloys so Special?

• They’re much lighter than steel wheels. Because they are, as we mentioned previously, made of a blend of nickel, magnesium, and aluminium, they’re typically lower in weight. When your car’s wheels are lighter, you’ll see performance benefits such as increased braking power and quicker acceleration. Furthermore, light wheels may increase your fuel economy.
• They offer better performance under pressure: Because alloys or mags are made primarily of aluminium, they have a superior ability to dissipate heat from your car’s braking components. During harsh summer driving, keeping the brakes cool will greatly reduce your chances of brake failure.
• They just look better: The aesthetic differences between steel wheels and alloys is often enough to justify an upgrade. Alloys are quite dynamic in appearance, and when they’re chosen well, they can give any vehicle a more luxe look. Alloys are available in a range of cast designs, and you’ll definitely find more customisation options available for alloys than for steelies. Let the team at AutoCraze help you find a set of alloys that perfectly complement your vehicle.

Are There Any Drawbacks to Alloys?

Whilst there are numerous benefits to alloys, you should note that the metal’s lighter weight may leave it more susceptible to cracking and bending. These wheels are a bit more eye-catching than steelies, which means that cosmetic damage will be more noticeable. Alloys offer increased safety benefits and greater performance, the durability of steel wheels makes them a great choice for those afraid of kerb damage.

Alloys Are a Great Choice Overall: Buy a Set Today

To make it easier to find the perfect wheel and tyre package, AutoCraze Rims offers a range of wheel selection tools. With our help, you will find it easy to select your make and model and find compatible wheels. Are you looking for your next set of wheels and tyres? Visit the friendly team at AutoCraze to find options that fit any style, driving habits, and budget.

The post The Pros and Cons of Alloy Wheels appeared first on BMW Car Tuning BLOG - BMW Car Modifications and Customization.

Obviously, the first is the F10 BMW 5 Series. The second needs a bit of an explanation since it’s the guys at Strasse Forged.

The third, the photographer, is pretty much mandatory regardless of the sort of tuning or industry launch we’re dealing with.

In this case he gets some special attention. We don’t know who he is, but he did make some brave choices with the lighting and it has paid off.

Thus we can enjoy the new set of wheels fitted to the handsome Bavarian sedan in, if you’ll pardon the expression, a new light.

Aside from getting a different look at the shapes of the newest of 5 Series models, the low colorful light setup really helps the Strasse Forged wheels shine (sorry again).

They are Strasse Forged SM7 concave wheels featuring a three-piece lightweight construction. These are built to aerospace standards.

The chrome lips and silver inner barrels really help bring out the white paint of the F10 BMW 5 Series as well as the pretty colors of your local night club.

Fans of actual figures will likely want to know about the 20×9 inches dimensions for the front and 20×10.5 inches for the rear.

No mention was made as to what suspension this particular 5er is running and it’s a fair suspicion to think that the standard setup is not employed.

The post F10 BMW 5 Series meets Strasse Forged appeared first on BMW Car Tuning BLOG - BMW Car Modifications and Customization.

The E9x series has had its share of mods and tweaks but it’s usually the E90 sedan or the E92 coupe that got the glory and attention.

On this occasion it’s the E93 version that grabs center stage, meaning we’re looking at the convertible version of the glorious M3.

K3 Projekt Wheels is the tuning company which came up with this one and, perhaps predictably, they’ve tweaked just about everything around a single item.

Unfortunately, it is not the engine. It’s actually the new 20 inch wheel set of light alloys the M3 gets all around.

Variations do occur between the frond the rear as the exact dimensions come in at 20×9 front and 20×11 rear with tires similarly proportioned.

Tires wrapped around these wheels come from an unnamed manufacturer which probably specializes in bikninis since they’re so small and interesting.

The actual setup calls for 245/30/20 at the front and 285/25/20 at the rear. Wheels and tires aside, making the car look even better with these modifications is a new suspension setup.

A KW coilover package was employed in order to lower the car and make it look as sporty as possible but that didn’t really cut it.

It was only after the bumper kit went on that K3 Projekt Wheels got the desired effect. Again, nothing confirmed on who made the bumpers.

Source

The post E93 BMW M3 by K3 Projekt Wheels appeared first on BMW Car Tuning BLOG - BMW Car Modifications and Customization.

SR Auto Group’s idea to name their newest F10 BMW M5 the Motel Grey edition may sound stupid but it does make sense when you look into it.

The F10 M5 does this brilliantly, it’s got itself a hot lava level of performance and yet it comes with a very cool exterior look.

When covered by SR Auto Group tuning, the cool bit is even more accentuated as the Canadian tuner focused on the aesthetics of the matter.

We’re guessing they’re the sort of guys who consider a 4.4 liter twin-turbocharged V8 with 560 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque sufficient.

I do think about the same, but I just couldn’t get round to thinking there’s such a thing as too much power in a car when there’s still mods you can use to keep things under control.

Moving on, SR Auto Group want us to notice the 21 inch PUR Two Monoblock multi-spoke wheels, their Matte Black finish and the attention to detail in their building.

Truth be told, those are amazing rollers. With the blue M Performance calipers behind them they look even better.

It is a bit of a shame to see that SR Auto Group went for a murdered out finish. Everything turns black, even the windows and that’s great.

The only problem is that plenty of detail seems to have been lost from that cool image. The car is starting to look hot enough to attract the cops.

Source

The post SR Auto Group creates Molten Grey F10 BMW M5 appeared first on BMW Car Tuning BLOG - BMW Car Modifications and Customization.

A somewhat sedate F30 3 Series Sedan is in the works, a considerably sharper F10 BMW M5 is being worked alongside it and now one of the newest models is under the knife.

It’s all sounding very exciting to see and Studie AG seem to be working tirelessly around the clock to come up with new cars/packages for them and the likes.

Their PR folk certainly know their way around the business and they will easily build up the hype on these new cars but they may be doing it a little early on.

This time there’s basically nothing to talk about in terms of body, aero tweaks or even paint schemes. This is a typical Mineral White paint finish we’re talking about.

The biggish four door coupe is now sitting on a KW V3 coilover suspension setup and can be teamed to a varying combinations of alloy wheels.

These can range between 20 and 21 inch alloys that are manufactured by Advan or AC Schnitzer and it’s very, very difficult to argue against either of which.

All I wish is that the guys over at Studie AG would get right on top of the models they’re making and actually start launching slightly more intricate tweaks.

In the meantime, we’ll just drool a little over the images they’ve currently provided.

The post Studie AG tunes 6 Series Gran Coupe appeared first on BMW Car Tuning BLOG - BMW Car Modifications and Customization.

This is certainly the case with this Senner Tuning E91 BMW 3 Series Touring model. It remained in the shadows because it was never a standard package.

In reality, the product in question was built by request for the owner and there was no fuss made about it in terms of media coverage.

That’s not to say the model isn’t worth a second look. First of all, the car looks like one of the best interpretations of an estate you can get.

In keeping with a practical sense nearby, the owner of this BMW estate didn’t bother with the performance upgrades and focused on the sound and look of the car.

He decided to begin by fitting a set of chunky alloy wheels, sporty tires for extra grip and a new exhaust system for extra noise.

The wheels are five-double spoke designs blending chrome with satin black in an incredibly stylish way though that may have a lot to do with the paint of the body.

That dark blue shade, together with the dark tinted windows make for quite the effect. More importantly, the four pipe exhaust is there to make it feel like an M division product.

Obviously, you don’t get the same performance but if the tune is there, you can enjoy your family car when nobody’s around.

The post E91 BMW 3 Series Touring by Senner Tuning appeared first on BMW Car Tuning BLOG - BMW Car Modifications and Customization.

That’s a fact that makes it rather tricky to stand out in such a car. With the Lumma Design option the X5 gets to be little different.

The front end is a little dubious looking but I do appreciate the way just about everything else looks and feels.

In regards to the feeling part, nobody will feel anything new about the way the performance is delivered since Lumma Design have only updated the interior and exterior of the X5.

The usual custom bits have been fitted, there’s a set of new floor mats, newly fitted leather and a few other upgraded trim pieces.

While the aluminium pedals mix well with the new interior paint scheme they feel a tad over sized, perhaps they were designed for people with very big feet.

Moving on back to the exterior design, let’s start with the weak bit. The new grille they’ve fitted on both the radiator and a large part of the front bumper.

For good measure however, Lumma Design’s BMW X530 gets some 22 inch alloy wheels with a matte white finish to match the exterior paint.

In terms of other actual body kit upgrades, there are new side skirts, eyelids for the headlamps and there’s also a new rear bumper and a relatively small spoiler.

Everything seems interesting and perhaps in a different color some would dare say the Lumma Design creation would improve it immensely.

The post Lumma Design BMW X530 appeared first on BMW Car Tuning BLOG - BMW Car Modifications and Customization.

The people who actually work on the tuning packages they create haven’t spent a moment on thinking about the name and instead had a go at changing the BMW Z4.

Changing may actually be to strong a word for the circumstance, the changes going on in the brand might seem more substantial than the Z4 tune’s changes.

There are now performance changes. As far as we know there are no interior changes either. There aren’t even any new toys to consider.

In fact, SR Auto have taken a lesson from the neglect BMW have been given the Z4 and updated it with a couple of minimalist changes to the exterior.

Last time BMW had a go, they offered new colors for the convertible hardtop. SR Auto, on the other hand, have created a new option for you with the whole paint job and the wheels.

You can now have it in a Black that’s not matte yet seems to absorb the light around it with ease and a new set of two tone alloys.

These are 20 inch rims with a CEC C882 design that have been painted (powder coated?) in Vibrant Red and Gunmetal Silver.

It’s quite the nice effect but we honestly thing there are still plenty of tweaks the tuning world can offer the BMW Z4.

Source

The post BMW Z4 updated by SR Auto Group appeared first on BMW Car Tuning BLOG - BMW Car Modifications and Customization.

A creation of SR Auto Group, It’s called the Shadow Walker package and was developed for the F12 BMW 650i. It fits the grand tourer greatly.

The package can probably be applied to the whole of the current BMW range without too much fuss since it seems to meet some core brand feats of the Bavarian car maker.

We’re looking at a simply flowing design, a discrete presence and an imposing image.

Some would even go as far as to say it’s an austere look. I’m not in agreement but even if it were true, we couldn’t really complain.

None of the BMW 650i’s features or body panels were changed, with the most important substantial difference here being the new wheels.

The F12 now uses 20 inch Circuit T03 rollers which are finished in black. Speaking of which, the entire car is now painted black.

It’s one of those matte black situations that I must admit I am not very fond of. Therefore my saying that I appreciate the look of the F12 Shadow Walker even in these conditions should weigh more.

The slightly glossy finish of the wheels and the one of the roof seem to highlight the F12 BMW 650i’s sleek profile.

My only request to SR Auto Group upon creating this vehicle is that if they don’t spread the love to other BMW creations, at least the F12 M6 should be getting a Shadow Walker package.

The post SR Auto Group creates F12 BMW 650i Shadow Walker appeared first on BMW Car Tuning BLOG - BMW Car Modifications and Customization.