24 inch rims

24 inch rims

Bigger wheels are all the rage now with companies all over the world scrambling to offer the biggest and the best. With a price tag ranging from $5,000 to $40,000 and up (the very first set sold for $150,000), its amazing there is such a demand for them. TIS, a well-known wheel company, paired with Pirelli Tires back in 2004 to do what no one believed possible. The two companies formed an alliance and the first 30" chrome wheel was born. Pirelli Scorpion tires cradled chrome wheels across the globe. Originally designed to fit Hummer SUV's, these wheels have been seen on almost any type of vehicle imaginable.

There is a lot of debate over where the "big wheel" craze started. Midwest drivers insist they started the street trend of throwing extra large wheels on almost any vehicle, along with Texas, Florida, and even Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Regardless of where it originated, 30" wheels have been seen on everything from lifted Chevys and SUV's. Not wanting to be left in the dust, other companies like Moz, Asanti, and Giovanna stepped up and brought what they had to the table. Now 30 inch rims are almost a requirement for every major wheel company. Giovanna, a high end luxury wheel company, came up strong in the 30 inch department with the "Caracas" wheel. Its strong lines and Giovanna logo embedded in the wheel gave any vehicle it accented an overly aggressive appeal. DUB also offers a few 28"and 30" fitments, along with many others companies.

The excitement has died down over the D'Vinci Forgiato Radurra clear polycarbonate wheel (the same material used in space shuttle windshields) that were introduced in 2006, and the $1,000,000 gem-studded Asanti wheels (12,000 diamonds + 800 sapphires = 1,100 carats) introduced in 2005, and now a new buzz is needed. The question has been for the past year- what will be done next and who will do it? When initially introduced to the market, 30" wheels had to be hand mounted because there were not any machines back then designed to take on the job. Technicians gleefully threw their back out to have the bragging rights of hand-mounting the behemoths. Now alignment, speed balancing and mounting equipment is offered to accommodate 28" and 30" wheels. You can see a video of hand-mounting 30" wheels here: http://www.myspace.com/dirtysouthcustomsnc.

Now when I say 28" and 30" wheels/rims and tires, I am not speaking of the overall diameter of the wheel. Most off-road enthusiasts and Jeep lovers measure their wheels by overall diameter. The overall diameter is measured from the very top of the tire to the bottom of the tire. Vehicles typically carry an overall diameter of 24"-32" with their factory wheels. The wheels I am speaking of are a little bigger than that. The rim itself has a diameter of 28" or 30". Seeing that these large wheels are designed for SUVs, you would have at least 8 additional inches of tire added to that. That would bring your overall diameter to 36" and up. If installed on anything other than a large SUV, a complete suspension lift would be required to accommodate such a large increase in the overall diameter. The suspension lift would be required to raise the frame of the vehicle up high enough so that the tires would clear the fender well and in most cases, the body of the vehicle. Spring spacers and air shocks could give a consumer about 2-3" of extra clearance. This wouldn't be enough, and that's where the labor of welding and cutting comes in to play. An average suspension lift on say, a 1986 Buick Regal, could cost about $1000-$2000 just to raise it enough to fit a 28 or 30 inch wheel on it. You probably would need at least 10-12 additional inches of clearance to fit a wheel this large on a car.

Mostly all of the larger wheels come designed only to fit large Hummer H2s. That particular Hummer has an 8 lug bolt pattern, and in order to install it on a 5 or 6 lug vehicle you must use a 4 to 5 inch thick double adapter. The adapter is necessary to convert an 8 lug wheel to fit a 5 or 6 lug car. These adapters can run $800 or more for a set of four. Needless to say, installing a 28" or 30" wheel on anything other than a very large SUV would require a massive suspension lift. If the suspension lift and set of wheel adapters doesn't break your budget, don't forget that the average price to replace a 28" tire if you get a flat is around $2000. This is if you can find a shop that stocks the tires! Otherwise, your local tire supplier would have to special order your tire. The pricing wars on bigger rims and tires has waged on, with local wheel shops struggling to find the finances to have the expensive wheels in stock. Typically, only larger wheel dealers can afford to have the wheels and tires on hand. A lot of online companies have made the market very competitive for small shops, with giant dealers offering sets at low prices. The downside is freight costs and shipping times, as most of the online retailers are based out of California.

Now, as if 28 and 30 inches were not big enough, companies are racing to bring 32 inch wheels and tires to the market. No one is claiming to have them officially in production for retail sale yet, BUT I HAVE SEEN THEM WITH MY VERY OWN EYES!!! The main thing slowing down major companies is production of a DOT approved tire to pair the wheels with. All the sets I have seen so far are in the design stage and are not being mass produced at this point. A select few vehicles have been chosen to showcase the wheels on their rides to gauge the demand. There are also a few "gag" photos floating around online of homemade 32" and even 40" sets. I have seen a lifted box Caprice with 40" rims made by a friend of a friend, but what you can't see in the photo is that there are no tires on the wheel. DOT approval is not easy to come by.

Trust me- people are dying with anticipation for 32" wheels and bigger. Most retail wheel shops can't keep 30 inch wheels in stock, so imagine what will happen when the 32"s hit the streets. It will not be long before you see a Hummer or box Chevy sitting high on 32"s! Keep your eyes open, it is only a matter of time.