You may have heard car enthusiasts refer to aftermarket wheels or custom rims.  But what exactly are these?

Basically, they are wheels other than what your car came with from the factory.  The original wheels on your car are known as "stock wheels" and are usually pretty boring — although I have noticed in the last few years that car manufacturers are trying to make their stock wheels look less stock and more stylish.

Of course, when buying custom rims for your car, it is important to make sure they are going to work on your car.  Every type of vehicle has a specific lug nut pattern, which means the spacing between the lug nuts and where they are placed.  Because this can vary between cars (and wheels!), certain wheels won’t work on certain cars without some extra tinkering.

Another thing to keep in mind is that some cars don’t have enough clearance in the wheel wells for extra wide wheels (which are the most popular).  So Corvette wheels may not be interchangeable with VW wheels, and so on.

When buying aftermarket wheels for your car, make sure you consult a knowledgeable salesperson and insist on ensuring the wheels will work before you make a final decision.  You’ll probably also want to see the wheels on your car before you buy them, to make sure you like the way they look!

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