Alloy rims provide certain functional and aesthetic advantages over steel rims, and are gaining in popularity.

Alloy wheels and rims are made from a 'cast', a mixture of aluminum and small amounts of one or more rigid metals. Aluminum is light, and also has greater heat dissipation properties. Heat dissipation becomes important for wheels because frequent braking actions often heat it up. The rigid metals impart required rigidity to the cast and prevent the wheel from developing and propagating cracks.

Aluminum based alloy wheels are aesthetic, being much more attractive than steel. They also reduce the car's unsprung weight, i.e. the rotating mass at the ends of your suspension components. This weight reduction results in better braking response and superior overall steering feel. These are definite advantages that you can see and feel.

It is a good idea to be aware of a property of car wheels called offset. Offset is the distance between the wheel's centerline and the hub mounting face at the back. It is measured in millimeters of ET and is usually stamped on the wheels. Front wheel drive vehicles typically use wheels with positive offset while powerful rear-wheel-drive cars use those with negative offset.

Several coats of polish are typically applied to alloy rims. Such polishing helps prevent accumulation of brake dust, road salt and dirt keying. Subsequent care of the rims also involve giving several coats of polish. Some specialists will advice you to take more care of the rims than the paintwork. The rims face the harshest conditions among all the components of the car, and they cost you a small fortune. So taking care of them brings good returns in the form of improved performance and savings in money.

Alloy rims in standardized sizes are now produced by several vendors and so prices get driven down through competition. You can also order customized alloy rims with the offset size, built type and fitments that you want.

With all the advantages, alloy rims are getting quite popular and vendor competition is also driving down alloy rim prices. They are quite attractive, and can be customized further, to give your car that extra glamour.