Guide for car Wheel Parts and their Functions

Wheels have been a marvelous invention of the modern age. In fact, it will be right to say that the modern age began with the invention of the wheel. Today, there are many vehicle on the road. You can see every, shape, size and style of the car. Car for rich people and car for a common man. But, no matter how many models of cars are available, one feature remains constant in all – Wheels.

Though the size and shape of wheels vary from vehicle to vehicle, its function remains the same. And so, if you are a car person, knowing the wheel parts and their functions is a must know.

Wheels are made of four parts. Tyres, rim, hub, and valve.

Let us look at each of these parts in detail to understand their function.

• Tyres – Let us start with the most known part of the wheel. Tyres are black ring shapes tubes made of rubber, carbon black and few chemicals. They are the outermost part of the wheel. They are inflated with pressured air to maintain the car balance. The pressure of the air again will vary from car to car. The main function of a tyre includes creating friction between ground and wheel and to remove debris and water from the road. To create friction the road touching side of the wheel has grooves and notches. This part is called the tread. The body of the tyre is where we fill up the pressurized air.
• The Rim – The second part of the wheel is the rim. The rim is cylindrical in shape. It is a skeletal edge that holds the tyre. Rim is the one that holds the weight of the car and is made of a strong material such as metal. The width and diameter of the rim will decide the size of the tyre. And perfect fitting of rim and tyre is essential to seal the air between the gaps. Especially in the case of tubeless tyres. Though customized rim is available it is expensive. Also, in case of any repairing or replacement, the services cost more than the regular ones.
• The hub – The hub is the part of the wheel that connects the tyres to rim, axle and the brake rotors. The hub and rim are usually joined by a wheel disc, which can be removable or fixed. Or some cars use spokes to connect the hub and the rim. Today, stylish spokes are in use for aesthetic purposes.
• Valve – A valve is the smallest part of the wheel. Yet it is a significant part. It is used for tyre inflation and deflation. These valves are usually integrated with a tyre pressure monitoring system to ensure that proper air level at all times.

Thus, a wheel consists of many parts. And each part has a very specific function. And like any machine, these parts need to work in perfect balance to ensure safe driving.