Tires are one of the most essential parts of every car, but there are many more types of wheels than you may expect—from the classic steel and alloy to forged, multi-cut, and more. Each has its own specific set of advantages and disadvantages.

Though automobile wheels date back to the inception of the car, manufacturers are still constantly researching and developing new types of wheels every year.

With every new type of wheel that comes out, they are made stronger, lighter, better, and smarter than their predecessors.

Car insurance

super app

Jerry

has put together an essential guide about the different types of wheels and their uses—continue reading to learn more.

What are the different types of wheels?

Before spending your hard-earned money on a set of wheels, it’s important to know exactly what types are on the market. Some of the most common wheel types are listed below:

Steel wheels

Steel wheels, or “steelies”, are one of the most basic types of wheels in the world.

Steel is a carbon and iron alloy that is stronger and harder than most other metals used to make wheels. They’re stronger than aluminum wheels but are also bulkier and heavier. Steel wheels also aren’t the most innovative in terms of design and visual appeal.

Alloy wheels

Alloy wheels are the other most common type of wheel used by manufacturers today. Aluminum and magnesium alloys are used to make them.

Alloys are lighter in weight, while still retaining their strength and are a little more visually appealing than their steel counterparts. Their main drawback is durability, as alloy wheels are more prone to scratching and breaking.

Multi-piece wheels

Multi-piece wheels are exactly what they sound like: they are made up of many pieces that fit together to form a single wheel.

Because you can combine different offsets and widths, multi-piece wheels allow for more customization than one-piece wheels. But with this extra customization, multi-piece wheels are more expensive. Multi-piece wheels typically cost up to three times as much as a normal single-piece wheel.

Forged wheels

If you're looking for aftermarket wheels, one of the options you can choose is forged. Forged rims are made by shaping a single piece of solid aluminum into the shape of a wheel rim.

Forged wheels are three times stronger and 25% lighter than cast wheels, which is ideal for a high-performance car—but they are also on the pricier end.

Replica “OEM style” wheels

If you're a car aficionado, you've probably seen or heard about the plethora of "high-quality" replica wheels for various car brands available on the internet.

Replica alloy wheels are made using gravity casting, meaning they are nowhere near the density of OEM alloy wheels (which are manufactured using compression force). As a result, these replicas are always brittle, weak, and potentially dangerous to drivers—try and avoid them if you can.

MORE: How to read a tire

What type of wheels should you get?

Now that you know the various types of wheels on the market, you probably have a better understanding of which one will suit your needs.

But to make things even easier for you, we've put together a list of the best options for different priorities an average driver may have:

Best wheels on a budget

If you’d rather not spend a fortune on wheels, then steel is your best bet.

They’re definitely the most affordable, and depending on the size, you can even find steel rims starting at $30!

Best wheels for performance

Alloy wheels’ lightness helps make them a great choice for the performance-oriented driver.

They offer some of the best grip, steering, handling, and cornering while still maintaining a pretty affordable price point—you can find alloy wheels for as low as $50.

Best wheels for strength

Thanks to their manufacturing process, forged wheels are pretty strong.

The forging process makes these wheels stronger, more durable, and resistant to corrosion and oxidation. The wheel's structural integrity is also rather high-quality.

Best wheels for sports cars

With basically endless customization options, multi-cut wheels make for the best option when outfitting your sports car.

Whether you want increased acceleration, traction, cornering, or some that just look really cool, you can make your dream wheels by choosing multi-cut.

MORE:How to paint car wheels

Are wheels covered by car insurance?

In short—it depends!

You might have a hard time getting your wheels covered under your basic insurance policy and will likely need

comprehensive coverage

and

collision coverage

And even then, comprehensive and collision will only safeguard you against the specific damages listed in your policy. These typically include:

Damage from a car accident

Stolen tires

Slashed tires

Damage from debris

You shouldn’t expect normal wear and tear or regularly-scheduled tire replacements to be covered by insurance.

And keep in mind that

choosing the best car insurance deductible

makes a difference. A high deductible may be costlier than the cost of repairing your tire. Oftentimes, paying out of pocket may be the most cost-effective choice.

How to save money on car insurance and protect your wheels

If you’re in the market for new comprehensive or collision coverage to protect your wheels or simply want

cheap car insurance

, then look no further than the

Jerry

app.

A licensed broker and

trustworthy insurance comparison app

, Jerry does all the hard work of finding cheap quotes from top name-brand insurance companies and buying new car insurance. Jerry will even help you cancel your old policy.

And to ensure you always have the lowest rate, Jerry will send you new quotes every time your policy comes up for renewal, so you’re always getting the coverage you want at the best price.

“

Jerry

is the future of car insurance! I downloaded the app, entered the information, picked my insurance rate, and paid my fee. I even switched insurance providers easily! Jerry saved me $182/month so quickly!” —Paulina F.

Should all my wheels be the same type?

Manufacturers generally don't encourage tire mixing. Doing so could lead to decreased safety and performance for your vehicle, so avoid it as much as you can!

Do I have to replace all my wheels at the same time?

It mostly depends on what kind of car you have!

Two-wheel drive cars are best-replaced in pairs, either the two front or two rear, depending on the tire(s) in need of replacing. In the case of all-wheel-drive cars, all four should ideally be replaced at the same time.

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