The 15 Basic Parts Of A Car Wheel With Diagram

Wheels are a huge part of your car‘s personality and performance. No exterior aesthetic upgrade affects the look of a vehicle like a new set of aftermarket wheels and tires. Wheels come in so many sizes, designs, and materials.

There are many kinds of wheels to consider, too many to list, and the terminology for wheel parts can be complicated. What is the difference between a wheel and a rim? What do the two numbers associated with that wheel mean?

Get educated before you purchase wheels. This guide will help you navigate the names of wheel parts, understand wheel anatomy, learn how wheels are made, why wheel size is important, how to measure wheel offset, understand the process of upsizing wheels, and much more.

Car Wheel Parts Diagram with Name

Car Wheel Parts Names List:

Parts of a Car Wheel

The car wheel has several components, including three main components: the tire, the rim, and the hub. The tire wraps around the rim, and is the width of the wheel and giving traction on the surface of the road. The hub is where the wheel attaches to a car’s axle.

#1. The Wheel Disc or Rim.

The rim is metal and, though it can be different materials and shapes, fundamentally is a tube on which the other components of the wheel are placed. The other components of the wheel are attached to the rim by nuts and bolts.

The rim must properly fit the tire to make a tubeless tire. The rim of a car wheel is made from a very strong material, typically steel, that will support a car’s weight. The size of the car will determine the width and diameter of the rim. You can also get custom car wheel rims; custom rims vary in color and style.

#2. The Hub.

A wheel hub assembly, or wheel hub unit, is the entire unit that holds the wheel to the car and includes bearings, seals, and sensors. It is an important part of your steering system and is important in ensuring proper steering and handling.

The wheel hub assembly can be found on each wheel of the car, and it is located between the drive axle and the brake drums or brake discs.

The bolts of the wheel hub assembly fasten the wheel to the assembly on the brake disc side, while the drive axle side fastens to the steering knuckle and can be a bolt-in or press-in assembly.

When the wheel hub assembly is on the downside of life, it has some common symptoms, including;

• Growling, humming, squeaking, chirping, or squealing if you are driving at 30-45mph from the tires while driving.
• The steering wheel shakes while driving.
• The ABS light can turn on if the sensor is not reading correctly or if the sensor signal is lost.

#3. The Tire.

Tires are arguably one of the more important elements of car wheels. After all, without the tire, it does little good to have a rim, a valve, and counterweights, etc, as well, it has one of the largest volumes.

The job of car tires is to provide traction and cushion impacts along with suspension and shock absorbers, as well as keep rims off the ground.

The tire tread is the outermost part that has tread patterns. In order to verify tire tread depth, there are several methods to do so, including using a coin or using the guide in this document.

This part of the car wheel is primarily rubber, although the materials used in its manufacture vary. The tires may include rubber, such as carbon black, synthetic rubber, textile fibers, and mineral components.

#4. Spokes.

Spokes are the link between a hub (the center) and a rim. Spokes contribute to the overall structural integrity of the wheel. Spokes plus the hub create the outboard face of the wheel. Multi-piece wheels will be mass-produced as pieces and then bolted together to form the entire face of the wheel.

Spokes also provide aesthetic value and are the primary reason every wheel is custom. Custom wheels utilize many styles of spokes for aesthetics, and there are many ways to identify spoke variation in the number, width, shape, and patterns. Some truck or trailer wheels may even utilize a solid face and have no spokes! 

Five-spoke wheels are a standard type of wheel because of the way the spokes work together to support the wheel’s construction: an opposing spoke supports every spoke and negates torsional vibration. Fewer spokes will provide lower wheel weight.

Ultimately, the number of spokes on a wheel has very little impact on performance or overall weight, especially compared to the construction of the materials being utilized. So, choose a wheel that you like the look of!

#5. Valve Stem.

At the car wheel, the rustic car tire valve is a key car wheel part that is used to inflate and deflate the car tires. It is how we put the air or nitrogen needed to fill the chamber or is how we remove it if we put in too much.

When it is closed, it keeps the air or nitrogen from escaping to the outside, so it is vital to the tire pressure so that we can actually drive safely.

The mechanism of the valve is made and adapted to do this, and is linked to the car tire pressure monitoring system so we drivers can know the tire pressure condition.

Structural Requirements for Tire Valves:

• The tire valves should be easy to deflate and inflate.
• The valves shouldn’t leak.
• Check the internal pressure.
• It can be replaced and combined with the inner wall.
• Tire valves have uniform replacement specifications.
• It can help in stabilizing the pressure of the inner tube.

#6. Hubcaps.

Some wheels have a trim called a hubcap. In some cases, this may conceal or hide the nuts or bolts of the rim. In theory, its only purpose is decorative, but it also helps to keep dirt particles off the rim.

Hubcap caps fit snugly in the hub area of your car to help withstand all manner of dust and debris. Beyond that, hubcaps also assist in the life of your wheel by covering wheel nuts and bolts from corroding.

The hubs in the car wheel allow turning, but the role of the hub in maintaining wheel speed sensor and braking, steering, and traction for your vehicle is also very important.

#7. Counterweights.

Also, another part of a wheel is the counterweights. In fact, it is a component that some people do not even know about, but it’s nonetheless an important component of safe driving.

These counterweights are typically small in size and are typically made of lead, and they are typically braced on the rims. The purpose is to stabilize all four wheels. The purpose of counterweights is to eliminate vibrations while driving.

Vibrations affect much more than discomfort, too; sometimes they can cause damage to shock absorbers, the lifespan of tires, and overall safety while driving.

#8. Center bore.

The large hole in the center of the wheel, is the center bore, fits onto the axle hub assembly and carries the load of the axle. The center bore must be the same size as the axle mount or larger, or the wheel will not fit.

If the center bore is larger than the axle mount, hub rings can be used to fill the empty space around the mount so the wheel is centered with the axle.

#9. Center Disc.

The cylindrical part surrounding the center bore that has the lug holes. Also called the “plate”, this is part of the hub where the spokes intersect.

This is the component that transmits forces from the axle and braking systems. The back of the center disc, the mounting pad, rests on the axle seat.

#10. Lug Holes.

The holes around the center bore, are used in securing the wheel to the axle. The holes fit to threaded studs on the axle seat, which lug nuts are fastened to secure the wheel to the axle. German vehicles generally utilize wheel bolts instead of lug nuts and studs.

#11. Center Cap.

A removable piece that covers the center bore from the outside. On many vehicles today, it also protects the lug nuts from damage too.

#12. Outer Lip.

Measured as the distance from the wheel face to the outboard edge of the wheel rim, the outer lip is (generally) the part of the wheel that faces outward.

A deep outer lip is more susceptible to hitting things; the spokes are farther away and hence are not providing significant structural support. On three-piece wheels, the outer lip is produced as a separate part from the rest of the barrel.

#13. Bead Rests.

The bead rests are the surfaces of the rim that exist outwardly on the rim surface where the beads of the tire sit on the wheel. The bead rests should be cleaned to eliminate contaminants before mounting the tire onto the wheel to help the tire form an airtight seal. 

#14. Drop Center.

The rim is made up of many parts. The smallest inside diameter of the barrel is the drop center. If the drop center is close to the front face of the wheel, then this is a front-mount wheel. If the drop enter is close to the back face of the wheel, this is a reverse mount wheel.

#15. Flanges.

The edges of the barrel are flared out to form flanges. The flanges keep the tire from slipping off the wheel. The outward-facing flanges are part of the cosmetic face of the wheel.

Just in from the flanges are areas that are flat and called beads. This is where the edges of the tire will sit on the wheel.

There are also mounting humps that circle the other side of the barrel and the cosmetic side of the wheel, which vertically separate the beads and hold the tire in place to prevent slipping away from the edge of the wheel.

FAQs.