Custom wheels and tires add the pride of vehicle ownership and enhance handling, performance, confidence, and ride enjoyment.
Accessorized vehicles often attract the attention of auto shoppers because the customized version looks different than they normally see. Being able to visualize how certain custom features make a vehicle different. Custom wheels and rims are the top of accessories for cars and trucks today. The custom wheel business in the USA is now over $2.54 billion in annual sales.
Even though custom wheel sales stagnated during Covid-19, custom wheel sales have roared back with a passion. Led by the off-road market, larger wheels, and tires are once again the rage. In the automobile segment, the track-inspired look has risen in popularity.
Custom Wheel Market in 2023
Consumer tastes are also driving a number of key manufacturing trends, with Japanese manufacturers now releasing more truck wheels and the entire industry perfecting the latest design and engineering technologies.
Most performance enthusiasts work hard to reduce weight—especially the unsprung variety,” he observed. “Manufacturers with a rich motorsports heritage, such as BBS and Rays, continually push the limits of engineering to achieve the lightest but strongest wheel for street and track use. BBS shocked the world with the FI-R—a forged Y-spoke wheel with industry-first recesses in the actual spokes.
It offered extreme strength, a proper load rating, and low weight—a 20×12 wheel weighs 20.3 lbs. Shortly after, BBS released a forged-magnesium wheel program for street and track use in which a 20×12 weighs 18.6 lbs.
The consumer now understands the difference between flow-formed cast wheels and traditional, low-pressure cast wheels. Flow-formed, flow-forged, and radial-forged wheels are still cast but stronger and lighter. Also, the manufacturers can execute more complex designs when using that manufacturing process.
In recent years, those more complex designs have been made increasingly possible with the assistance of additive manufacturing—or 3-D printing.
Reinventing Custom Wheels and Tires
The invention has always been a key driver for the aftermarket, but custom wheels and tires are so basic in design and function that there can seem little to reinvent. For tires particularly, most technological advancements have come at the OE supplier level and have principally revolved around more efficient tread patterns, lighter and quieter rubber compounds, improved manufacturing techniques, run-flat or self-sealing features, lowered rolling resistance and RFID labeling.
Although a number of major tire makers are known to be experimenting with tires better adapted to autonomous vehicles, more exotic materials, 3-D-printed treads, and even shape-shifting designs, changes over the past decade have been more evolutionary than revolutionary.
One major goal has been the continued improvement of TPMS to shake out its quirks and frustrations for shop professionals and consumers alike. Luckily, that is one area where the aftermarket has been able to step up and demonstrate its technological prowess—especially in TPMS servicing.
Another recent innovation helping custom wheel stores, customizers, and dealerships sell more custom wheels is Wheels Visualizer, a custom API for the website that reduces sales friction by providing digital visual images of a customer’s exact vehicle with the wheels he is considering customizing his ride with.
Wheels Visualizer has proven to reduce custom wheel sales friction by over 25%. The result is more sales per lead for custom wheels. You may add the custom wheels visualizer to your website by adding the API to your website and enjoy the benefits of showing customers digital representations of their chosen wheels on their automobile or truck.
Adding Value for Consumers
With consumers driving fewer miles and extending the life of their purchases, helping them to properly care for and get the most from their wheel and tire products can be a powerful way to enhance value and cement relationships. Suggesting ancillary items such as ceramic coating and/or cleaning products, lug nuts, wheel bolts, spacers, stud conversions, and even suspension upgrades can also increase margins.
Perhaps most important of all, the pandemic has created a hunger among consumers for basic automotive knowledge and do-it-yourself skills. Fortunately, the Specialty Equipment Market Association “SEMA” and Wheel and Tire Council “WTC” offer two downloadable sales tools to help retailers and installers demonstrate their expertise and stand out with potential wheel and tire purchasers.
The Wheel and Tire Council “Ride Guide” report provides users with easy-to-understand graphical representations of test data surrounding the effects of various tire sizes. Compiled by the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research, the vehicle performance data includes comparisons of ride comfort, road grip, steering-firmness response, directional response and steering-speed response. The guide is intended to arm sales professionals with information that can help consumers narrow their style and design options based on desired performance characteristics.
In addition, the Wheel and Tire Council’s “Wheel Care Guide” provides tips and FAQs about proper wheel care, explaining common wheel surface finishes and the appropriate cleaning solutions for each. The guide can be used as a training aid for internal staff or as a counter topper for customers. Either way, it can help staff share expertise with store visitors and suggest appropriate wheel-care products. Both WTC guides can be downloaded at www.sema.org/wtc-guides.
Wheels Visualizer Helps You Sell More Custom Wheel
If you are interested in adding customer value through technology, consider Wheels Visualizer, a recent technological innovation helping custom wheel stores, customizers and dealerships sell more wheels.
Wheels Visualizer is a custom API for the website allowing users to see virtually what their vehicle would look like with different wheel styles before ever making a decision. Wheels Visualizer has proven to increase custom wheel sales by over 25%. You may add the custom wheels visualizer to your website and enjoy the benefits of showing customers digital representations of their chosen wheels on their automobile or truck.
If you are a custom wheel & tire shop, customizer, or dealership and want to explore opportunities in Wheels Visualizer for your business, contact Susan (318) 294-9355 or Harold (469) 536-8478, or get started today.
