In a car, there are a lot of things that make a car be whole, and as you know, the main parts of a car are its wheels.

However, if you consider wheels in general, they are quite basic rounded things that rotate when driving. Still, all wheels have their specific parts which need to be known.

In this article, you will find out the car wheel parts explained, while first mentioning which are, and their main functions!

What are the Car Wheels Parts?

There are a few parts that you should know about wheels in general, and those parts are rims, hubs, barrels, flanges, center bores, bearings, fasteners, and tires.

Also, I’ll try not to confuse you and list parts that don’t really impact this topic, but try to remember that everything listed in this article refers to the wheel as a part of a car separated from the vehicle. To put it in other words, I’ll try to mention everything I know based on my experience.

Also Read: Brake Pedal Goes to the Floor

Understanding Wheel Parts – What Are Their Functions?

After finding out which are the parts of a car wheel, the importance follows up to their functions and basically, the things they do for your car.

Let me explain them to you in more detail, so that you can understand them better!

Wheel Rims

A wheel rim is the outer part of a wheel, in which you put the tires. There are steel rims, chrome rims, alloy rims, and spinners that strongly secure the tire you want to use.

By the way, wheel rims are the parts in a wheel that tell you the exact size of the tires that a type of car needs as they come in different measurements.

Wheel Hubs

A wheel hub is found in the middle part of a wheel which is attached to the rim. It stands between the vehicle itself and the tire, and basically, this part of the wheel is what keeps together the outer part (the rim) and the inner part.

The hub is definitely one of the most important parts of a wheel as it keeps everything put together and once it is put strongly in place, there is no doubt that you can avoid different things.

Barrel

A barrel in a wheel is the part in the wheel that stands between the rim edges and the outside part of the car. Its function is to bring space for you in order to mount the tire you want and should use.

Barrels are small pieces in a wheel but their job is quite important.

Flanges

Flanges are the pieces that also play one of the main roles in the attachment of different things between the car and the tires.

They are some types of plates that attach once again to the rims, and they are what bring the rotation motions around. Flanges keep the tires in place once they are put on the rim and they allow movement in front driving and reverse.

Center Bore

Hence its name, a bore is an empty area or space in the middle of the wheel that accepts everything I mentioned above such as rims and hubs and links them to the overall vehicle.

Even though most people refer to the bores as unwanted spaces, they are surely an important thing to check out and know about wheels in general.

Outer Lip

Another important part of a wheel is the outer lip which just by its name, tells us that it is the whole outer edge that the wheel owns.

Even though it is known as something that is different in terms of measurements or anything else, this is the part you should know about, as the outer lip is the piece of the wheel that gets first damaged when we encounter any slight incident, especially when you go over a pole.

So, the outer lip’s job is to protect the inner pieces that are surely more damageable.

Wheel Bearing

Wheel bearings are other important components in a wheel that connect the whole wheel and the axle. A wheel bearing’s main purpose is to allow the rotation of the wheel in order to help the vehicle move.

Axle: a rod that rotates the wheels, it supports the weight of the vehicle, but it is not a part of the wheel but the vehicle.

Wheel Fasteners

The securement of the wheel within the vehicle can only be done with the help of wheel fasteners otherwise known as lug nuts. They are an important part of a wheel as they also play quite an important role in the whole attachment to the car itself.

Tires

Last but not least, the most important part of a car wheel is the tire itself and even though it is an attachment that is done to the wheel, it has basically one of the main roles in the overall movement of the vehicle, whatever it is that you own.

Also Read: Goodyear vs. Kumho

Final Words

After reading the whole article, here we are at its end! I really hope you liked what you read thus far and I hope you understood everything I mentioned about the most important parts of a car wheel.

So, as I mentioned at the beginning, there are different things you will notice in a wheel, but the main parts of a wheel are a few in number. Yet again, when connected to one another they do an impressive job starting from the protection that is given by the outer lip to the inner pieces which were the wheel bearings.

Once again, I hope you know now everything about the car wheel parts!