| Automobile tire rims are hot. Those 20+ inch pieces of | | | | was something of a poser. If you had American |
| aluminum can turn a regular looking car into a piece of | | | | Racing rims, you were the big-time. Why? Because |
| art. They can improve handling on even the | | | | rims were more than just a social symbol and |
| finest-tuned pieces of machinery on the road. And, in | | | | look-good accessory. They kept all that raw power |
| reality, they turn a piece of rubber into something most | | | | under control insofar as power transfer from the |
| people cannot take their eyes off of! | | | | engine to the rubber was concerned. |
| Surprisingly, tire rims (also known as wheels for the | | | | American Racing is still around today. They |
| old-school crowd) have a history that date nearly 50 | | | | manufacture reliable, solid rims that can accommodate |
| years into the past, probably even more. In fact, some | | | | most makes and models of vehicles. And, if you look |
| of this sub-genre's popularity began to explode in the | | | | at some of the flashiest, pimped out cars today, you |
| era of muscle cars. It should come to most people as | | | | may actually find that same name brand around the |
| little surprise that heavy duty aluminum (or, more likely | | | | car's rubber. |
| steel) rims first appeared on those gas-guzzling muscle | | | | Of course, like the automotive industry in general, the |
| cars that Ford, Chev, and Chrysler put on the mean | | | | rim industry has become increasingly competitive over |
| streets of America. | | | | the last few decades. Manufacturers from Japan, |
| Of course, back then there was greater diversity in | | | | Germany, and pretty much everywhere else have |
| the automotive field. Your typical Chevrolet model was | | | | emerged. Some come with the best engineering the |
| not cloned into a Pontiac. And before the Chrysler | | | | world has ever seen, and others specialize in particular |
| Corporation of today, there was Plymouth and Dodge. | | | | markets like drifting, Formula One and so on. |
| In other words, there was a lot more muscle out there, | | | | Interestingly enough, the rims that catch our eye at |
| and this muscle made its presence known on hot | | | | auto shows and cruise nights are the classics. They |
| summer nights. The illegal road racing of today was | | | | are beefy, shiny pieces of aluminum or steel, they are |
| something of a community event. | | | | big, and they tell the story of the past... without us really |
| And what distinguished the "hot" from the "cold" was | | | | hearing a word. They remind us that the automobile |
| not just the big block engines under the heavy hoods | | | | industry was once an industry based on raw power, |
| of these machines. The rims, believe it or not, let you | | | | on terrifying speed, and good times during warm |
| know real quick who was a serious threat and who | | | | summer months. |