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Xtreme Performance Tuning Guide
Wheels and Tyres
ALLOY WHEELS
Buying alloys is one of the best moments in car modification, seeing your car transformed by a set of large alloys will keep you buzzing for ages. Alloys are also lighter can standard steel wheels and thereby reduce un sprung weight and load on the suspension giving you lighter and sharper handling. Alloys also dissipate heat faster and reduce brake heating. Moreover a good set of alloys is one of the easiest accessory you can buy in any major Indian city like Delhi, Mumbai, Banagalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkatta, Pune etc.
Though it is advisable to stick to the rim size recommended by the manufacturer, for more accurate and sharp handling one can upsize by one inch (instead of 14 inch rims use 15 inch rims) and reduce the profile of the tyre (reduce aspect ratio eg: from 75 to 65).
TYRES 
Tyres may seem expensive, but you are paying for years of research, testing and compound development, all done in the name of extra performance. They are also the most important modification to make as without a quality tyre all the work that has gone into the suspension and engine cannot be appreciated and driven to its optimum.
BUYING
When choosing a tyre, consider what you want from it and ensure the tyre fits the bill before you buy. Also try to always opt for tubeless tyres since they are far safer than tube typre tyres and reduce chances of a blowout at high speeds. Also tubeless tyres improve ride and handling and reduce tyre heating which leads to quicker tyre wear. If you own a performance car, and like to drive it hard, your tyre will need to offer excellent grip in both dry and wet conditions, and need to excel under braking. You will only attain these qualities with a good quality branded tyre with the correct speed rating. Cheaper tyres will rarely offer the ultimate grip (wet or dry, handling or braking) needed for safe, fast driving. Fit remoulds and you could get embedded in something solid, or worse, hit something soft. Its best to go for international brands such as Goodyear & Bridgestone who have developed their tyres with advanced R&D and have a extensive sale & service network across all major Indian cities.
TYRE WEAR
If your replacing tyres after just a couple of thousand miles, your car has a geometry problem which needs
sorting before fitting new tyres. With the geometry corrected, your car will handle better and you shouldn't
get through tyres so quickly. Tyre alignment and wheel balancing can be done in most major cities across India.
FITMENT
Get this wrong and you will have wasted a lot of money.
Offset is critical. As a maximum allow plus or minus 5mm over standard. Ensure the size of rim you're buying will
fit under your car's arches. Most rims can be made to fit, but the work involved may put their price out of your
reach. As a rule of thumb, upsizing by one inch will cause minimal problems, upsizing by two inches can cause arch scrub, upsizing by three inches and you will definitely be looking at modifying both bodywork and suspension.
COST
Always budget enough money to cover what is needed.
Don't forget your alloys will require four low-profile tyres, four new valves, fitting nuts or bolts, fitting and balancing costs, and an increase on your insurance policy. If you want value for money, check out the mega package deals available, you could save yourself hundreds. If you want to keep your rims once they are on, also budget for a set of locking wheel bolts.
Performance Tuning Guide Continued...............>> Exterior & Styling Modifications on Next Page >>
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