Major Car Wheel Brands Ranked Worst To Best
There are plenty of reasons for drivers to look into replacement wheels. Maybe a snowy drive to the grocery store resulted in a slide and a cracked rim. Perhaps the OEM wheels are just poorly designed, or don't look great on that custom paint job. Or it's possible someone just wants an extra set of wheels for their snow tires.
Whatever the reason, there are an overwhelming number of wheel manufacturers out there. Some specialize in racing wheels, or cheap knock-offs that will shatter at the first pothole. Others focus more on elegant design or colorful tuner options.
While no company goes into the business looking to be a manufacturer of cheap, borderline dangerous wheels, sometimes it works out that way. This list of the major car wheel brands will hopefully provide some guidance in the huge world of aftermarket wheels. If you're in the market for some tires for these wheels, SlashGear also has you covered with some tips for buying tires, as well as some of our favorite tire brands.
10. XD Wheels
XD Wheels prioritizes the truck and SUV markets with its array of aluminum wheels in both chrome and matte black finishes. The company, a sub-brand of KMC Wheels, has been around since 2003. Operating out of Southern California, the brand blew up in popularity in 2004 when it introduced the XD775 Rockstar. A big black wheel with a simple five spoke design, chrome accents, and a plastic center cap, the Rockstar became so popular among truck enthusiasts that XD ended up using its designs on car wheels as well.
Beloved among truck and SUV drivers, the XD Series, spun off from KMC Wheels, is now well known for its aggressive designs. They're reasonably lightweight wheels and have some cool finish options, from matte or satin black to chrome, red, and even an alabaster white.
Reviews are generally pretty high on both Amazon and Tire Rack, although some Amazon shoppers worry that their XD Series wheels might be knock-offs because of spelling errors on the caps. Another frequently mentioned issue is that the center caps have a tendency to crack as they're plastic, and installers occasionally over-tighten or cross-thread the long bolts that hold the caps in place, or otherwise mistake the plastic non-bolts with these bolts and round out the caps. Given the size of the tires installed on XD wheels, balancing can sometimes be an issue as well, but that's nothing several strips of adhesive weights can't fix.
9. RAYS
A Japanese manufacturer established in 1973, RAYS currently produces eight lines of automotive wheels for every application. Volk Racing is focused on simple, forged wheels designed for performance over aesthetics. Gram Lights are ultralight wheels available in several great looking colors and designs. Other RAYS brands focus on wheels for K-cars, off-road use, and unique designs.
With a long history and high-scoring reviews across the internet, RAYS is one of the more innovative companies in our rankings, as its various brands cater to fans of several different styles of wheels allowing for a unique bit of creativity to shine through in each different lineup. In fact, the Volk Racing TE37 was called one of the "best wheels of all time" by Top Gear's Mark Riccioni. Their coverage specifically points to the forging process that gives the wheel increased strength without adding weight, the spoke design that increases caliper ventilation while dissipating heat, and the bronze finish as some of the reasons this quarter-century-old wheel design still holds up.
Another example of RAYS' innovations is the recently released browser-based AR Wheel Simulator. It allows users to select any of several examples from the vast RAYS catalog and virtually apply the wheel to a vehicle using their phones' browser and camera. This is a fun way for prospective buyers to get an idea of what RAYS wheels will look like on a vehicle without spending a dime.
8. SSR
Speed Star Racing was founded in 1971. The company's introduction of the world's first three-piece wheel, the SSR Mk1, began its long history of aftermarket racing performance. SSR is based in Japan, and while the its thoughtful and successful wheel designs led to racing victories and an expansion into the American market in 1985, the original iteration of Speed Star Racing went bankrupt in 2005. However, parts manufacturer Tanabe acquired the brand and put its marketing power behind building SSR back to its original recognizability, and beyond.
SSR is especially proud of its wheels meeting or exceeding the 1973 Japan Light Alloy Wheel, or JWL, standard. Tire installers know that little wavy "JWL" logo seen on most imported wheels, but few recognize it as a quality control emblem. SSR takes JWL testing seriously, and does not differentiate in wheel quality between its racing and street wheel lines. In 1981, a third party board called the Vehicle Inspection Association, or VIA, was established to verify the governmental JWL rating, and all SSR wheels now bear the logos of both of those regulatory bodies.
One of the more notable additions to the SSR lineup is its collaboration with Show Up, which resulted in the "envy Kandy Color" collection. For the relatively low price of only a hundred bucks per wheel, SSR offers 22 different wild colors for show rims across several of its sub-brands.
7. American Racing
Originally specializing in magnesium aftermarket wheels for drag racing and muscle cars when the company was founded in 1956, American Racing now uses strong, lightweight forged aluminum wheels in production. Drag racer Romeo Palamides founded the company, giving the newborn wheel manufacturer immediate respect in drag racing and muscle car circles.
The most well-known of American Racing's wheel designs is the Torq-Thrust D. Created in 1965, the five arched spokes of the Torq-Thrust were designed to provide clearance to the new front disc brakes that many manufacturers were introducing at the time. The propeller-blade-like center cap gave the wheel a unique and timeless look that earned the Torq-Thrust D recognition on Hot Rod Magazine's top twenty list of speed parts that changed the world.
American Racing's wheels now feature cast or flow formed aluminum, and its lines cater to both modern vehicles and vintage American muscle. The company's logo, a streamlined script reminiscent of a '50s diner, is a great encapsulation of what American Racing stands for in its pursuit of a perfect modern classic design.
6. TSW
Originally Tiger Sport Wheels, TSW began in the '60s in South Africa under Formula One driver Eddie Keizan. The company began aggressive expansion in the 1980s, buying up other wheel manufacturers and building production plants in Germany, Poland, and the United States.
After TSW started supplying several automakers with wheels, the business split into OE and aftermarket companies, with the TSW name being the aftermarket supplier familiar to most American customers. It now produces several badge-specific lines of aftermarket wheels, like Beyern BMW, Cray Corvette, Coventry Jaguar, and even Genius Smart Car wheels.
Now that TSW has expanded worldwide, its American business is handled by eight distribution centers all over the country, meaning customers can get their wheel orders in only a couple days nearly anywhere in the United States. And with the introduction of a line of wheels specifically designed for electric cars, including the pictured Ohm AMP wheel, TSW seems to be one of the most forward-looking manufacturers of aftermarket wheels.
5. Vossen
While the company has only been around since 2006, Miami-based Vossen has made a name for itself with high-end (and high-priced) wheels using a flow-formed casting process to increase rim strength while reducing weight. Vossen manufactures all of its wheels in the company's own facility in Miami, and its quality control is second to none. Many Vossen wheels receive pre-finish preparation and final measurements by hand.
Vossen takes its reputation very seriously, using the phrase "engineered art" to describe its manufacturing process. The relatively new facility is impressive, and its dedication to offering customers customized options for bolt patterns, center bores, and offsets allow even the most discerning wheel enthusiast to ensure that the exact wheel fitment they want for their vehicle can be attained.
These gorgeous rims, available in a number of colors and finishes, are wonderfully designed, although it should be noted that some reviews consider Vossen to be more focused on the art of its wheels than their performance. And that art isn't cheap, either – most of the wheels sold on Vossen's website start at $600, with some starting at nearly $6000 each! The company backs up those prices with amazing design work and well-regarded customer service.
4. OZ Racing
OZ is one of the most well-known manufacturers of wheels, so much so that even people who aren't really into car culture are often familiar with the company. OZ's name came from a combination of the surname initials of Italian wheelmakers Silvano Oselladore and Pietro Zen. The company got its start in Oselladore and Zen's Italian gas station, when they created a set of rims for a Mini Cooper for a local race back in 1971.
These days, OZ's wheels are seen on F1, rally, and Indy cars as well as motorcycles and OEM applications. Online forums and reviews are generally positive for the Italian wheel maker, with many buyers citing OZ's balance between cost, design, and wheel strength.
OZ offers a few lines of wheel design, mostly differentiated by price points. All OZ wheels, including the popular Ultraleggera pictured, are stylish and well made, if a little uninspiring aesthetically. They are all imported from Italy to its American distribution center in South Bend, Indiana.
3. Konig
Konig has a weird history, from its name (the German word for "king") to its evolution from a manufacturer of cheap replica wheels to one of the most respected wheel manufacturers in the world. Konig got its foot in the door of the automotive game in the '80s, when the company realized there was a demand for low priced aftermarket wheels. On its own website, Konig says that its original focus was on "developing wheels for kids accessorizing import vehicles for the first time."
While it was successful in the aftermarket wheel business, it wasn't until Konig was taken over by YHI International, an auto parts distributor and wheel maker based in Singapore, that the wheelmaker really hit its stride. The takeover led to an improvement in both the quantity and quality of the wheels Konig was able to produce. Since then, Konig has introduced a number of its own brands, including Advanti Racing, Maxxim, Bravado Performance, and Mamba Off-Road.
The addition of flow formed wheels to its lineup, a manufacturing process that increases tensile strength in the aluminum wheel, has resulted in lighter and stronger wheels that put Konig near the top of our ranking.
2. BBS
One of the oldest companies in the wheel game, BBS was founded by two amateur German racers in 1970. It has a reputation for making some of the best-designed aftermarket wheels, which look great without compromising on strength or weight.
BBS offers several lines of road wheels for cars and trucks in both die forged and flow forged options, but it also has a wide array of racing wheels for pros and enthusiastic amateurs. Both road and track wheels feature stunning design choices, but all are built with strength, durability, and lightness in mind. In fact, dropping weight was one of the main reasons BBS's founders got into the wheel production business in the first place.
BBS's reputation isn't just stellar in the aftermarket, either. The German powerhouse has provided OEM wheels for several of the world's largest auto manufacturers, from Ford and Chrysler to (perhaps unsurprisingly) Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen.
1. Enkei
The largest wheel manufacturer on the planet, Enkei produces everything from OEM wheels for manufacturers to specialized applications for tuner cars and motorsports. It was founded in the Enshu Province of Japan (now known as western Shizuoka Prefecture) and that's where half of the name comes from – "ENshu KEIgokin," which loosely translates to "Enshu Light Alloys."
Enkei's engineering philosophy focuses on what it believes a high quality wheel requires: light weight, stiffness, and strength. Enkei touts two design technologies — Durville die casting and MAT metal flow forging — as reasons its wheels remain affordable while meeting its demanding quality expectations. The company's expectations are so high, in fact, that Enkei actually established its own testing standard, Spec-E, which is even more stringent than JWL specs.
Enkei's wheel lineup illustrates the company's dedication to all forms of motoring. From racing to tuning, performance, and even classic wheel designs resurrected with modern wheel manufacturing techniques, Enkei's wheels are a great combination of the light weight, strength, and stiffness that customers demand. Between its engineering philosophy, wheel making techniques, and over 50 years of wheel design experience, Enkei is often referred to as not only the biggest major car wheel brand, but also the best.