An alloy wheel is a wheel compiled of multiple metals usually, magnesium or aluminium. Although steel is an ‘alloy’ ( as it's a compound of carbon and iron), ‘alloy wheels’ generally comprises of non-ferrous metals.

Alloy wheels are a favourable choice for their pleasing aesthetics. The manufacturing process of an alloy wheel allows for custom and creative designs during the painting and powder coating stages, so this grants you the freedom to select a style that best complements your vehicle.

Alloy wheels are quite light, which reduces your fuel consumption and enhances the vehicle’s performance through improved braking, handling, accelerating and steering. Alloy wheels are also resistant to corrosion and dust: which in turn reduces the chance of needing to repair them.

You may be looking to change the wheel size of your car most people generally want to increase the wheel size of their car. However, this isn’t as simple as you think.

To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of the pros and cons for increasing the wheel size of your vehicle and things you’ll need to take into account for if you decided to change them, below:

PROS OF A LARGER WHEEL SIZE

• Improved braking – as the rim is bigger, your car will, as a result, have more contact patch. Therefore, giving the wheel a stronger grip of the road, which will aid in decreasing your braking distance.
• Better cornering – as your car will be more in contact with the road, stiffer walls and a wider thread, your car will experience improved handling and cornering.
• Improved traction and grip – as there would be more rubber on the track of your tyre, it will have improved road contact, therefore resulting in better traction, grip and improved handling overall.

CONS OF A LARGER WHEEL SIZE

• Higher fuel consumption – one of the most important factor to consider for your car, is fuel efficiency. Larger wheels mean more weight, which increases the work the engine has to.
• Errors with your speedometer – Your car's technology is calibrated according to the components it comes with, upgrading the components could end up with the technology not reading correctly if it's not done accordingly.
• Problems with your safety system – Similarly to the speedometer, the safety systems in the car may not respond correctly when parts such as the wheels are modified. Affecting traction control ABD and EBD.
• Tyre wears quicker – as the wheels weigh more, this will result in heavier steering and could result in lower sidewalls and wheel scraping. Therefore, meaning your tyres will wear out at a faster rate

Your alloy wheel will be damaged if your wheels have any of the following:-

• Visible damage to your wheel
• Tyres deflating constantly
• Steering wheel/seat vibrating
• Handling is unresponsive
• Difficulty in turning in steering
• Filling up your car more regularly
• Rattling and thumping noises when your driving

If you are experiencing any of these factors you should ask our alloy wheel experts to rule what issues your car has.

SMART stands for ‘Small to Medium Area Repair Technology’ and it’s for when specialist equipment, materials and paint are used to repair the damage of a specific area of your car, without having to repaint the whole panel.

SMART repairs involve all:

• Dent repairs
• Alloy wheel repairs
• Alloy wheel refurbishments
• Scratch repairs
• Bumper repairs
• Exterior trim repairs

If you've been in an accident it can be tempting to just carry on as though there isn't any damage, but it could end up leading you into some trouble.

That's why it's essential to repair the following damages:

• Broken wing mirrors
• Any damage that leaves a sharp edge that could harm a pedestrian or damage another vehicle
• Anything that's dragging or dangling on the ground
• Damage that will prevent the bonnet from opening or securing If any of these apply to your car contact us and our team of experts will help you with any queries you have.

We recommend that your tread depth would be a minimum of 3mm, as they will manage better in wet conditions.

The UK road legal tyre depth is a minimum of 1.6mm, but anything under 3mm will put you at a higher chance of having an accident when driving in wet conditions. This is because your tyres are not able to clear water as quickly, and your stopping distances will be further which results in not being able to stop as quickly. Also, if your tyres have less than 1.6mm tread depth you not only are risking your safety but also you run the risk of receiving a fine and points on your licence.

There are numerous factors that will determine how often your car or van needs changing.

The two main factors that affect this are:

1. The regularity of use - how often you're driving your car
2. Driving conditions - the weather can have a huge effect on your tyres 

We recommend that the safest approach would be to inspect your tyres at least every month and to took lookout for any wear and tear, and replace them before they become hazardous.

Yes, correctly aligning your wheels will improve your cars handling and stability which is vital when needing to take emergency action when driving. Also, uneven tyre wear that is misaligned can worsen your braking distance considerably.

When aligning your vehicle’s wheels we will reset your wheel to the angle set by the relevant manufacturer. Also, an incorrectly aligned wheel can cause your vehicle to pull to one side whilst driving.

DA Techs use the latest wheel alignment machinery and fully trained alloy wheel and tyre technicians to assure you that your vehicle will run safely and efficiently to provide the best driving quality and tyre wear longevity possible.