kind of fashion
statement
would it
make to
match dowdy
whitewalls
with some
sleek American
Racing Equipment
wheels? The word “nerd comes to mind.
The best tire candidate for cus
tomization has a low profile, meaning it
has a small sidewall. I he less rubber on
the rim, the more attention is drawn to
By Blair S. Walker
one's new wheels, which can come in gold
or matte black, but generally have a silvery
Car lovers know that few things accen
hue. Replacing tour stock wheels with
tuate a car’s beauty like a set of BBSs.
glistening pieces ot mobile art can be cost
Fittipaldi, Cragar and M O M O look pret
ly. Each wheel can set you back anywhere
ty fine, too.
from $40 to $1,000. Since thieves appre
T he aforementioned companies all
ciate
custom wheels too, wheel locks are
manufacture custom wheels, and their
gleaming, imaginatively designed products mandatory.
More than 10 million aftermarket
have adorned many a Nissan, BMW,
wheels
were sold last year, generating
Mustang, Honda and Lexus. Whether the
$800
million
in revenue, according to
wheels feature spokes or wires, a set ot
Crain Communications. I hat means that
slick, aftermarket wheels shout, "Look at
me - my ride is more than just transporta people are dumping the sedate wheels that
came with the new car for something
tion!”
more dynamic that they can buy else
O f course you can’t throw any old tire
where. Most sales, 66 percent, took place
around a set of custom wheels. What
.. .................................................................................. .....
Custom
wheels is big
business
at tire stores. The remainder were made in
automotive accessory stores like AutoZone
and Pep Bovs, autobody stores, repair
shops, catalogues or through e-commerce.
The overwhelming majority of custom
wheels sold -60 percent - were comprised
of aluminum/alloy. Imports account for
only 10 percent to 15 percent ot sales,
Crain says. Imported wheels tend to have
more cachet among African-American car
enthusiasts than products made by I .S.
manufacturers.
Purchasing custom wheels may sound
suspiciously like a man thing, but it s not.
Last year, 45 percent of aftermarket wheel
buyers were women, according to
Automotive Marketing. And over halt ot
all purchasers were under 35. An interest
ing observation about custom wheel tans -
they either have ample disposable income
or not much income at all. Automotive
Marketing found that two-thirds ot buy
ers made either less than $20,000, or
more than $40,000, annually. Don’t
think car manufacturers are oblivious to
the custom-wheels market. More than halt
the cars and light trucks made in North
America in 1998 featured some sort ot
styled wheel, says trade publication Tire
Business.
• • •
• • *
African Americans O n W heels is a supplem ent to key Black newspapers across the U.S. and zoned edl«°™
three metro dailies. If you can’t find African Americans On Wheels, call our toll free num ber, 1-877-847-9060,
for information on how to get your copies.
Ehe Dallas Weekly
Louisiana Weekly
The Detroit Free Press/Detroit News
The Michigan Chronicle
New York Amsterdam News
Los Angeles Watts Times
The Charlotte Post
Portland Observer
The Washington Post
The Afro-American Newspapers
(Balt.-Wash.)
St. Louis Metro Sentinel
Birmingham I imes
Tri-State Defender
Community Voice
Post Newspapers Group
Atlanta Inquirer
Tennessee Tribune
Bay State Banner
Philadelphia Sunday Sun
The Mississippi Link
IA Sentinel
The Atlanta Tribune
The Houston Defender
Takoma True Citizen & Seattle Medium
Ehe Cleveland Call & Post
Chicago Citizen
SC Black Media Group
The Chicago Defender
Philadelphia Observer
Metro Connection
Westside Gazette
Savannah Herald
Miami l imes
The Washington Informer
News Dimensions
Remember to Buckle Up Afi-ican Americans!
18
AFRICAN AMERICANS ON WHEELS