SPLIT RIMS

Split rims are made from two or three separate components. The most common split rim is a three-piece design comprising an inner rim, a centre and an outer rim. This design is a popular choice among owners of air-cooled Porsches looking to ‘hot rod’ their rides.

Split rims can trace their history back to motorsport in the 1960s, when limitations to the casting process meant wheels could only be produced with widths of around six inches. To overcome this problem, wheel manufacturers used a cast alloy centre (modern split use a centre Cnc-machined from billet alloy) and then bolted-on spun aluminium inner and outer rims to form a three-piece wheel. By using different size rims, it was easy to alter the width and offset of a wheel.

It’s also possible to buy a two-piece split rim, where the centre includes the inner or outer lip as part of the same piece. A spun aluminium inner or outer lip (whichever isn’t part of the centre) is then bolted to the centre in order to form the completed wheel.

Split rims used to be very popular in circuit racing because of their light weight and their ability to accommodate large tyres, but, in truth, they’re not much good for road use due to the spun aluminium being so soft (they wouldn’t make it far on a rally stage!). Today, split rims are often fitted to older cars as a styling upgrade. They certainly look cool, but the soft aluminium rims require the driver to avoid potholes at all costs. And keeping that unprotected chrome safe against road salt and other detritus may end up with you spending more time cleaning your wheels than you do driving your car!