Gift Ideas For The Car Fanatic In Your Life

The holiday season is just around the corner, so if you want to get on your teenager’s good side, check this quick car-accessory tutorial. Get the jargon down right and then listen when they are talking, you should be able to figure out what to slide under the Christmas tree this year.

These days, it’s wheels, wheels, wheels – what showcases the tires and car the best. Some like to select brightly hued, bulge acorn lug nuts or a cool center cap for rims of chrome, gun metal or customized color. Alternatively they can go for spinners and pretend that they are a rap star like 50 Cent. Another hot option is under carriage LEDs. Let’s just say it is eye catching.

A Few Terms To Get You In The Know:

• Spinners are bolted onto your rims and spin on bearings, your wheels get a nice impact of movement that is totally unexpected. Since they move independent of the rims spinners spin around even when the wheel is stopped, the law of momentum kicks in and they continue to spin due to the low resistance of the roller bearings.

• When you purchase a car your rims have what are called factory center caps. To jazz up your ride, you can purchase high-style chrome center caps that will set your car apart.

• The new center caps can be set in place when you upgrade your rims and tires. The caps cover the center of the rim and can have all manner of patterns – domestic or foreign logos, even a concept design. A tip for acquiring center caps for rims on the cheap is to check local salvage yards. Check out the Web; there’s a huge network of suppliers ready, willing and happy to help.

• Aftermarket rims are rims purchased from a third party maker and not from the car manufacturer that add style to your ride. These are usually coupled with center caps for rims that either come as a set or can be purchased separately from a dealer.

• A hub cap, on the other hand, is a wheel cover that protects the lug nuts and spans virtually the entire wheel rim.

• LED lights can be added to your car wheels. The diodes emit a glowing light and are powered by small long-life batteries.

• With wheel spacers you can add additional width to the wheels, positioning them a little closer to the fenders. This improves handling and visually adds a more aggressive presence.