Steel wheel rims
Some estimates suggest specialty car parts market brings in over $28 billion yearly and wheel rim sales are getting a sizable share of that market. But lately one wheel company reports declining sales, while another reports strong sales.
In August and September Steel Strip Wheels (SSWL) reported drops in sales of between 3 and 4 percent each month. Other companies have also reported slight dips, while still others, like MVP Wheels, report strong sales. So there is no declining sales trend forming and analysts feel the market continues to be strong overall.
Single piece OEM steel rims are being bought for passenger cars, scooters, SUVs, trucks, utility vehicles and even for heavy commercial vehicles and tractors. The size of the wheel rims compared to the vehicle’s size was getting crazy for a time, with many owners wanting to go up to 30 inches or more. That trend to go big is still around but not as prevalent as it had become a few years ago.
“I see standard sizes falling back and settling in between 18 and 22 inches,” Quincy Jonathan of Victoria Tire & Wheels in Los Angeles told Alex Z. of complex.com. “It’s already starting to go down, and I’m seeing a lot of 24 inches right now.”
Companies are finding the reasons people want to go with OEM wheel rims are varied. MVP Wheels says it’s usually one of three major reasons, to “off-road in the mud, get top speed on the track, or just to add style to your car so it stands out on the road.”
Those reasons are keeping steel wheel rim companies in business and it appears they will continue to be in business for a long time. Some of us may never go there but others insist that their car looks unique and OEM steel wheel rims have become a standard adornment that helps them get there.
