5 Vinyl Mods for Your Tires, Rims and Brakes
Vinyl and wheels are words that may not often be found in the same sentence
but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be. Due to advancements in vinyl film
production and adhesive technologies, today's wrap and electrocut vinyl films
can be used in the most extreme and demanding applications and give you years of
durability and performance. In this quick guide, we'll cover the top 5 vinyl
modifications for your vehicle's wheels, tires, rims and brake calipers that you
can install yourself and that won't break the bank while you're at it.
Caliper Wraps
Your brakes are one of the most important safety features on your car —
without them you'd need to find a wall and prayer to get your vehicle to stop
safely. But, your brakes aren't just functional, when treated right they can
also be an incredible aesthetic element too. Upgrade the look of your brake calipers with the
style of custom-painted brakes without the mess and hassle of working with paints or sprays
when you choose from industry leading films like 3M™'s 680 Series, Avery™ V4000 or ORACAL® 5300
Reflective films. Not only can you get your choice of great, high-gloss colors but these wraps give you a nighttime and low-light reflectivity you just can't get with dips, sprays or caliper covers!
Some of the best features of these caliper wraps are as follows:
- Retain reflectivity even when wet
- Offer 7 to 9 Year Durability
- Can withstand high-temperatures and abrasions
Installation, though not easy, is a straightforward affair. Cleaning and
preparation are your best friends which is why we've come up with a guide on
cleaning your calipers for wrapping.
Once you've cleaned them, follow our regular wrap instructions to get the best
results but be forewarned: patience is required. Prices vary but begin at $25 per
kit.
Tire Decals
There are a number of sites out there who offer short term vinyl tire
stickers with licensed logos and brand names or custom lettering. In general, it
seems like you can choose from a wide variety of colors but it seems that the
most popular color of tire decal is white due to the high contrast it has with
black tire walls. These sticker kits are perfect for car shows, races and photo shoots
and are intended to last for a two week period. Vinyl tire letter decals kits
are a quick, customizable, and inexpensive improvement over tire paint or tire pen products that discolor over time.
You can expect to pay around $40 per kit.
Center Cap Decals
Available in a number of licensed and knock-off versions, our favorites are
made from reflective vinyl. Popular especially with the MOPAR crown and Honda
owners we've also seen a number of tuner meme decals and sticker bomb center cap
wraps too. Inexpensive and easy to apply, even your kids to install this mod.
Start at $10 and go up from there.
Rim Stripe Decals
Whether you choose popular and high-visibility reflective rim stripes, go for
a solid color or add the exotic look of carbon fiber or camo, rim stripe decals
are an affordable alternative to hard, plastic rings that apply with tape or
clips. Not only are they cheaper but they are better looking, easy to use and
can be installed in a matter of
minutes. All you really need to do is measure the size of your rims and make
sure you buy the correctly sized kit. You can find rim stripe decal kits for as
little as $9.99.
Rim Hash Mark Decals
We don't know who started it but Camaro and Challenger aficionados alike seem
to have a love affair with hash mark wheel rim decals. We've yet to see them on
a JDM rocket bunny but, really, it's only a matter of time. Easy to apply, you
just need to insure you have a 3-inch opening in your rims to apply these kits.
Get yours starting at $15 shipped.
Honorable Mention: Rim Wraps
We know we only said we were going to cover 5 vinyl wheel mods but we
kind of feel like we'd be doing you a disservice if we didn't mention rim wraps. Whether you're tired of the look of your
factory rims, want to hide scuffs and oxidation or want a stylish way to add a little protection from curb rash, rim wraps are
the way of the future. Choose from a dazzling variety of styles and brands to get just the look you want like 3M™
1080 Color Flip films for iridescent rims, Avery™ Carbon Fiber for a custom look or Rwraps™ Sticker Bomb to show off your JDM style.
Check out our install guide to applying rim
wraps and maybe you can add all 6 mods we've covered today!