Nowadays, it has become a trend to fit large sized alloy wheels on cars, especially SUVs. However, such large-sized wheels are not offered by OEM manufacturers. So, people would often end up buying them from after-market shops. Here, we have a video in which such after-market alloy wheels caused a massive accident of Toyota Fortuner.
In the video, we can see a Toyota Fortuner that has rolled over. There is a broken alloy wheel lying on the side of the road. The reason for the broken alloy wheel is not mentioned in the video. The Fortuner was running on after-market up-sized alloy wheels when one of them broke because of which the SUV rolled 6 times before lying upside-down on the road. It could have happened that the SUV hit a pothole and the alloy wheel gave up then and there because of which the Fortuner rolled over. As we can see in the video, the centre part of the whole alloy wheel is missing.
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After-market alloy wheels cause issues
Cracked rim: Stock alloy wheels that are offered by OEM go through rigorous testing. Moreover, they are made up of good materials. Because of this, they do not crack when they hit a pothole. A lot of money is spent on the research and development of OEM alloy wheels. The after-market wheels are not made up of good quality because of which they can crack when they hit a pothole at high speed. Such an incident can cause a tyre to burst if the speed is high enough. Just like this Fortuner, there have been incidents where the rim broke and the car went out of control.
Warranty: Some manufacturers can void the warranty of the vehicle if the owner is using after-market wheels. There are several reasons for this. The suspension setup and other components are designed while keeping in mind the weight of the vehicle and the quality and size of the alloy wheel. So, using an after-market alloy wheel can cause pre-mature wear and tear of the suspension and other components. Moreover, if you opt for the larger sized alloy wheel and slim tyre profile then the jolt from the pothole will be directly transferred to the suspension and the chassis. Usually, what happens is that the sidewall of the tyre also absorbs most of the impact.
Air leakage: If the rim is not made properly, then the air can leak over a period of time. So, the tyre can get under inflated which can also cause a tyre to burst.
Insurance: The insurance company insures the car in its stock factory condition. So, your after-market alloy wheels do not fall under stock conditions. So, if the car gets into an accident because of the after-market rim, the insurance company does have the right to reject the claim which means you would have to pay a hefty amount to get the car repaired.
Stranded: If your car is running on after-market wheels and something happens because of which your rim breaks and you do not have a spare then you would be left stranded on the road.
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The post Toyota Fortuner rolls 6 times because of unbranded alloy wheels breaking [Video] first appeared on Cartoq.
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