As temperatures drop around the country, pothole season will soon be upon us. With that, comes the possibility of broken or badly damaged wheels that won’t hold air. It’s the time of year when something little can snowball into something big.
Earlier this week a friend of mine hit a pothole near the city of Detroit while driving a small crossover, which caused the tire to blow. When he went to get the tire replaced, he discovered that the wheel was damaged and would no longer hold air – and when checking with the dealership he found out that a new wheel was over $500 bucks.
After learning how much an OEM wheel would cost, he hunted around and found a set of aftermarket wheels for only a little more than $500, so rather than buying one new OEM wheel – he bought four aftermarket wheels.
This is a problem that can plague anyone with a new vehicle and a damaged wheel, so for our newest Question of the Week, we want to know what you would do (or have done) in this situation. If you damaged a stock wheel on your truck or SUV, would you pay the big price for one new OEM wheel, or would you turn to the aftermarket for four new wheels which cost about the same price?
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
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