The rugged mountainside. Bubbling streams. Mud and rock. Grassy fields. Long, winding roads.
You expect to be able to drive through all of these and more when you have an off-road vehicle. You want to trudge through any terrain, all kinds of weather, every imaginable road condition. You want to go from your garage to, well, anywhere, really.
There’s a wide range of vehicles you can choose from, with all sorts of contraptions like winches and mudguards and fog lights. But none of those matter as much as the wheels and tires on your ride.
You could stick with stock, sure. Or you could choose something a little more suited to your journey.
Justin Uy of ConceptOne understands what you need. “You want to look macho, elegant, you want to make your car look more sleek. Part of it is functionality. Some people need to take their SUV off-road, or they don’t want their car to sway so much when they’re driving through mountain slopes, so that’s why people want to change their wheels and tires.”
There are a couple of things to think about. “We educate our buyers on sizes and types of wheels and tires. And of course it depends on what you want to use it for: mountains, or city driving? We can tell them what designs and models will be applicable to their vehicle. Of course, a wheel for a Civic would be different from a wheel for a Ranger. Since we distribute Black Rhino, a US brand that specifically caters to SUVs and pick-up trucks, most commonly we get Fortuners, Monteros, Rangers, and the occasional FJ Cruiser or Jeep Wrangler.”
Just how much of a difference to these wheels and tires make, though? “When you upgrade from regular street tires to all-terrain tires or mud tires, you can really go the road less traveled. You can go through slippery, muddy roads, gravel. If you have to travel to rural areas, you have to make deliveries, or you want to go camping, that’s where the all-terrain wheels come in.”
But it really helps to look good. “It’s just like wearing high heels. You look really sexy with 20-inch wheels and low-profile tires. You might not go as fast, especially if you’re rolling 22s, 24s, even, but it just looks really really pogi. When it comes to rides, the tires also make a difference. We always recommend a good brand of tires, like Nitto, Zaffiro or Yokohama, and that would give the balance between a bigger rim size and a low profile tire.”
So, you want to conquer that mountain? Do it in style, and do it with the right wheels.
