Unwelding. What is it, the main pros and cons
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Unwelding. What is it, the main pros and cons

Car tuning allows car owners to break out of the standards set by manufacturers. What do lovers of external and technical changes in vehicles do with their cars?

One of the types of auto-tuning is a welding installation. Let's figure out why it is needed, and also whether it is possible to perform such an upgrade of a personal car on your own.

What is the uncoiling of wheel disks

In fact, the welding of discs is a standard stamping expanded by welding a strip of identical material. There are also options when the disc is welded from two identical, but loose along and connected by a strong weld.

Unwelding. What is it, the main pros and cons

As for the diameter, it is often used in tuning this type of standard wheels for a particular car. In the classic version, a wheel rim, for example, with a radius of 13 inches, is 6,5j wide. However, uncoiling allows the disc to be increased to over 9j.

Why do we need unwelding?

Installing discs of this type gives the car a more effective design (although this is not for the amateur - some people like to use titans more). Basically, elite cars or sports cars are equipped with wide wheels. In addition to the fact that the budget car acquires an original design, this type of tuning has a practical purpose. A wider wheel makes it possible not only to draw the attention of passers-by to the transport, but also to increase the running characteristics of the vehicle and its stability on bends. If the car is fitted with wide tires, this improves traction.

Unwelding. What is it, the main pros and cons

Some go to this alteration only for aesthetic reasons. However, in most cases this is done to improve the handling of the car after technical tuning. Standard stampings are not always effective when combined with an uprated engine.

Here are the characteristics motorists are trying to improve by installing wheel welders:

  • Increase controllability, both at the start and on bends;
  • Improve the stability of the car by making it heavier (the car is more pressed against the road);
  • Increase the contact spot with asphalt. Due to this, the driver will be able to use the full potential of the forced internal combustion engine.

Some motorists use standard tires instead of suitable wide tires for welding, but this significantly reduces its resource.

When the unwelding appeared

It is worth mentioning that such a modernization is not new in the world of auto-tuning. A similar technique was used back in the 1950s. American cars like Muscle cars had incredible power at that time. Basically, these models had rear-wheel drive, so non-standard disks with wider tires were installed on the rear axle.

Unwelding. What is it, the main pros and cons

This was necessary for the driver to be able to control the unstoppable "herd of horses" under the hood. The wider tires improved the stability of the sports car at the start, reducing the spin of the drive wheels.

Fashion migrated to the territory of the Soviet Union in the mid-70s with the development of motor sports.

Unwelding. What is it, the main pros and cons

Types of uncoiling disks with your own hands

Today, in some tuning shops, you can find various types of bonding. But for most ordinary car owners, they are not available due to the high cost. Mostly they are bought by participants in various competitions, for example, drifting.

Unwelding. What is it, the main pros and cons

For motorists of modest income, but strongly wishing to change the characteristics of their iron horse, there are two proven ways to make uncoiling at home:

  1. The first way is expensive. To do this, you need to purchase 2 sets of identical discs. Each disc is cut according to the final width of the wheel. Two large pieces are welded together;
  2. The second method is more budgetary, but takes more time. In this case, the car owner is not limited in what width he can stop at. The only thing he needs to consider is whether he will be able to ride on such wheels. In addition to the possible enlargement of the wheel arch, he may have to change the pivot mechanism in order for the car to turn.

Manufacturing methods

Here's how you can get your car bonded. In total, there are several options for changing the width and extension of the wheel. Next - briefly about how to do the job in each case.

  1. Two identical discs are cut lengthwise. One is cut off the front rim, and the other the rear. It should be noted that in some cases (it depends on the characteristics of specific disks) disks upgraded in this way will simply have to be thrown away. The reason is the inability to wear rubber;Unwelding. What is it, the main pros and cons
  2. This method has already been mentioned as being cheaper, but we must admit that it is one of the most laborious. First, you need to find a suitable plate. The difficulty is that it has to be thick metal. It is impossible to bend it manually into the rim, so you need to roll it. Secondly, it is almost impossible to make a perfect joint without the necessary skills;
  3. There is also a third popular method - making the so-called shape-shifters. In this case, the hub part of the disc is cut out from the inner side of the disc and welded so that it is installed on the hub on the other side. Before performing such a procedure, please note that it does not change the width, but only the stem.Unwelding. What is it, the main pros and cons

The photo shows different options for inserts:

Unwelding. What is it, the main pros and cons

During the execution of work, care should be taken to maintain the maximum accuracy of geometry, although in all cases, ideally, this cannot be achieved. So, some cut the discs with a grinder, which makes the end face of the part uneven. Connected parts with curved edges will end up with lateral runout, causing the wheel to roll sideways. It is not difficult to guess how it will affect the rubber if one wheel goes to the right and the other to the left.

To minimize inaccuracies when cutting discs, lathes are used.

As for the radial runout, it cannot be eliminated at home, since manufacturers use high-precision equipment for alignment.

Unwelding. What is it, the main pros and cons

One nuance that will ultimately play a key role in the quality of the product. Do not overheat metal. In this case, its properties are lost, and the disk may burst under load. For this reason, the workpieces should be joined using a semiautomatic device. In contrast to the electrode analogue, a minimum amount of slag will form in the seam after this welding. Although a professional welder knows how to do the job correctly.

To make the finished product last a long time, it is painted. It also allows you to add originality to your car wheels.

What disks are made of?

Forged discs are ideal for making bondings. They are easier to process - it is easier to dissolve along, even with a grinder, and also to connect using conventional welding. As for cast or forged analogs, this work is not possible.

Unwelding. What is it, the main pros and cons

It is worth paying attention to the fact that cast or forged wheels with non-standard width exist in nature. However, they are mostly made to order. The cost of such modifications is very high.

About disk width

Standard stamping (steel disc) is 6.5J wide. This means there is 6.5 inches between the front and back of the disc. The letter J indicates the shape of the rim side profile. This type of profile is the most common and is used by default in basic models. Other profiles are K, L, JK or JJ.

The 6.5-inch rim width with J profile is the default rim type. Therefore, if in the wheel marking just the number 6.5 is used, then the default profile will be J. Only standard tires are installed on such rims.

If there is a desire to install a wider tire (for example, as much as 10J), then for a standard diameter you will have to purchase or do weld-ons. The reason is that a priori there are no such discs for civilian cars.

Unwelding can be done in absolutely any width. The main thing is that there is enough money for a suitable rubber. By the way, if we talk about rubber, then not so many manufacturers make it, and new it costs a lot of money. Plus the cost of transporting tires from the USA or Europe. Alternatively, you can look for used options, but it's like buying a pig in a poke.

How to do it yourself?

Self-uncoiling can be done in three ways:

  1. If you connect two disks together. To do this, they need to be cut correctly so that you end up with one disc, but wider. The easiest way is to dissolve the two discs so that when they are connected, the middle is wider. The two halves are welded together, and then the seam is sanded.
  2. With a metal insert. In this case, the disc to be modernized is also cut, and a strip of suitable metal is welded between the halves.
  3. Practically nobody uses the third method. For example, the disc is also cut, a steel strip is welded into it, as well as the hub or outer part of the donor disc.

Before deciding to make your own bondings, you need to remember that the procedure is not only laborious and costly in terms of buying donor discs, but also requires certain skills. For example, it is important to maintain the proportions so that all discs are the same not only in outer dimensions, but also in the dimensions of the inserts.

Also, the cut discs must be welded properly. The seam must be properly processed. The finished disc should be painted with high quality. The most difficult thing is to achieve maximum elimination of disc beating due to a violation of its centering.

Pros and cons of unwinding

We have already mentioned a little about the reasons for creating unweldings. They are also the advantages of such modernization:

  • Stylish appearance of the car - the car seems to be lower, but the ground clearance (what is it - see a separate article) does not change;Unwelding. What is it, the main pros and cons
  • Increased contact patch with the road, which increases the stability of the car and its handling on curves at high speeds;
  • The cost of such tuning is much lower than that performed in the studio with the installation of non-standard wheels manufactured at the factory.

Despite the fact that such tuning can be done by hand, it has its drawbacks. And there are many more of them than advantages. Here are some of the disadvantages of unwinding:

  • Tires with non-standard dimensions for such rims are almost impossible to find. At least on the territory of the post-Soviet space. The only way out is to purchase suitable options abroad. But in this case, it is impossible to be 100 percent sure that the products will be of high quality, because they will already be used. Before starting the manufacture of bondings, this will need to be taken into account;
  • No welder can be sure of the tightness of the seam. Only the road can show this, but a broken disc at high speed is not a sight for the faint of heart;
  • There will definitely be problems with vulcanization or replacement of damaged rubber. It is difficult to put it on the rims, so not every tire changer will get to work;Unwelding. What is it, the main pros and cons
  • Don't expect an increase in dynamics because the wheels have become much heavier. If the motor has not been upgraded, then the car will become even slower;
  • “gluttony” increases - by at least 15 percent (due to greater resistance from road adhesion);
  • Wheel bearings will wear much faster as the load increases on them;
  • The track from the car becomes wider, which is why, especially on a snow-covered road with a track, the driver will have a hard time - it will be necessary to constantly "catch a car", which increases the risk of getting into an accident;
  • If a modernized disc is manufactured by a non-professional, this will always affect the ride comfort due to the radial runout. Although even a professional cannot achieve the desired result without further alignment of the product.

So, as you can see, the unwinding looks original, but it has many disadvantages. Some of them are related to road safety. Even if the driver does not value his life, he should think that other road users have a different opinion.

In conclusion - a short video about the manufacturing procedure:

How to Make Spreads of 2 Discs?

Questions and answers:

How to choose rubber for unwelding? Since rubber with a standard diameter of such a width does not exist, then for welding, for example, R13, you need to buy tires R14 or even more, depending on the width of the rim. In some cases, it is possible to find a suitable option abroad, but the delivery of such tires will be high, and in order to save a little, you will have to take a used option.

Why do we need unwelding? This is solely for changing the appearance of the vehicle. Since the welds are mostly done independently, at high speeds such a wheel can hit hard due to the lack of perfect centering of the disc.

What do unwelding give? Motorists go to such tuning of a car for the following reasons: to change the external design of the car; improve the adhesion of the tire to the road surface; relatively budget tuning.

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