Hey guys, this may seem pretty childish and stupid, but, it needs to be done in my opinion. A buddy of mine say wheels and rims are the same thing. To which I replied “well, no” he proceeded to then get more people that didn’t know about cars to back him up and it went downhill, I whipped google out and, proved them wrong, with 7 different websites. To then they which replied, “nah, they still the same”
So the idiotic question I’m asking is:

Are wheels and rims the same?

 

Depends.

Are you going by strict definition or by common usage? While it may be "wrong", common usage of the terms is widely interchanged.

Consider "engine" vs "motor". They do mean very specific things but for all intents and purposes, they are interchangeable to the layperson. Even among those who know the difference, only the most overly pedantic individuals worry about it.

You have to ask yourself one important question. Why does it matter when you know exactly what they mean?

As an engineer, I learned a long time ago that just because I'm right doesn't mean that I'm right. And in the grand scheme of things, being "right" isn't really all that important.

Every time I find myself getting into arguments over what really amounts to semantics, I hear Bill Murray's voice in my head...

 

I always thought of "rims" as slang. I personally hate it and never say it. This isnt opening weekend for 2 Fast 2 Furious. To me the wheel has a rim. But a rim doesnt have a rim because that's stupid.

I will correct someone to be a smartass but generally I just try to ignore it. Same when people say "shoes" instead of tires.

And those are just 2 of many slang and dumb things people say when talking about cars. Mostly kids who "like cars" just because they look at pictures on the internet.

 

Agree.

"Wheel" and "rim" are two equally correct terms to refer to the part of the vehicle that connects to the drive-train and upon which the "tire" is mounted.

Your friend may want to consider that part - plus the "tire" - as a "wheel". This is also a common usage and is not incorrect.

If that's the case, you guys are both right and in the words of Disney's Elsa --- Let it go, let it go...

 

They are not the same. "Rims" is often used as slang for wheels. Wheel is the proper term for the entire assembly, and can even be used with tires mounted too. Rim is the outer edge, whether multi-piece wheel or not. A simple google search for the definition of "Rim" even without the vehicle specific context, would tell them that it is an edge.

 

Tires mount on either rims or wheels.

 

If your going 4 wheeling are you using tires?

 

x2

For me, I call wheels wheels, if anything a hubcap could be a rim.

 

Hit any online tire website where tires and wheels are sold separately. Rims=wheels where I come from. Then again they call it pop instead of soda here, and Dan Quayle (early version of Mike Pence for the younger folks) still says potatoe instead of potato.

 

Okay guys, I think the horse is dead. You can stop beating it now.

 

ask them how are they going to mount their tyre on a split rim ...or a hub

a wheel is the entire assembly

tell them to look in the dictionary, if they can read

...they are probably winding you right up lol

 

It might also depend on the geographical region that you are referencing, and the timeframe?

A lot of wagons that were drawn by horses had wagon wheels. The wagon wheel is the whole assembly that attaches to the axle piece of old fashioned horse drawn wagons. Ask any of the Amish.

Bicycles have tires, rims, spokes, and a hub.. which makes up the bicycles wheels.

Adjective. pedantic (comparative more pedantic, superlative most pedantic) Like a pedant, overly concerned with formal rules and trivial points of learning. Being showy of one's knowledge, often in a boring manner. Being finicky or fastidious, especially with language.

 

Never!!!

 

ok, here's my 2 cents...

a "wheel" is an entire assembly of tire and rim... as in, "the wheel fell off"

 

Sounds like a Twix commercial.