Tuning is very common among motorists rims- the so-called production of splicing. It consists in the following: the width of the disks increases in order to be able to use wider tires. In fact, this method can be considered artisanal, but it is widely used among craftsmen.
Among its advantages are the following factors:
- improving the grip of the wheel with the road, thereby increasing driving performance car;
- low cost of such disks;
- giving the car a more stylish appearance;
- the opportunity to make splicing with your own hands.
Benefits of auto splicing However, before making splicing, it is necessary to take into account that they also have disadvantages:
- increase in wheel moment of inertia due to changes in mass and size;
- the need to use non-standard rubber;
- reduction in the strength of the wheel structure due to the presence of welds;
- deterioration in vehicle handling due to the use of wheels with modified characteristics;
- the need to use tires of non-standard sizes.
If all this did not convince you of the need to operate regular products of the automotive industry, let's look at how you can make splicing yourself at home. Let's do this using the example of an r13 wheel for a VAZ car - this example can be considered universal.
Disadvantages of using splices Training
At the initial stage, you need to fully understand the whole course of the process. You should know that stamped wheels for a car serve as the starting material for manufacturing. Cast products will not work, because welding will be carried out in the process - cast products do not tolerate thermal loads.
The rim width of the discs can be increased in 2 ways:
- a steel plate is welded into the middle;
- from two ordinary disks, cut in half, one wide one is welded.
You should estimate what width of disks the design of your car allows. For VAZ vehicles, a width of 7j is usually chosen. But if you cut or roll out the wheel arches, then you can bring the width up to 10 j. So, first we need to calculate the width of the rim that we want to get.
If we decide to use the method of welding two discs, we need to take this into account and stock up on the required number of them - 2 discs will be needed for each unwelding.
Step one: cut and cook
First, you will have to perform metal cutting and welding - to perform these works, you will need the appropriate equipment, as well as skills in handling it. So, we stocked up with the right amount of disks, a grinder and a welding machine - now we can get to work. The step by step process of welding 2 discs is as follows:
- Cut off the rim outside the first wheel with a grinder.
- Cut off the rim outside the second wheel.
- Installing the first disk on the hub rear axle and fix it.
- We put on the second part and perform alignment, eliminating the beating.
- We fix the contact at four points by welding.
- We weld the seam around the entire circumference - this is necessary in order to provide the necessary structural strength.
- Using a grinder, we clean the welding seam from the outside and inside. It should be remembered that the balancing of the wheel will depend on the quality of the stripping.
Production of splices If we weld a steel strip inside, the process will look similar, but some details will differ:
- Cut off the outer rim to the inside of the wheel.
- We cut the steel strip of the desired size and bend it around the circumference - for this it is best to use rollers. They provide the required accuracy.
- We install the disk on the hub and fix the steel strip on it by welding.
- We weld the outer rim onto the strip so that deformation does not occur.
Stage two: sealing
Now we need to seal the resulting blanks so that we can put rubber on them. Sealing is especially important if we plan to do without installing a camera. If we put the camera, then sealing is optional, but the weld must be smooth and exclude the possibility of damage to the camera.
Final step: painting
And the last step is painting. However, before this stage, you need to check the splices for runout and roll them. After making sure that everything is in order, you can think about painting.
Once you have chosen the right enamel, apply it in the following way:
- Carefully grind the surface of the product.
- Degrease with white spirit.
- Apply a layer of primer - it will fill all the micro-roughnesses and increase adhesion, provide better adhesion of the paint to the metal.
- After the primer dries, apply enamel in several layers.
- When the paint dries, it is advisable to varnish it - such a coating will be more durable and aesthetic.
Painting finished splices Conclusion
Self-manufacturing of splicing is a rather responsible process. It looks simple, but its implementation requires certain skills and specialized equipment. It is very important to control correct execution all points and make sure that the resulting splicing does not give a beat.
Every car owner tries to make his own vehicle bright and stand out. One of the original methods to give the car individuality is the splicing of disks. Each motorist can cope with this on their own, if you know the specifics of the implementation of this event. More on this later in the article.
Splicing discs is an increase in their width, which gives the car a more attractive look, because the details look much more unusual and interesting. Usually splicing is carried out on standard factory stamped steel discs. In the people, such products are called "stampings". There are two methods for increasing the width of such disks.
The first way to weld discs
In fact, welding is the connection of two identical stamping disks with each other.
tools for work
- Drill with drills.
- Seam sealant.
- Welding.
- Bulgarian and interchangeable nozzles for it.
first stage
First, the "stamping" must be prepared. It is desirable that they are initially even, and even better - new. However, as a rule, splices are made from used discs.
Work begins with the evaluation of disks. They are carefully inspected visually and checked for perfect evenness. There is a special way for this. The hub of the vehicle, on which the welded “stampings” will be mounted, is clamped in a vise, a disk is mounted on it and rotated. This is how the beat is fixed. If it is not possible to find a separate hub, put the disc on the drive axle of the machine, engage first gear and evaluate the runout. However, don't forget to install bricks under the wheels and props under the car.
The beat is evaluated in two ways. It is possible by eye, but in this case it will be possible to evaluate only the fact of the presence of a beat. The amount of beat is measured with a ruler. To do this, the ruler is applied both vertically and horizontally. If the beating does not exceed one or two millimeters, it is considered normal. But if the runout exceeds two millimeters in any plane, the disk is corrected on special equipment.
The most even “stamping” is taken as the basis. It is recommended to mark it immediately in order to avoid confusion in the future. The second "stamping" will be the rim.
second phase
We pass to the second stage of work. From the second "stamping" with the help of a grinder, the outer rim is cut off. The main disk is cut to the inside in the area of the outer rim, preferably closer to the middle. Then the rim is dismantled and thrown away. It is no longer needed. As a result, the following picture is obtained: only the inner rim remains from the second disk, which then becomes the outer one on the base disk.
The base disc is put on the rear axle hub and fixed with nuts. Then they put on what is left of the second "stamping". The second rim is aligned with the first and the runout is eliminated. Then in several places they grab it by welding - where the cuts were made.
Now you need to take a seam sealant and apply it to the center of the boiled "stamping". Of course, this is done even before painting. When the sealant hardens, remove the excess with sandpaper or a chisel. Then comes the painting.
The second method of splicing disks
The second method is somewhat different from the first. One "stamping" in this case is sawn into two parts. Then a metal strip is welded into the middle. This method is more economical than the first, because only one set is required.
A metal strip three millimeters thick is cut evenly and its width is selected in advance. After that, the strip must be bent using special rollers. The part of the disc that remains with the hub is seized along with the metal strip by welding.
Then they grab the second half of the disk from the side of the strip. All seams are well welded so that the "stamping" suddenly does not lead. If it is possible to carry out automatic welding of a rotating element, it is better to choose it. So, boiled "stamping" will be much stronger.
Now we clean the seams, it is better to do it on lathe. To make sure that the geometry of the discs is correct, it is advisable to roll them before painting.
The last step is to paint the wheels. It is better to paint them with a powder composition. To strengthen the structure, it is desirable to make an additional welding seam on the side hidden from view. The disc is ready to use and assemble it without a camera. If the camera is still going to be mounted, then in advance, using a drill, you need to drill a hole for the nipple in the disk. First you need to drill with a small drill, and then the hole is enlarged to the required size.
It is advisable to entrust the rolling of discs to specialists. It is mandatory, because in this way they check the stability of the disk to the load, as well as the quality of the seam. Some motorists still varnish the paint to make it look even cooler. But it all depends on individual preferences.
unwelding(splits) - this is wheel disks increased width, made (usually with your own hands) from ordinary stamped disks, by welding two wide rim shelves taken from two disks to each other. Or by welding on an expanding insert. In order to install wider tires.
Materials and tools for making splices:
2 rims (for the manufacture of each splicing);
Bulgarian;
Welding machine;
Seam sealant (required only when installing tubeless tires);
Paint for painting.
Manufacturing process
We take 2 stamped disks and cut through the 2 disks (see the figure below) with a grinder along the red line, cutting off the outer rim and throwing it away.
1 disk has only an incision along the red line of the outer rim to the inner part of the disk a little closer to the middle, having disconnected the outer rim, we throw it away.
At disc 2, we remove unnecessary remnants with a grinder.
We put the rest of the disk 1 on the rear axle hub, fix it with nuts and put on the second part.
We align the second rim with respect to the first, eliminate the runout, grab it by welding at four points at the junction.
The places of penetration are marked in green.
Photo report on the production of splices
For a tubeless setup, we just need to seal the seam in the middle of the disc. This is definitely worth doing before painting. For this purpose, 3M Seam Sealant is suitable for us. Alternatively, it can be diluted with a degreaser.
Attention! It is a degreaser, not a solvent or, God forbid, white spirit! Diluted sealant to smear the seams. Wait until it gets up, remove the excess (chisel, sandpaper, etc.), and paint, so as not to rust and please with the appearance.
The splices themselves are mostly painted with orange paint.
Homemade splices installed on a 1988 BMW 3 Series.
Recently, such a type of aesthetic auto-tuning as the installation of splicing is gaining popularity. What are they and what are they used for?
unwelding- These are rims of increased width, made of conventional steel discs ("stamps"). They are made by welding two wide rim flanges taken from two discs to each other, or by welding on an expanding insert in order to install wider tires.
Splicing can be made by specialists to order, or with your own hands, subject to the availability of the necessary tools. When expanding iron disks, the two most common methods prevail - No. 1 and No. 2 (in the picture). The remaining options for reworking the disk are quite rare and more difficult to manufacture, therefore they are used only by specialized specialists.
The first method implies that two disks are cut lengthwise in a certain place and welded together. With this method you will need not 4, but 8 disks, as donors are still needed for expansion.
The second method involves changing the width of the disk by welding a metal strip with a thickness of 2.5 to 4 mm. 
What width to do unwelding
The standard stamped disc is 6.5J wide. After the welding process, the width can vary from 8J to 10J, moreover, the final width is not limited to 10J. It all depends on the wishes of the owner and the design features of the car. Simply put, the main task is for the splices to fit into the wing arches of the car. To do this, the arches are cut out, more often they are rolled out, if the size of the splicing allows them to be "hidden" there.
Raw Materials
The starting materials in their manufacture are, first of all, the disks that will be welded. In the case of the first manufacturing option, you will need another set of disks of the same size as a donor. In the second option, in addition to the disks themselves, you also need a sheet of metal of a certain thickness and width to weld it into the disk.
Design features
When making splices, it is important to remember that the choice of splice widths is limited. design features donor discs. The calculation of the final width and overhang must be carried out before cutting the discs, so that later there are no problems with the installation of the discs. Another important nuance there is a need choose the right tires for splicing. Since the splices are usually worn with rubber narrower than the splicing itself, such rubber should be soft (especially the cord). 
Security
When using splices, the track of the car becomes wider, which affects the stability of the car. In addition, if welding robots are made with high quality, then splicing is even stronger than ordinary discs. On the other hand, it must be taken into account that the tire, dressed on a non-standard disk, changes its characteristics and can behave in a critical situation ( sharp turn, skidding, slipping, etc.) not as expected and as the driver is used to it.
Manufacturing process: step by step procedures
In the case of manufacturing in the first way (1 splicing of 2 disks), you need to take 2 stamped discs and cut through the second disk with a grinder along the red line, cutting off the outer rim, which is soon thrown out. 
On the first disc make an incision along the red line outer rim to the inside of the disc a little closer to the middle. We will no longer need the cut off outer rim. 
From the second disk we remove the unnecessary remnants of the grinder. The rest of the disk 1 must be fixed on the rear axle hub, fixing it with nuts and putting on the second part. Next, align the second rim with respect to the first, eliminate the runout. This operation is quite laborious and can be the most difficult process in the entire stage of the production of splicing. From such a procedure, the rim can lead, which is a rather risky and frequent case. After both parts are aligned relative to each other, we grab by welding at four points at the junction. 
When both parts of the disk are fixed, it is necessary to carry out an operation to weld the seam along the perimeter of the entire joint. This is done to give strength to the weld. 
The places of penetration are marked in green. After boiling, it is necessary to clean the welding seam with a grinder both from the inside and from the outside. The smoother the weld, the less the disc will need to be balanced. When using the second method (welding a metal plate), 1 disk and a plate of the required size and thickness are taken. To start you need to cut the outer rim to the inside disk. A strip of metal cut to size must be bent under the wheel. You can bend as you like, but it is better with special rollers. Next, we fix the disk on the hub and attach a strip of metal to it by welding. After that, we grab the strip to the second part of the disk and boil all the seams, trying to make sure that the disk does not lead. If it is possible to use automatic welding when welding a rotating part, use it, so the seam will come out much stronger. 
Disc Sealing
To prevent the disc from passing air, weld must be sealed. For tubeless installation, it is necessary to seal the seam in the middle of the disc. If the use of a camera is implied, then sealing is not required. The main thing is that the weld is smooth and does not damage the camera. Sealing is carried out before painting with special sealants, which can be bought at any car shop. 
Painting
You can paint in several ways. It is best to first clean the surface of the disk, degrease it, apply a primer, then cover it all with several layers of paint, and after complete drying, varnish the splicing. Then the paint will last a long time, and will not peel off after the first wash. This is the perfect and correct painting option. But domestic craftsmen know how to paint discs from a spray can, without subsequent application of varnish, after manually sanding and degreasing the surface. But after such painting, the service life of the paint is short, and as a rule, after a couple of months, the paint begins to peel off. Before painting, it is necessary to check the disc for runout and roll it. If this is done after painting, there is a high probability of damaging the paint, and then you will have to repaint the splicing again. 
Under welding is understood as an increase in the size of the disk, due to which the vehicle looks different, takes on a new look. You can boil ordinary factory wheels, which are known among motorists as "stamping". To increase the size, you can use several methods how to make do-it-yourself splicing discs. The article describes the most popular ones that are available at home with your own hands.
To make a disk with your own hands, you will need grinder, seam sealer and welding machine. The process itself involves welding two rim strips to each other or by inserting a metal expansion plate.
What are the methods of unpacking
If you have everything at hand necessary tools, then you can easily make new discs with your own hands, others can turn to the master for help.
In addition to the two main methods of welding discs, which will be described below, car owners also use rarer ones that are more difficult to perform and it is better to start work only if you have the necessary experience.
With the first method, you need to have not four, but eight stampings, four of which will be used as donors for expansion. The discs are cut lengthwise and then welded together again at the expense of these donors.
The second welding method involves using a metal strip for work, the thickness of which can be 2.5-4 millimeters.
What extension is allowed
The factory wheels are standard size- 6.5 J in width. After the expansion is done, this figure can increase to 8-10J. The final width is not limited by anything, only the imagination of the car owner and the features of the vehicle. The updated spare parts received must fit into the arches under the wing of the car, this is the main condition that must be observed, but even here you can cheat and roll out the arch, if this is permissible.
Important! Before making splices, it is necessary to calculate the final width and overhang, otherwise problems may arise with the subsequent installation of the product. Choosing the width is not so easy, because the rubber is much narrower in size, so it must be soft. It is also worth remembering that the increased width of the disk affects the track width of the machine, and hence the stability of the vehicle. Particular attention should be paid to the quality of the weld, on which safety on the road and rubber will depend, which can behave unpredictably in a critical situation.
The use of "donors"
In the first case, to create a splice of rims, we will need donor rims, from which we will take the missing width. As a rule, used parts are used in the process.
To work from home we need:
- welding;
- grinder with nozzles;
- sealant;
- drill with a drill bit 4/5 and 10/11.
Before you start working on splicing disks, you need to prepare spare parts, namely, look for the presence of irregularities and remove them. The easiest way to evaluate the ideal surface is to clamp the hub of the car in a vise, install a spare part on it and scroll.
Assessing the level of runout, be aware that an indicator in the region of two millimeters can be considered acceptable, if more, then stamping will definitely be corrected on the equipment. If he is not at home, then use the services of a specialist, but you should not neglect this stage in unwelding the discs, otherwise the car's handling on the road may suffer.
After checking, the second part begins - cutting off the outer rim of the disk, which is carried out to the inner part closer to the middle. The illustrative example below shows the clipping process in a good schematic way.
This rim is not useful to us, so it can be removed. The remaining rim will become the outer rim for the other part. We put it on the hub of the bridge from behind and fix it. Only after that we put on the second cropped part.
It is important to align both halves of the splicing well with respect to each other and eliminate the runout. By welding we make several tacks at the places of cuts. You can see more about this method in the video.
Only now we need a sealant that is applied to the center. After complete drying, the excess material is removed with sandpaper and, as a final step, painting begins.
Expansion with a metal hoop
This method has several distinctive features, the main of which is the use of a metal strip as an expander.
The first thing we do is saw the spare part into two equal halves. The main advantage of this welding method is its economy. For work, you will need only one set of discs and a metal plate from which you can weld a hoop.
The thickness of the material must be at least 3 millimeters, the width is selected in advance. It is important to ensure that the strip is even. Metal bends with the help of a special roller.
The rim insertion process is well illustrated schematically in the figure below:
The part on which the hub remains is connected to the metal strip by welding.
Important! All seams must be welded with high quality so that during the movement the car does not drive and it does not lose control. It is best to weld the parts together using automatic welding, which guarantees additional strength of the product. Additional welding seams on the side of the product, where it is hidden from view, will also increase the strength of the structure.
At the second stage of manufacturing, we clean the seams. It is better to have special turning equipment on hand for such work. Experts advise, before installing the corrected parts on the vehicle, to make an additional rolling in order to be completely sure of the observance of the geometry, which has a special impact on the quality of driving.
The last and final step in creating a splice is painting the disk itself.. It is best to use powder formulations.
Such unweldings, created at home, are perfectly assembled and able to withstand the necessary pressure. They may be without a camera, but if it is installed, then a hole for the nipple must be drilled in the design of the new disk. This should be done first with a small drill, and then increased to the desired one.
Rolling is a must. If you don’t understand what it is and how to do it, it’s better to trust the professionals or watch the video
To make the car look even more impressive, you can varnish the products on top of the painting.