The Dangers Of Unbranded Alloy Wheels: Toyota Fortuner Rolls Over Six Times In Horror Crash

Have you ever looked at cars with aftermarket alloy wheels that are sometimes stunning and at other times gaudy? Well, irrespective of whether they look great or not, these aftermarket wheels might not be the best thing you could do to your car. It could in fact be the absolute worst thing to do to your vehicle as this Toyota Fortuner crash has now proven.

Dangers Of Installing Unbranded Alloy Wheels: Toyota Fortuner Crashes & Rolls Over Six Times Due To Broken Alloy Wheel

A video of a crashed Toyota Fortuner lying on its roof has gone viral. While there are no details about the kind of speeds the SUV was doing, the narrator in the video goes on to mention that the crash occurred due to the breakage of one of the four aftermarket alloy wheels. Visuals of the broken wheel prove the narration right.

The crash took place in the Hari Ke Patan district in Punjab on what appears to be NH-703B. It is said that the Toyota Fortuner rolled over six times before finally coming to a standstill. All this happened because of a broken alloy wheel. This also shows that the SUV was being driven at high speeds.

Dangers Of Installing Unbranded Alloy Wheels: Toyota Fortuner Crashes & Rolls Over Six Times Due To Broken Alloy Wheel

An official investigation into the crash is yet to be conducted. However, going by the visuals, we can easily make out that it was indeed the breakage of an alloy wheel that caused basic physics and gravity to send the otherwise sturdy SUV into what seems like a never-ending barrel roll.

Dangers Of Installing Unbranded Alloy Wheels: Toyota Fortuner Crashes & Rolls Over Six Times Due To Broken Alloy Wheel

The Indian automotive aftermarket is largely an unorganised one. While there are quite a few great businesses and accessory shops that do stock and sell only high-quality parts, the vast majority are quite the opposite. These aftermarket stores that form the vast majority and those who buy from them are the problem here.

Dangers Of Installing Unbranded Alloy Wheels: Toyota Fortuner Crashes & Rolls Over Six Times Due To Broken Alloy Wheel

Quite obviously, these accessory stores will sell parts at a much lower price than the genuine stores and therefore they attract more buyers. Adding to this is the fact that almost everyone wants to customise their cars or motorcycles these days.

Dangers Of Installing Unbranded Alloy Wheels: Toyota Fortuner Crashes & Rolls Over Six Times Due To Broken Alloy Wheel

One of the most sought-after modifications are upsized wheels and tyres. Some old jeeps and 4WD vehicles are spotted with large tyres and this slows the vehicle down considerably. However, owing to the slow speeds and rugged nature of these tyres, it is alright.

Dangers Of Installing Unbranded Alloy Wheels: Toyota Fortuner Crashes & Rolls Over Six Times Due To Broken Alloy Wheel

What is not alright is upsizing the wheel and downsizing the profile of the tyres on an SUV. The decrease in the amount of sidewall between the wheel and the road can have devastating consequences as the owner of this Toyota Fortuner found out.

Dangers Of Installing Unbranded Alloy Wheels: Toyota Fortuner Crashes & Rolls Over Six Times Due To Broken Alloy Wheel

The problem though is deeper than just a decrease in the sidewall. The root cause is that the SUV was running on unbranded alloy wheels. Unbranded alloy wheels are up to 70 cheaper than proper branded ones. However, the trade-off is that there is no guarantee on the quality of the metal used in making these wheels.

Dangers Of Installing Unbranded Alloy Wheels: Toyota Fortuner Crashes & Rolls Over Six Times Due To Broken Alloy Wheel

It is also worth keeping in mind that OEM wheels are put through rigorous testing and these wheels are made with the weight of the vehicle in mind. Some branded aftermarket alloy wheels keep up to these standards. Most unbranded wheels though are generic in their fitting and not really catered to the weight of a particular vehicle.

Dangers Of Installing Unbranded Alloy Wheels: Toyota Fortuner Crashes & Rolls Over Six Times Due To Broken Alloy Wheel

If all of this isn't enough incentive to keep one away from these unbranded alloy wheels, there's the legality bit of it. It is illegal to use any kind of upsized wheels on a vehicle in India unless the modification is registered with the RTO.

Dangers Of Installing Unbranded Alloy Wheels: Toyota Fortuner Crashes & Rolls Over Six Times Due To Broken Alloy Wheel

Thoughts On The Dangers Of Installing Alloy Wheels That Are Unbranded

With all this in mind, it is easy to see that there are absolutely no advantages to installing those less-expensive, unbranded alloy wheels. We would always suggest buyers to go for the well-known brands that make great quality wheels. On an ending note, if you can, please choose to stick to the OEM wheels. They work well. Quite literally.

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Read more on: #off beat
Article Published On: Friday, April 1, 2022, 17:29 [IST]
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