How Many Car Wheels Is Too Many?
Bradley Davison
· 3 min read
For some people, a car is just a practical way of getting from point A to point B. You might not be overly concerned with how your car looks as long as it's reliable.
Some drivers get into car modifications, and make changes to their vehicle to customize the way it looks. But, you’ll want to be careful before you modify your car. It can cause problems when it comes to your
car insurance
or void a warranty. For Roni Gunawan, his vehicle's aesthetic was even more important than the car's practicality. As reported by
The Drive
, he worked on creating an eight-wheel Toyota subcompact.
A modified car with eight wheels
Gunawan is the owner of a taxi company in Indonesia, who modified his Toyota Vios in a way that The Drive said "defies all reason." Gunawan spent around $6,000 on his custom build.
He added two sets of rear tires, giving the car a total of eight wheels. It drives as a six-wheeler, and one of the extra pairs is just mounted on top of the other rear wheels.
The extra wheels are sprung, so the top set touches the bottom, and the friction turns them as the car moves. The top set of wheels replaces the original rear doors. The custom body wraps around the high wheels, giving the modified car a somewhat natural look.
The interior of the car also got an audio system upgrade with backlit LEDs, and it now features Lamborghini doors.
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The drawbacks of this modified car build
MORE: Why Are Racing Enthusiasts Concerned About New Emissions Policies?
There are issues with modifying a car in this way. For one, the rear seats are gone, so it's now a two-seater. Some people might only need two seats in their car, but getting rid of the back seat gives you a smaller interior and less cargo space.
Other drawbacks to these car modifications include:
- Extra weight for the vehicle, without improved performance
- Higher cost of maintenance with double the amount of tires
- No license plate, which means you can’t drive it on public roads
- Hard to resell the car
But, these types of car modifications shouldn’t be judged on how they add value or practicality to a vehicle. The extra wheels are just meant to be looked at and appreciated.
How do car modifications affect car insurance?
Before you modify your car, you should look into how it will impact your car insurance.
ConsumerAffairs
said that some aftermarket changes or modifications will make it illegal for you to drive your vehicle on public roads. Any modifications that affect the build or performance of your car can lead to higher
insurance rates
. The riskier the changes, the more likely your insurance company will charge you higher premiums. They might even cancel your policy. You might want to call your insurance agent to make sure that your modifications don’t affect your policy. If you want to save money on car insurance,
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