Big, beautiful wheel rims expensive to maintain

Beautiful vehicle lines can be ruined by three things, in my book: paint colour; vehicle stance (ride height); and wheel size/design.

That last one is make or break for me, actually. The wheels have to be the right design, finished properly and sized right for the vehicle. And that usually means bigger is better.

It sounds great and all, but is there a downside?

Well, only if you're blinded by the bling.

There are about 250 separate and distinct vehicle models out there.

Now, each of those 250 models arrives in an average of about three trim levels, for a total of about 750. And, each of those trim levels is usually offered with its very own set of specific wheels and tires.

The average wheel diameter is in the 17-inch range. It many cases you'll see 18-and 19-inch wheels. All that shiny metal sure fills out the wheel wells.

Ask anyone: the bigger the wheels, the more we want them.

So, now that you have them, there's a little math to consider: the replacement price for those big-diameter low-profile tires. Just so you know, these aren't $79 each, the price you might have paid 10 years ago to refit your Corolla. No, triple or quadruple that and you might be closer.

Tires specifically sized and designed for a given vehicle are even more.

It gets even weirder when your car has different tire sizes front and back and they happen to be directional (they can then only be rotated side-to-side and must be removed from the wheels to do so). In extreme cases, each tire is a separate part number for the car.

Then, of course, there's living with those beautiful and bigger wheels and tires.

Living with them, you ask?

Driving a car with extra big wheels and low-profile tires requires a totally new respect for the road, as in every pothole, every piece of broken pavement and bridge expansion joint.

Your first realization of this comes rather quickly once you're parked on the side of the road with a bent (or broken) rim and a flat tire to match.

Yes, that short sidewall height doesn't provide much cushion from poorly maintained/abused roads.

It's difficult enough navigating busy traffic without having to worry about every little crack in the road.

The next surprise is the wear. It's unlikely that you'll get 70,000 kilometres - or even 30,000 kilometres - out of a set of high-performance low-profile tires. The reason is that the rubber is softer so they grip better. But, as you're already surmising, softer rubber scuffs off the tire quicker.

Why do tires that cost twice as much last half as long? Because, of course, you're not buying durability, you're buying performance and when it comes to tires - with very few exceptions - one is given as a direct trade-off for the other.

Be sure to check the tread-wear rating of those big tires, otherwise you might end up with an equally big surprise (four new 19-inch tires) well before you expect it.

The last piece of math involves foresight, as in a lack of it will always cost you more.

If you live in a climate where it snows even one day of the year, and you order the big wheels and the accompanying "performance" tires (which roughly translated means "summer" tires), it will most likely be suggested that you purchase a second set of winter-specific tires. Wide summer tires and even a skiff of snow can be a lethal combination, so be sure to check what you're getting into.

Cosmetically, if you live in a salt-/rust-belt area, those beautiful chrome wheels won't look that way in the spring.

Buying a set of black steel wheels to affix the new winter tires is a good idea, but, cha-ching, part of the additional expense associated with the extra expense of owning a set of big, beautiful wheels.

This column is not a knock against them. Most would agree that a crummy (small) set of wheels can wreck the look of an otherwise beautiful car as much as a good (big) set of wheels can make it. There's just a little math you need be aware of before diving in.

Courtney Hansen is the author of The Garage Girl's Guide to Everything You Need to Know About Your Car, the host of Spike TV's PowerBlock and a writer with Wheelbase Communications.