Expert: Mike Evans - 12/16/2010

Question
My 2003 Pontiac Grand Am GT has a cracked rim and I need to replace it. The guy at the tire shop said I could get a set of "Pulse P105 Drifters" for $175 while replacing one of my stock rims could cost $300. This is also the second rim I've had to replace. I'm worried that if I just replace one rim, another one might go bad, but I'm also not sure if the $175 are cheap (poor quality). I can't afford to replace all 4 rims with the expensive ones. What would you recommend?

Answer
    If it was me, I'd buy one of the original equipment wheels at a wrecking yard and use that.  You really shouldn't use a different wheel on one corner than on the other corners.  The guy at the tire store is selling you a perfectly good wheel, but he's trying to make sure that you spend the money with him and not somewhere else.  And try and avoid hitting those curbs.