The first measure commercial vehicles certainly take into account is the operational costs. Selection of tires has become one of the routes to save expenses and the way to save the tires, is by using aluminium rims.
Aluminium rims in Indonesia, especially for commercial vehicles, are not yet widely used. At present, there are only inter-city inter-provincial buses (AKAP) that replace their standard rims with aluminium ones.
The appearance of the aluminium rim is also stylish than the standard rim made of steel. Aluminium rim has a sleek appearance, which ideally enhances the appearance of the vehicle.
Vehicle Test Manager of PT Gajah Tunggal Tbk, Zulpata Zainal said: “Using aluminium rims on commercial vehicles has a positive effect on weight, heat, and comfort.”
"Using aluminium rim is better than iron to dissipate heat. Also, other positive effects are lighter, less heat and vibration.”
Independent Tire Analyst and Deputy Chair of Aptrindo Central Java and DI Yogyakarta, Bambang Widjanarko, stated that from its specific weight, aluminium rims are lighter than iron rims.
Bambang said: "The specific gravity of iron is 7.874 grams / cm3 while aluminium is only 2.4 grams / cm3. Because of its lightweight, using aluminium rims can save tires.”
Besides being lighter and can hamper tire wear, aluminium rims also don't heat up quickly when used. So the vehicle can operate longer, no need to hurry to rest so that the tire does not overheat.
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