We’ve all heard those infamous words… “Hey Honey would you be mad if…” or perhaps the ever so nonchalant “whoopsie” while you’re riding passenger princess. If you’re not sure what I’m referring to perhaps you’re the perpetrator and you’re accustomed to the bone chilling, teeth clenching, nail on a chalkboard sound of curbing your wheels. The good thing is Unplugged Performance has a solution for you that will change your life and potentially save you thousands of dollars over the lifetime of your vehicle. This comes in the form of their new UP Forged Monoblock wheel the UP-RW Road Warrior. Now you may be thinking, “Oh great another forged wheel just like the rest of them”. WRONG! While being made from 6061-T6 Forged Aluminum does contribute to the Road Warriors’ ruggedness it goes much further than that.
To start and to quote, “A good offense, is a good defense”. So before we even begin talking about their strength, let’s talk about the considerate forethought and engineering that went into making this wheel less prone to being curb rashed from the get-go. From the factory the Tesla Model Y comes equipped with a 9.5 inch wide cast wheel wrapped in a 255/45R19 or 255/40R20 Tire. While it fits, this wheel and tire combo provides very little in terms of protection for the lip of the wheel due to its flush with the lip or even stretched fitment leaving the lip exposed and vulnerable to not only curbs but potholes and road debris that you may encounter on a daily basis. But what would happen if you took that same OEM 255 width tire and put it on a narrower 8.5” Road Warrior wheel? I’ll tell you, you’ve now created a “pillow” barrier with the now bubbling tire sidewall, giving you a substantial amount of outer rim protection. “So you made the wheel skinnier, wow.” UP Forged didn’t stop there…
To keep the sports references going the real “blocking and tackling” going on here wouldn’t even go noticed to the naked eye but look closely and you’ll see the true star of the show. If you happen to be parking in some weird Dr. Suess designed neighborhood with oddly shaped curbs that make it past the first layer of tire protection you can say “I did not damage them Sam-I-am, I can replace this lip again”. That’s right Horton, you heard right! Without even taking your tire off, you can replace the seamlessly integrated, rugged aluminum curb guard. Now for less than the cost of a plate of Green Eggs and Ham your wheel can look as good as they began.
Say goodbye to the days of falsely blaming your significant other for curbing your wheels to the fellas or embarrassingly driving around on wheels that look like they got in a fight with the Decepticons and lost. The UP Forged UP-RW Road Warrior wheel makes curb rash a thing of the past and we’re never looking back.
