Wheels vs. Rims for Dummies

We have to say, we love it when an ignorant internet freelancer tries to take on a subject that had heretofore been a complete mystery. To the freelancer, that is. That's when we get some of the most... interesting content published, the sort of content that we sometimes call the "stupidification of the internet." Offered for your contemplation today, we have eHow.com contributor Jessica Reed and her half-witted attempt to attack the question, "How do Rims & Wheels Differ" (Leaf Group has since moved it to ItStillRuns.com).

Reed's already been here three times, botching information about three completely different topics, so we're beginning to consider her whatever the opposite of whatever a "renaissance" freelancer would be called. Before we go on to the award ceremony, however, let's get the answer out of the way.

Most people think wheels and rims are the same thing and, except to a pedant, they are. To be pedantic, however, consider a bicycle wheel: the rim is the cup-shaped hoop into which the tire or tire and tube fit; the spokes and hub are (technically) a different part of the wheel. In a car wheel (which is what Jessica wrote about), the rim encloses a wheel disc, which sits vertically. The disc and rim together form a wheel; much the same as a hub, spokes, and a rim form a bicycle wheel. Now, let's see what Reed had to say.

"While a wheel is considered a part of your car, it's actually made up of different parts. These mainly focus on the center, the rim and the tire itself."

No, Jessica, the tire is the tire: it's not a part of the wheel. Just in case people missed it, let's have you belabor the point again:

"The wheel itself is not a part of the car, but the result of a combination of parts, namely the rim and center. The center of the wheel is the silver part in the very middle of your car's wheels. The hubcap can be found here. The rim is the circular strip that goes around the center. The center is connected to the rim, and the tire goes around the outside of the rim. Once you get these parts together, you have a car wheel."

We aren't quite certain why Reed thinks the "center... is the silver part," or why she thinks a hubcap goes there. In fact, if the wheels are silver it's pretty unlikely that there is a hubcap!
Moving right along (and padding for the all-holy minimum word count), Jessica imparts such valuable information as,

"The tire is... the giant black rubber tube part of your wheels." "Mainly a hubcap is there to protect the lug nuts from rust or falling out, [sic]" "Tires must constantly have the air pressure in them checked..." Although Jessica mentions lug nuts several times, she never mentions the hub or how a wheel is attached to a vehicle. Something tells us that Reed was essentially ignorant of wheels, tires, and rims before writing this – just like readers are ignorant of wheels, tires, and rims after reading what our Dumbass of the Day posted

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