Why do car wheels get hot? Is it normal for car wheels to get hot?

The wheel hub is a metal structure in the tire that supports the normal operation of the tire. Sometimes when you check the tire after parking, you will find that the wheel hub is hot. What is the reason? Is it normal?

Why do car wheels get hot?

When the vehicle is driving, the brake disc is always moving. When we perform slight braking or half braking, a large amount of heat will be generated due to the friction between the brake lining and the brake disc. The maximum temperature of the brake disc can reach about 800 degrees Celsius, which shows how harsh its working environment is.

Therefore, ventilated brake discs are now used in most mid-range models, which can reduce the temperature by about 20%, up to 30%. Even though the temperature can be reduced a lot, there is still a lot of heat conducted to the wheel hub (in simple terms, they are fixed together).

At the same time, the tires of our vehicles also conduct heat to the wheel hubs. The tires are the only parts of the vehicle that are in contact with the ground. The friction between the tires of a moving vehicle and the ground generates heat. In summer, the inflation temperature in the tires can reach nearly 70 degrees Celsius. In winter, even if the temperature is low and close to 50% of the summer temperature, it is almost 40 degrees Celsius during long-term driving. These temperatures are most directly reflected on the wheel hubs.

It is normal for the wheel hub to heat up or even get hot after driving, unless it is a very short distance, then it will be very hot. However, if the brake separation is not good, then you will obviously feel the acceleration is difficult during driving and the brake pads will have abnormal wear.

Is it normal for car wheels to get hot?

When we use the brakes, a large part of the heat generated by the friction between the brake pads and the brake disc is dissipated through the wheel hub. Therefore, as long as our car uses the brake system continuously during use, our car wheel hub will definitely heat up.

When our car wheel hub is abnormally hot, then we have a very simple way to judge, which is to touch the wheel hubs of the four tires separately to check whether the wheel hub temperatures of the four tires are the same.

If they are the same, then there is no doubt that our braking system is normal. If one wheel hub has a particularly high temperature and the other wheels are the same, then there is definitely a problem with this wheel hub.

This method can be used to easily and directly determine whether the heating of our car wheel hub is a normal phenomenon.

Common causes of abnormal heating include tire bearing damage, brake cylinder jam, and brake pad problems.

Can the car wheel hub be modified?

Car wheels cannot be modified at will, but upgrading the wheels of the original flagship car, or replacing them with other types of wheels that are not exaggerated, generally does not matter much.

In addition, if the wheel size remains unchanged, the color and appearance changes do not need to be registered and filed by the user, but the size change needs to be filed. The change of wheel type is more likely to affect the annual inspection of the vehicle, so it is best to keep the original parts after the replacement.

For specific relevant regulations, please see Article 15 and Article 57 of the "Motor Vehicle Registration Regulations" (Ministry of Public Security Order No. 124).