No one knows who invented the wheel, or when it happened, but whoever it was deserves a place in history. Without the humble wheel we would have no land transportation at all. Imagine still waiting for someone to invent anti-gravity machines, just because the wheel had yet to be invented. The wheel must surely be one of the most important developments in the history of humankind.

Now, here's the good news. Wheels are easy to come by today. We have hundreds - probably thousands even - of every type of wheel a vehicle might need. If it was manufactured at some time, then we probably have it, or can get it.

Wheels come in a staggering array of sizes. They also come in varying widths and materials. There are alloy wheels, wire wheels, chrome wheels, weld wheels, steels wheels, and more. There are wide wheels, narrow wheels and extra performance wheels. There are three-bolt wheels, four-bolt wheels, five-bolt wheels and six-bolt wheels.

Wheels are also known as rims in common slang usage. Strictly speaking, the rim of a wheel is the outer part of a wheel that the tire is attached to. But through time the term 'rim' has come to mean the entire wheel, though mostly only in America.

The definition for a wheel from Webster's 1913 dictionary demonstrates the relationship of the rim within the wheel: "A circular frame turning about an axis; a rotating disk, whether solid, or a frame composed of an outer rim, spokes or radii, and a central hub or nave, in which is inserted the axle - used for supporting and conveying vehicles..."

Common slang has also coined the term' wheels' to mean an entire vehicle, usually a car. While chrome wheels that are 20 inches in diameter on a car, usually SUV's, or sports utility vehicles, have become 'dubs' in common slang. The term is a contraction of double-tens, which equals 20.

Wheels have come a long way since their tentative beginnings. It is likely that early man realized that placing something round, such as a series of small tree logs, under a heavy object that needed to be moved, would make the job easier. Of course, the tree logs each had to be returned to the front of the object regularly, but heavy objects could be rolled over long distances in this manner with relative ease.

A series of tree logs are not wheels, of course, and it wasn't too long before someone presumably worked out that a disk shaped object could be revolved around a static axle. That was when the wheel was born! It didn't happen overnight, but rather in a series of steps, each step moving a little closer to the final product. The earliest examples we have of a recognizable wheel are from ancient Mesopotamia. They are from approximately, 3,500 BC, which make them over 5,500 years old.

We don't have ancient wheels from Mesopotamia, but we do have used wheels from just about everywhere else. Whichever combination of size, width, style, material or type you need, we probably have them. You can drop along, or use our search facility for used auto parts or used truck parts. Let us help you find the wheels you need!