Steel Wheels Vs Aluminum Wheels

[Nullifier]

well I have the factory steel wheels on the taco but will be going to aluminum when I get my lift. I will most likely take them down to bare aluminum and paint them so I can touch them up from time to time rather then get the ones that are powder coated already.nothing more functional them rattle can black LOL.

I think it will reallly help out my 4 banger to reduece the wieght of the wheels. Especially when I'm loaded.

 

[Pskhaat]

Exactly! On remote trips where rockcrawling isn't really that bad, I carry two spare tires, as even if I did get a wheel damaged, I'm betting the tire is in worse shape.

 

[GeoRoss]

Would the weight of steel wheels add to wear and tear on bearings and other components?

Ross

 

[paulj]

Another consideration is, what is your spare tire(s) mounted on? If the spare is steel, can a flat tire on an aluminum rim be stored in the same place? Does the spare use the same lug nuts as the main wheels? same hub center?

The S10 pickup that I had some years ago, came with aluminum wheels, plus a steel spare. The spare mounted under the bed with a cable winch. I ended up getting open lug nuts to work with spare, plus an appropriate hub cap (though the axle ends were sealed against dirt). I never did try knocking the center plug out of an aluminum wheel and see if it would fit under the bed.

paulj

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

I always make sure my spare is exactly the same wheel and tire as the rest.

Pskhaat makes a good point: An impact bad enough to damage a wheel has in all probability damaged the tire, so wheel repairability would be somewhat moot until you can reach a tire store! The tire on the spare wheel I mentioned was toast.

I expect switching to aluminum wheels would have a measurable impact on tire, spring, and especially shock absorber life.

 

[chet]

Some of the newer steel wheels are not much heavier than a proper forged Alum. wheel. for normal road travel I doubt alum would be a prob though. For rockcrawling we use steel. some of the guys in our club have alum and I have seen cracked and broken rims. steel ones bend but a hammer straightens them enough to get them to hold air. if not some silicone on the bead does!

I have seen alum wheels damaged from inpacts (lugs ripped right out) where the tire was still in fine shape! :Wow1:

 

[gjackson]

I would imagine that if you pound one back into shape that you need to have som skill in making it true enough to hold a bead again. So skill, tools, and time to work on it all become additional factors.

It isn't too hard to pound a steel wheel back into good enough shape to hold air. For those of us that run tubes (don't flame me!!) it is even easier. And in some cases if you put a new tube in you can even recover the tire that suffered the impact long emough to drive out to help.

One other factor I have experienced is the time I didn't tighten the lug nuts properly. They started to come off at high speed in the desert and the wheel moved around enough to elongate the lug holes (and destroy the lugs). Since they were steel it was easy to get the holes welded up and made round again. While this can be done with alloy, it takes a specialty shop whch you may not find in the bush.

In third world countries (which are not the standard case here, obviously) there may also be the danger of having fancy wheels stolen. Alloys tend to attract more attention because of the bling factor. I hate those security lug nuts, and wouldn't use them on a remote expedition rig. I'd rather have wheels that no one wants!

Just my 2c!

cheers

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

Excellent point, Graham.

And I've never found a "security" lug nut I couldn't remove in fifteen seconds with a slightly undersized socket and a hammer!

 

[goodtimes]

Excellent point, Graham.

And I've never found a "security" lug nut I couldn't remove in fifteen seconds with a slightly undersized socket and a hammer!

The "security" lug that DC is using to lock the spare tires on the wranglers fits that bill. The OD is round...no ridges or sharp edges to get a bite on. Your best bet is to hit it with a BFH and try to break the lug off.

Although, if you had a tough enough socket, I suppose it might be possible to beat one onto it...letting it cut it's own teeth....provided the lug isn't heat treated (I have no idea if it is or not)....but in general, I agree...they are a pain.

 

[paulj]

I had a stuck locking lug nut on my S10 several years ago. It was tight enough that it was breaking the keys (which were an older 2 part, press fit design). The solution, suggested by the lug nut manufacturer (McNut?), was to over tighten the other lug nuts on that wheel, thus reducing the pressure on problem nut. After that I quit using locking lugs.

paulj

 

[asteffes]

Excellent point, Graham.

And I've never found a "security" lug nut I couldn't remove in fifteen seconds with a slightly undersized socket and a hammer!

I've used this technique more than twice.

 

[asteffes]

Aluminum is sensitive to proper casting and heat treating techniques. I have seen aluminum wheels break cleanly, as though one had sliced it with a butter knife. I've also seen them crack in jagged patterns and basically self-destruct. Some of these wheels saw significant track/racecar use, while one in particular (an SSR semi-forged wheel that saw mostly street use) failed due to a manufacturing defect (SSR admitted it was their fault.) Aluminum tends to fatigue with time, so you have to keep an eye on alloy wheels, checking for minute cracks often.

 

[Scott Brady]

I have always liked steel wheels, but have used factory steelies (for my Jeeps, etc.) they were always reasonably light and balanced very well.

My current steel wheels are not factory, and are much heavier, and do not balance (at all). I am seriously considering moving to these Teflon aluminum units:

Anti-bling, good production tolerances and lighter rotating mass/unsprung weight.

Less rotating mass allows the vehicle to stop and accelerate faster

Less unsprung weight allows the suspension to respond faster and the shocks to control compression and rebound under fast cycling (like corrugated roads) more efficiently, reducing heat and enhancing control.

 

[Mlachica]

I too have been contemplating swapping back to alloys for the same reasons as Scott. I was thinking of getting these:

Similar to the AR's but without the teflon.

They're basically a black powdercoated Mickey Thompson Classic II. I've heard of somebody with an 01-04 tacoma that has classic lock (w/faux beadlock) II's in 15x8 without having to shave the caliper. I have yet to confirm this though.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Any idea what those teflon coated AR rims weigh? More importantly a cross section sketch of the rim

Some have made a reference to the the kinetic energy required to accel/decel... Although the rim plays a part in this, the tire selection is FAR more decisive as the rotational kinetic energy (which = 1/2 * moment of inertia * angular speed^2, noting the inertia is directly proportional to the distance from the center of the hub, thus why the wheel is far more important in this respect than the rim. Different brand tires (Toyo, BFG, GY, etc) with similar tire sizes can require as much as 15-20% different amounts of force at 65mph to turn.

Thats not to say one tire will let your rig accelerate 15% faster than another, that is just one part of the equation... :ylsmoke: