Superduty steel vs aluminum (redundancy department of redundancy)

[cjmitchell5]

Okay I'm sure this has been argued many times on ExPo but it's difficult for the search engine to find specifically what I'm looking for. Basically I'm trying to decide if I should stick to my Ford Steel wheels on my F250 or should I switch to the Ford Alcoa wheels? Does anyone know the actual weight difference? Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of each. Sorry for the (probably) redundant thread.

I did find on the Alcoa website that one of their wheels weigh 25#.

 

[OutbacKamper]

I think the main reason for mounting the Alcoas is cosmetic. Of course the Alcoas are lighter (I'm not sure of the actual weight difference, but I can't tell the difference when driving with 3 alloys and one steel spare) they also don't rust which is a big issue where there is a lot of snow and salt on the roads in winter. I considered switching to all steel wheels for my trip around Australia, since the steel wheels are less likely to be damaged off-road and are easier to repair. However I ended up using the stock Alcoas and had no problems with them at all.

My advice is switch to Alcoas if you like the looks, but I don't think the weight savings will make any noticeable difference.

Cheers
Mark

ps: thedieselstop.com usually has lots of alcoas in the for sale section

 

[ntsqd]

It isn't just the weight difference that matters. It is where the weight is and isn't that matters. The less of a flywheel a wheel can be, the better.

A 15" x8" Bart std weight steel racing wheel weighs 27# and their "Super Trucker" steel wheel weighs 29# I'd expect the stock F-250 wheels to be significantly more, you'll have to weight them to really know. I doubt there is much published data on that.