aluminum vs. steel
 

Does anyone have any hard data on the difference between steel and aluminum wheels? I haven't been able to track any down on the internet. People always say "yeah, aluminum wheels are lighter!", but no one can ever say by how much.

So.. does anyone have any experience with this topic?

They aren't light enough to make the difference in price worthwhile. ;)

I did a little checking on the price of stock wheels.
the 11 pound civic vx wheels cost $113.83 each
my crx hf steel 4.5" wiede wheels that weigh just over 12 pounds cost $74.77 each
for the same year of crx only in the dx trim leavle the 5" wide rims cost $99.71 each, I don't know the exact weight on them because I haven't pulled one off the parts car to weight it, but I suspect it's around 15-16 pound each judging from the last time that I had one off.
honda insight 14" x 5.5" wide alloy wheels cost around $268.32 and weigh around 11 pounds.
decrative alloy wheels tend to just be that, form over function, a 15" wheel weighing 15+ pounds is listed on tirerack.com as being "light weight" and are going to need tires as well, 18 pound tires insted of 15 pound tires, so spend alot of money, and you are adding more rotating unsprung weight to your car, and out of all the places that you can have weight, that is where you don't want it.

A big factor in alloy wheel weight is whether they are cast or forged. Forged aluminum is much stronger, and can be made lighter. Cast alloy wheels are for show, not for performance.

Cast or forged, the primary advantages to aluminum are that for the same size of wheel, they can be lighter, and they also permit a more open design for better brake ventillation.

Ask for weight specs before buying any aluminum wheel. If they can't tell you what they weigh, you probably want something else if weight is your primary concern.

FWIW, when I changed from factory steel 14in wheels to factory aluminum 15in wheels on my S15, the wheel/tire combo was 5lbs lighter with aluminum than steel. Overall tire height was the same, the 15in tires were sized to match the 14in tire height. I think I went from 35lbs to 30lbs on the wheel/tire combo. The tires on the 15s were new Michelin X radials (noisy tire, high rolling resistance, but they do handle well, do not recommend), the tires on the 14in steel wheels were cheap worn out POS Douglas tires that the previous owner had on.

With the superlight econoboxes most of you here drive though, I wouldn't worry about strength of the wheel. I've not seen one yet that had a weight limit less than 1000lbs, which means you can carry 4000lbs on a set of 4. I like to see at least 10 percent more capacity than the GVWR, which is the maximum amount the vehicle should weigh when fully loaded, including passengers.

I checked out some aluminum wheel weight specs, they really vary all over the place even for the same size wheel. Lots of them are heavier than plain steel wheels.

I think if you research what's available for your car you likely can find wheels that weigh less than stock. Or can find larger wheels in alloy that will be less than stock when paired up with not-too-heavy tires.

But I'm a cheapskate. I bought junkyard Volvo 15" steelies that fit my car (originally supplied with 14"), so that's the deal for me. I'm not going to spend several hundred dollars for something just because it's shinier than what I already have.

Go to your local junkyard and see what they have available for your car. Then grab a steel one and an aluminum one. See which is heavier ;) Kinda seems obvious.

Anyhow, where I live, they salt the roads, so I wouldn't recommend an aluminum wheel anyways, they corrode badly around here.

Well, then you polish off the corrosion, and the wheel is even lighter! ;-)

After a few years it would weigh nothing! Awesome!

Just brought home a set of 14" steel wheels and tires. The difference in weight between the steel and comparable alum. was 4 lbs. per rim. If you do lots of city driving the lighter mass might be a help, but $35 more a rim and the fact my commute is 2/3 highway got me to pass on alumn. Several eng. were questioned and the verdict was once your rolling the weight becomes a non factor. Plus with steel wheels you can run a more aero. hubcap.

the standard price for used civic hx rims (aluminum 14x5.5) is $200 without tires.

standard price for the same size stealies used is either free or $10 for a set of 4. so if you are only looking to save money its not worth it.

if you want something that looks better or performs better in 1st and 2nd gear then a well selected set of aluminum wheels is worth every penny. also if the aluminum has the right clear coat on it(factory is usually good enough) then you dont have to worry about corrosion at all.

OT: ive got a quick riddle, what is lighter a gram of aluminum or a gram of steal???

Their both the same
=)

Now a gram of supertonium would be a different case.

When driving for fuel efficiency I don't really think brake cooling is an issue - at least for hypermilers. Less braking equals more coasting = better MPG. Right?

I prefer the racing disc hubcaps. Of course opinions are like nostrils, everyone seems to have at least two..........:eek:

thisisntjared : Well everyone knows that steal is heavier!!! Wait a second, what the hell are you talking about? Steal?!?! Perhaps you meant steal. And for that matter, what the hell am I talking about?!?! A gram is a gram is a gram!! I remember the pound of feathers vs. the pound of lead from back on the playground too... Nice try!!

Odieturbo: Yeah, I lived in Michigan before moving to Japan. The roads there were heavily salted. As a result the roads are always in decay and the cars are always rusted.

To everyone else, thanks for the great information. I guess that as with most things, there is no real definitive answer. If I do end up changing wheels, it will be after I have compared the weights of all the rims compatible with my car. That being said, I probably won't be faced with this decision anytime soon.

Lol. Weights are usually available from the manufacturer. Who cares what it's made out of? If it's lighter, it's lighter.

They make stock wheels narrower than 6.5"? hahaha.

How many miles would you have to drive to save the gas from the extra money you spend on aluminum wheels?

BTW I prefer steel wheels because 98% of the time they can be repaired with a hammer if you hit a big pothole. Also when it is time to refurbish, a spraypaint can from the hardware store is all you need.

-Bob C.

I think the returns are more obvious if a person is looking for a second set of wheels for winter tires. At $50 or so for each remount, having a second set of wheels can save $100/year, so relatively inexpensive aluminum wheels could pay for themselves in 4-6 years.

Don't forget boosted resale value and psychic income... They might pay out pretty quickly...