My latest bangernomics purchase has previously had its alloy wheels swapped out for the equivalent steel versions.
At first I thought I'd scour Eb*y for some alloys, but quickly decided that they offer no real advantage for me - being a run-of-the-mill 'plodder'. Not to mention a tight-wad :-)
They look nicer (mainly), and they do offer lower 'unsprung mass' (yes, that's really important to most).
On the minus side, they are often more fragile, leak-prone - and are a faff to clean (keeps the obsessive types with their toothbrushes happy!).
So could you live without alloy wheels on small/medium 'average' cars?
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No, it would look pooey.
They dont have to be fragile and leak prone. Certainly no more leak prone than a rusty rimmed steel wheel.
So if you want to look like a tight wad plodder...........................
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Alloys have the further disadvantage of being a magnet for the light fingered - particularly the spare. Don't think they offer any real world advantages on an ordinary car.
Steels with a plastic trim are just fine.
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Alloy wheels have greater dimensional accuracy (better circularity and less axial and radial runout) than steel wheels and as such give rise to less steering vibration problems. I wouldn't want to go back to having a car with steel wheels.
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I can't say I've ever noticed "steering vibration problems", even ton up, on a car with alloy or steel wheels. If you've got vibrations, it's probably wheel balance.
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>> They look nicer (mainly)
Perhaps. Depends on the wheel trim..
>> and they do offer lower 'unsprung mass' (yes that's really important to most).
They may have less unsprung weight - in another place I reported weighing my old Cav's alloy/steel wheels - the alloy omes were lighter than the steel spare.
>> On the minus side they are often more fragile leak-prone - and are a faff
>> to clean (keeps the obsessive types with their toothbrushes happy!).
*Clean*? Good Lord!
>> So could you live without alloy wheels on small/medium 'average' cars?
Yup.
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The tyres on alloys are usually lower profile, wider and larger diameter than the equivalent steel wheel.
That means they're usually more expensive to replace, give a harsher ride and probably make the car use more fuel.
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>> The tyres on alloys are usually lower profile wider and larger diameter than the equivalent
>> steel wheel.
All the cars I've bought since 1986 have had alloys, and they've all had normal profile tyres. My current car has 195/60 R15 88V.
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The arrival of daughter's new Mini has been mentioned already. As her budget was stretched to the limit by the price of the wretched thing, she couldn't afford to upgrade to alloys. But whilst idlely Googling for Mini alloys (as you would), up pops a brand new set of 5-spoke original Mini alloys on eBay. Put in a bid with some trepidation, thinking a) they're probably not really new b) how come a new set of original alloys is up for sale? But they arrived, seem fine, and we're hoping to get them swapped over at the weekend. The bonus will be the option to fit winter tyres to the steel wheels (she lives in the Pennines).
One thing Dad did was to persuade her to tick the optional factory-fitted space-saver spare, instead of the standard aerosol puncture repair kit. You'll be interested (?) to hear that the Mini dealer in Leeds commented that she is their first customer ever to order one of these.
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>> One thing Dad did was to persuade her to tick the optional factory-fitted space-saver spare
>> instead of the standard aerosol puncture repair kit. You'll be interested (?) to hear that
>> the Mini dealer in Leeds commented that she is their first customer ever to order
>> one of these.
>>
You tell your daughter from me that she's very lucky that she has a Dad with his head screwed on properly.
A spare wheel - even a space saver - is a "must".
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Alloys look better. And let's face it, how a car looks is quite an important consideration.
Even to a tight-wad plodder.
They also drive better (see above).
Last edited by: Boxsterboy on Thu 6 May 10 at 16:02
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To me Alloys = more expensive tyres and higher insurance premiums.
The alloys on my dads Fiesta are a curse, it costs at least £60 a corner for rubber and £25 a year to insure.
They make inspecting the front brakes much easier though, and despite the cost problems if alloys were an option for my Panda probably would have specified them.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Thu 6 May 10 at 16:10
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In my experience, alloys need just as much balancing as steel rims.
And no, the 8 yo rims on my old Passat had not rusted in 140000 miles.
With the current state of the Derbyshire roads, wish I'd taller profile tyres on steel rims.
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>>To me Alloys = more expensive tyres and higher insurance premiums.
Rattle, I hope this is not necessarily true. I'm swapping 15x5.5 steel wheels for 15x5.5 alloys, so the same tyres had better fit. For reasons I can't fathom, some people like to fit the biggest, widest wheels they possibly can, and tyres for those do cost more, not to mention shaking your fillings loose.
Last edited by: Dieselfitter on Thu 6 May 10 at 16:57
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Both mine have alloys.......but they came with them. Couldn't give a tuppenny trump personally.
Now that I'm obsessive about cleaning the cars ( found a local drive through at £1.99 ) ,
the easier to clean the better. When the brushes have done the tailgate, I move forward a foot and present the wheels in a different position . Brushes then get the bits they missed on the first run !
Plastic, without any holes except valves, on steel wheels, would suit me fine.
Ted
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Vauxhalls at least on some models have the best combination, steels with huge stamped spokes roughly the size a small clenched fist, placky trims moulded to suit, many people think they are alloys....best of both worlds, and usually nice high profile tyres too.
Both ours came with alloys, and there's no doubt nice wheels help to sell a car.
EDIT....DF, good advice for your daughter re a spare wheel.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Thu 6 May 10 at 17:02
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According to another forum member discussing this, he said that balancing alloys was problematical.The static factor balance could be sorted out easily with stick-on weights put at the back of the wheel whereas the dynamic balancing could not easily be corrected if the machine told the operator to put weights on the outside of the wheel (which can be done with steel wheels). The dynamic balance would not be accurate if all the total corrective weights were added to the back of the wheel.
I can see the basis of his argument.
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...You'll be interested (?) to hear that the Mini...
I'd be more interested to hear where a space saver can be fiited in a Mini.
Can't be in the boot, surely?
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>> Can't be in the boot surely?
>>
Yes it's there under the floor, similar to Pug 207 for one, large space in boot designed for wheel...remove wheel fill void with loads of packing as the useless repair pack is too small...brilliant.
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Thank, gb.
There's a fair sized tray under the boot floor of the CC3.
I imagine a spacesaver would fit, but a full-size wheel would stand proud of the floor.
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It''l be to ensure there's enough room for all the hairdressing equipment I expect......
:-)
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>> It''l be to ensure there's enough room for all the hairdressing equipment I expect......
Pick up's good for that, room for a forty gallon drum of Grecian 5000, and boy do i need it.
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>> Pick up's good for that room for a forty gallon drum of Grecian 5000....
Got to be better than a leather hat GB.
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>> Got to be better than a leather hat GB.
>>
Indeed, but maybe they or headband, construction and sailor hats are required at the 'Blue Oyster Bar', not my scene..
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>> 'Blue Oyster Bar'
That some kind of "pickup" joint?....
Not that pickups are.....well....faux butch or anything......
:-))
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"Got to be better than a leather hat GB"
Is that a dig at me and my leather cowboy hat? I'll email you a pic this weekend just to show you how cool they can be with the right boots, jeans and t-shirt.
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No honestly Dave it's fine. If I was going to look at pictures on the internet it wouldn't be of blokes in leather cowboy hats ! Thanks all the same mate.......
Whoo I'm outa here.......
:-)
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Are you sure? I can look into the distance like the guys in the Littlewoods catalogue...
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Come to think of it...
I have a pic of you leaning against a Nissan Note, one hand on the door frame, one hand on the hip (classic teapot), legs akimbo, stripy shirt, slicked back silver hair...
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No you haven't.....
.....it was a Micra.
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with a biege cardigan draped over his shoulders
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No cardigan, not retired yet.
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yeah, keep working and paying taxes, you have to support PU and I.
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Ah so you're "Alf" !
....how was Florida ?
Last edited by: Humph D'bout on Fri 7 May 10 at 20:11
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...It''l be to ensure there's enough room for all the hairdressing equipment I expect....
Humph,
Any more of this nonsense and I shall report you to a mod...
...the next time one comes in for a cut and blow dry.
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>>I'd be more interested to hear where a space saver can be fiited in a Mini.
Yes, you've got it GB. I would say similar to its predecessor, which was a Ka. Or a Galaxy that I had years ago. Haven't actually seen it yet, but I believe there's a carrier mounted under the boot floor that can be wound down from inside the boot using the wheel brace.
Last edited by: Dieselfitter on Thu 6 May 10 at 20:07
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I might add that I went to several Mini dealers with my daughter and heard the same speech from Sales about the lack of a standard spare. Basically it went like this: "you don't need a spare wheel because you get a puncture repair aerosol, which is much easier than changing a wheel and anyway you have 3 years free breakdown cover". Unbelievable.
And I've highjacked the thread onto a favourite grumpy topic. You can't beat a good moan.
Last edited by: Dieselfitter on Thu 6 May 10 at 20:15
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>>stick-on weights put at the back of the wheel whereas the dynamic balancing could not easily be corrected if the machine told the operator to put weights on the outside of the wheel
With the offset of most modern wheels there's enough depth to hide stick-on weights on the inside of the rim to effectively be on the outside. There are also knock-on weights designed for alloy wheels. They seem to have a plastic cover and a wider 'jaw' for the thicker metal of an alloy rim.
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...And I've highjacked the thread onto a favourite grumpy topic...
Good stuff, Dieselfitter.
I'm sure many of us have a mental picture of an harassed Ms Dieselfitter saying 'Yes, dad,' several times, and rolling her eyes to heaven as you interrogate the next Mini salesman.
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One advantage of steel wheels is the ability to swap out your old trims for new ones and lift the look of the car every so often.
There used to be a problem of theft of wheel trims but since most cars have alloys now, the scrotes don't bother to nick wheel trims anymore.
Disclaimer: In saying the above I am in no way advocating the omission of cable ties on the trims. ;0)
Keith
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It does slightly concern me that the plakky wheel trims on daughter's Ka are scuffed to destruction. What's she going to do to the alloys? I feel another lecture coming on.
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Wheel trims are generally easier to kerb than alloys, as they tend to stand proud of the face of the wheel. Low profile tyres also make wheels more vulnerable to kerbing. I'm sure my nice sensible 65-profile tyres have saved my wheels more than once!
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>> Wheel trims are generally easier to kerb than alloys, as they tend to stand proud
>> of the face of the wheel.
When I learned to drive ~ in 1956 ~ I was taught how to avoid kerbing the wheels. Don't driving schools teach that any more?
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>> It does slightly concern me that the plakky wheel trims on daughter's Ka are scuffed
>> to destruction. What's she going to do to the alloys? I feel another lecture coming
>> on.
>>
These may put off the damage for a while.
alloywheelsprotector.co.uk/index.php?main_page=page_3
Last edited by: Old Navy on Fri 7 May 10 at 17:17
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Edit:-
This may be a better option.
www.alloygator.com/
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It shows the AlloyGator chewing the tyre!
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Alloy wheels - real-world advantages? - Zero
