Steel Wheels or Alloy Wheels for Winter

[versaguy]

Hey guys, im going to get a set of winter tires for my nissan versa. I live in New England, so the snows can be decently rough. I want to know if it is better to mount my winter tires on steel rims or alloys? I am asking this since i am worried about rust, road salt, longevity.
Thanks for the help!

 

[SLCraig]

Black steelies...

Aluminums will pit and get ruined, and constantly swapping tires on rims is also costly, as opposed to just getting a set of steels and mounting winter tires.

 

[erogers]

+1 on the black steel wheels. They will start to rust after a while, but they're cheap, so you can replace them much easier compared to alloys, which will definitely pit and even corrode a bit with continuous exposure to salt. If you're handy with spray paint, you can always tape off the tires and give the wheels a good coat or two of Rustoleum or Krylon and make them last even longer.

By the way SLCraig, London is one of my favorite places to stop when I'm passing through Ontario. Nice town!

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: SLCraig
Black steelies...

Aluminums will pit and get ruined, and constantly swapping tires on rims is also costly, as opposed to just getting a set of steels and mounting winter tires.



+1

Easier to replace! My co worker averages about two a year...

 

[Colt45ws]

What I did was when went came around I mounted my snows on my stock alloys. Over the winter I saved up and bought a set of 18" wheels and summer tires and swapped them out when it came time to remove them.

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted By: Onmo'Eegusee
What I did was when went came around I mounted my snows on my stock alloys. Over the winter I saved up and bought a set of 18" wheels and summer tires and swapped them out when it came time to remove them.


That's a good idea if you're planning to upgrade to some aftermarket wheels, but if you want to keep the stock wheels then steelies make more sense. Plus a little rust will not ruin the rims, all you need is some sand paper and black spray paint and they will look like new again, no need to replace them, whith aluminum the repairs are much harder and sometimes not possible.

 

[Stanley Rockafeller]

Steel wheels are always the best choice for the following reasons:

-They seal air much better than alloy, which is more porus and will allow more air to escape when the temp varies.

-They are cheaper (unless you can get alloys used at a decent price, like I did, which makes buying new steelies more $$)

-They will only bend if you hit a curb, unlike alloy which will actually crack


Overall, alloy is pricier than steelies when purchasing new, but if you drive carefully and get both at a reasonable price, and check your pressures regularly, I really dont' see a problem with either.

 

[Kestas]

Another vote for steelies. They're better than aluminum wheels for all the reasons listed above. The main reason people buy aluminum wheels is for looks.

 

[IndyIan]

Steelies is my vote too. I'm guessing most cheap alloys weigh atleast as much as steel rims but I think there is some advantages to having heavier rims in winter.
Mostly the extra inertia smoothes out sudden brake or throttle inputs so your are less likely so lock a tire or spin a tire.
I guess with abs and traction control its not a big deal but I have neither, so I have had to do the odd panic threshold braking stop on snow and ice and keeping smooth is key.

 

[WishIhadatruck]

I've used both and have preferred the use of aluminum. I certainly see the possible advantages of the steel rim that people have mentioned above but I've been using aluminum rims in the winter for years and the only set that ever had enough corrosion to cause a problem were on the car I first used winter tires on. They were the OEM rims and I switched the tires each season which in my opinion damaged the finish enough to cause the problem. I have a set on my Grand Prix right now (or will be soon) that have been used for 8 seasons only in the winter and still look great, no corrosion, no air lost, etc. They are inexpensive aluminum rims bought from the Tirerack. My only experience with steel rims was on a '91 Corsica. It had steel rims with covers from the factory that I used only in the winter. The snow would sometimes pack into the rim in places where it wouldn't easily get out and cause a vibration, this was pretty common. I've never had this issue with any of my aluminum rims. I also prefer the look of the aluminum rims versus plain black steelies or covers and I've never damaged a rim. I've never hit a curb before but I have hit bearing damaging pot holes but I've never damaged the rim.

 

[Russell]

I am also looking for wheels for my winter tires. i want used alloy factory wheels. The used sets I have found are cheaper than new factory or third party steel wheels.

i worry that removing and replacing tires each year can damage the tires???

 

[Ursae_Majoris]

Originally Posted By: Russell
i worry that removing and replacing tires each year can damage the tires???
or damage rims.

Plus, if you have your winter tires on the second set of rims, a place that sold you winter tires will swap winter and summer sets on/off the car for free.

I found brand new steelies for $30 ea, I can not imagine finding alloys for less than that, even used.

 

[KrisZ]

To me getting a separate set of rims (steelies in my case) made more sense and will save me money in the long run, as I don't have to get the tires mounted and balanced twice a year.

My rims will pay for themselves in about 2.5 years, as the cost of mounting and balancing in Canada is about $20 per tire.

 

[Stanley Rockafeller]

Originally Posted By: Ursae_Majoris
Originally Posted By: Russell
i worry that removing and replacing tires each year can damage the tires???
or damage rims.

Plus, if you have your winter tires on the second set of rims, a place that sold you winter tires will swap winter and summer sets on/off the car for free.

I found brand new steelies for $30 ea, I can not imagine finding alloys for less than that, even used.


I agree that alloys are generally more pricey but in my situation I went from 16 inch Focus factory alloys to a 14 inch alloy from an early 90's Tempo.

New steelies were 30 each, used set of alloys were 70 for all 4 with old/thrashed tires that needed removal.

Classifieds like kijiji are a great place to do winter wheel shopping, esp if you know if similar wheels that will fit your application.

 

[Ursae_Majoris]

You scored on that deal. Did you go with a taller sidewall on the winter tires to keep the same OD?

 

[Stanley Rockafeller]

Originally Posted By: Ursae_Majoris
You scored on that deal. Did you go with a taller sidewall on the winter tires to keep the same OD?


Heck yeah! I used the online tire calculator on some miata site

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

I was running a 205/50/16 as recommended from the factory, but I downsized to some 14's (for better fuel economy, and softer ride in the winter and cheaper winter tires).

now I'm running 185/70/14 with no ill effects..sure the speedo is turning a slight bit slower, but not enough that I'll get stopped for unknowingly speeding

 

[Craig in Canada]

You definitely want a second set of wheels. If your "primary" set are alloys, I assume you might actually care about them, and you don't want the guys at the tire shop mounting/dismounting tires and prying off weights twice a year.

That being said, I have a set of alloys for the winter but I kind of "lucked" into them. They were take-offs from a similar vehicle so they are factory wheels but I got a good deal.

We use a lot of salt in my area and to those that say they'll corrode away to nothing - wrong. Yes, there's some corrosion but these wheels have been through 10 winters and they aren't that bad. I don't know how someone is replacing 2 alloys a year - crazy. Maybe they need parking lessons or are trying to run too low a profile on bad roads in the area. Or maybe they need to spend more money on a quality wheel instead of throwing two away every year.

To those commenting on leaks. Yes, it's generally said that alloys can lose more air than steels but it's never been an issue for me. I have to add air for leak loss very rarely, I'm usually only adjusting for seasonal temperature swings. If your tire shop did not properly prepare the bead sealing area of your wheels before mounting tires you'll have issues regardless of steel or alloy. If there's a little bit of corrosion it needs to be cleaned off. Aluminum corrosion doesn't stand out as much as orange rust and a lot of techs don't bother. Then people generalize on the Internet saying aluminum leaks more.

If you'd like alloys look around and be creative. There are a lot more options than simply walking to a dealer parts counter and saying "how much?" See if they have packages around, look in classifieds/ebay for take-offs. Or run your factory alloys in the winter and upgrade your summers as someone suggested. If you buy alloys, buy quality and they'll be less likely to fail - both the casting and the coatings.

That being said, steelies are certainly more economical and do just fine, assuming you don't have vehicle weight or high torque concerns. If you're a "driver" you will ABSOLUTELY notice the increase in unsprung mass from steelies. On a previous car I used alloys summer and steelies winter and I noticed the extra weight affecting the suspension immediately. To be blunt, if your car is an appliance to you like your washing machine you may not notice or care.

 

[deeter16317]

Watch Craigslist and the like...you can often pick up wheels from a car like yours for a few bucks (cheaper than new steel wheels even). And do your research, typically the wheels from several models of a similar manufacturer will interchange, and allow you to step down in rim size (making winter tires cheaper)

It really doesn't matter if they are steel or aluminum, they are winter wheels that are going to be dirty/corroded anyway. For the short period most of us own a car, even an aluminum wheel will only just begin to lose its clear coat.

I bought a set of 16" WRX wheels in excellent shape for a good deal off Craigslist to run winter tires on my wife's Forester (OE 17" wheels). Even with the $$ in those WRX rims, it was almost $100 cheaper than buying tires alone for those 17" OE alloys.