Changing your new car’s steel wheels to alloy wheels – Here’s what you need to know

Aiman Laghari

10 Apr 2020

Wheels have been one of the important parts of an automobile, and at first most of the cars had steel wheels but the owners would replace them with new shiny alloy wheels. These alloy wheels used in cars are normally bigger than steel wheels and to wrap those wheels, new rubber is used.

Even though the people change the steel wheels with alloy wheels, still the steel wheels are being used in the base model Citys’ and Corollas. Even though we like alloy wheels more than steel wheels, we should keep in mind that both alloy and steel wheels have pros and cons. Alloy wheels are aluminum if you want to show off your car with some of the performance but if you drive a lot on daily basis than steel wheels are best since they can take the daily beating of the roads better than alloy wheels.

Now, let’s start with the alloy wheels.

Alloy wheels

Alloy wheels in Pakistan are available from the local manufacturers and are present for almost all top of the trim models of cars.

Advantages

Alloy wheels are lighter than the steel wheels.
Even the nickel and aluminum alloy wheels are lighter than steel wheels thus having better agility, performance, and acceleration.
Magnesium alloy wheels, on the other hand, are even stronger and lighter than the above-mentioned types of alloy wheels.
For both the aesthetics and performance, different designs of alloy wheels are available.
Alloy wheels have a variety of customizing options for an owner of a vehicle regarding their car according to their own liking.

Disadvantages

The first and foremost disadvantage of alloy wheels is that they are weak because they can’t bear the beating as good as steel wheels.
It is easy for an alloy wheel to get crack as compared to steel wheels.
Alloy wheels are brittle and pliable and this factor varies and depends on the amount of nickel or aluminum is added in the manufacturing of alloy wheel.
The wheel will be lighter when less amount of nickel is added to make the alloy but the wheel will bend more easily while if the amount of the is high than the weight of wheel will increase and also the wheel will be more brittle.
Crash strength of alloy wheels depends on the construction method.

Steel Wheels

Brakes, disks, tires and the weight of the wheel hang below the shocks and springs. Since these things are not cushioned by the suspension of the vehicle, therefore, they are known as “unsprung weight.” This unsprung weight is important because it has a huge effect on the handling of the car than an equivalent amount of weight above the springs. Even the small change in the weight will cause a large effect.

Pros and Cons:

Steel wheels are way too strong than alloy wheels.
Cracking a steel wheel is almost impossible.
The force which is used to bend the steel wheel is enough to crack and even break the alloy wheels.
Since steel wheels are heavier than the aluminum wheel therefore when you use steel wheel in a car which had alloy wheel, you may have observed that there is extra weight in the car and even the acceleration of the car is damped. Even the agility of a car is decrease and driving of the car become more like driving a truck.
However, steel wheels are more reliable in winters and in snowy weather as compared to alloy wheels because the extra weight of steel wheels make the vehicle planted by digging in the snow or slush harder.

Now, the question arises for the daily activity, which wheel is important. The right combination of wheel and a tire is very important both for driving and for passengers and driver safety. That’s all from our side, comments your thoughts and suggestions in the comment section below.