Looking for opinions, aluminum vs steel wheels

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supermotocruiser

supermotocruiser

10 Year
Joined
Dec 10, 2011
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Location
Verona, Va
So after beating Craigslist for 3 months I have determined that no one with a used set of 16x8 wheels is ever going to sell them.

That leaves me to the alternative, buying a new set.

Now what to buy?

My rig is used mainly on the street, camping trips and light-medium trail duty in all reality less than 10 times a year.

The price is $40 more per wheel for aluminum which really doesn't bother me. But i don't want to pay more than $120 a wheel.

Looking at pro comp steels and there are a lot of options for aluminum.

So what do you guys think?
 
Aluminum is really easy to change because of the weight but the iron nuts damage the aluminium.
(split rims are back breakers and you regret when the bolt is not were you thought it should be when placing them :o)
Aluminium damages easily, every smal tree will dent it, curbs and other stuff will damage or even warp them.

I bought splitrims and original steels, the aluminium will have to go: 7 split + 5 original + 4 aluminium=16 wheels :meh:
pictures: https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/604328-16-steelies-3.html

The weight and fuel consumption assumption seems irrelevant to me but the split rims really are comfortable driving (I mean the size of the tire)
205/80/16 is small/cheap and as soon as you go for bigger numbers the price doubles.
 
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if you're only doing mild wheeling only a few times a year, it wouldn't really matter. Steel wheels are very easily fixed if they get bent (beat it with a hammer). Aluminum wheels are a bunch lighter, like HJ60 said. if you want a set of 16x8 aluminum wheels, the 80 series rim fits the description and they look pretty badass on a 60.
 
robustbambi said:
if you're only doing mild wheeling only a few times a year, it wouldn't really matter. Steel wheels are very easily fixed if they get bent (beat it with a hammer). Aluminum wheels are a bunch lighter, like HJ60 said. if you want a set of 16x8 aluminum wheels, the 80 series rim fits the description and they look pretty badass on a 60.
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Agreed, I like the looks of the 80 series but do not want to run spacers.
 
I've run aluminum wheels for years. Ride quality is better, acceleration should be slightly better (been too long since I had steelies for an objective comparo) and I've yet to run into any of the ills that you see posted about aluminum wheels on forums. I do not do hard core rocks and I don't do serious desert pre-running; I'm somewhere in between with a bias towards the pre-running along with a healthy dose of pavement miles. No hesitation on my part, I'd go aluminum.

If you do go with aluminum check the lug nut torque occasionally over the first several hundred miles. Some wheels will loosen up, but will shortly take a set and quit loosening.
 
I love how the FZJ80 wheels look on a 60/62. If I could get past my hangup against using spacers (they just scare me. Can't get over the extra potential fail point), I'd be looking for a set myself.

I guess I could try to source or have machined a set of steel spacers and after bolting them on, just weld them to the hubs. Yeah that would work, right? :lol:

Sent from OBAMAPHONE!
 
MANUCHAO said:
You wouldnt need spacers for them 80 series wheels if you had the right axles under that rig.......

just saying....;)
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Ha, touche'. I would love to replace my rear with a FZJ80 locked rear eventually, but that's a LONG way down the road unless I get lucky and score a screamin deal on one sooner.
 
hj 60 said:
Aluminum is really easy to change because of the weight but the iron nuts damage the aluminium.

Aluminium damages easily, every smal tree will dent it, curbs and other stuff will damage or even warp them.
Click to expand...

I've run multiple steel and alminum rims on a slew of different vehicles off road, rockcrawling, racing, etc..

I've never had these problems.

Heck, go look at the number of trucks that are rockcrawlers that run AL rims.
My 60 has AL rims and I ran them into countless rocks on the Rubicon last summer.
 
i figure i am not removing and replacing wheels on he rig enough to worry about how hard or easy t is to lift. And once you start using decent sized tires, they are ALL heavy anyway.

I have a handful of feelings pro and con about both Al and steel. For me the biggest argument is that the steel wheel can be bent back into shape if you hit something hard and bend the bead area. i have done that a couple of times.. once on a rick hiding in tall grass and once when I broke through the ice on a creek crossing. Both times air was bleeding out through the damaged section and both times a few whacks with a hand sledge fixed it right there, permanently. I destroyed an OEM '80 AL rim when I broke through a frozen creek at about 15 mph and slammed the rim against a solid ice wall underneath. The rim busted into three pieces. ;(

I still use AL rims. Got some on my primary trail rig right now actually. But I prefer steel for tough usage far from the road.


Mark...
 
The "whack back into shape thing for al rims varies based on how the rim is made.

Some AL rims are perfectly happy being "restored" with a hammer. Others, not so much..


Steel definitely is the king for strength, but for 99.999999% of the time, even if you do crack a rim. You have a spare..
 
Yep. Never done it with a Toyota rim (yet) but I have reshaped dmamaged beads on OEM Saab rims with a dead blow hammer. Would not have been comfortable taking a regular hand sledge to them but they will take a good beating and minor reshaping just fine.

Mark...
 
Here is some damage, dont tell me you have never seen it after this:D Just go to a shop for a rim alignment test if you buy second hand.
If the rims are on the truck and the owner brags about how much they cost definetly go to a shop :doh:

file.php



Some mud, with some stones=aluminium wheel grinder:
file.php


some speed + some rock=dent (at the top, yes thats it)
file.php
 
I just broke 2 aluminum M/T rims that were supposed to hold 3100lbs and my car is heavy (3.6-3.8tons) but not THAT heavy!
Sucked BIG time if you are down here in Central america with a broken 16x8 rim and no chance to find such a rim!
Now trying to sell those rims down here and got Nissan Steel rims fitted on my HZJ75. Never again cast alu rims for me!
Billet rims is another story, but those you don't get for most cars, at lesat not for 6x5.5" bolt circle! (Alcoa)
 
Eagle Alloy 058's are what I run. Backspacing is right too.
 
Blade said:
I just broke 2 aluminum M/T rims that were supposed to hold 3100lbs and my car is heavy (3.6-3.8tons) but not THAT heavy!
Sucked BIG time if you are down here in Central america with a broken 16x8 rim and no chance to find such a rim!
Now trying to sell those rims down here and got Nissan Steel rims fitted on my HZJ75. Never again cast alu rims for me!
Billet rims is another story, but those you don't get for most cars, at lesat not for 6x5.5" bolt circle! (Alcoa)
Click to expand...

Cast aluminum rims are no bueno. Either get forged or billet (or formed like the old centerlines). Screwing around when you are far from home will give you headaches rapidly.
 
if you bend a steel wheel on the trail you can always take a 3lbs
hammer to it. (unless of course you rolled ur rig off a cliff)
and aluminum would break or crack. but if your just doing weekend trips camping stuff should not matter.
 
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