Differences and Recommendation between Steel and Alloy Wheels for Winter?

Question

There are many discussions regarding steel vs. alloy wheels in Winter on multiple forums. It would be good if someone could lay out full facts and help scale these differences (questions below).

For Steel wheels:

• Less expensive
• Uniform and made mostly of stamped steel
• May bend from potholes or any collisions
• Rusts if the paint layer wears off

For Alloy wheels:

• More expensive
• Mostly cast aluminum alloys
• More sturdy through potholes, will crack and break on hard collisions
• Salt will wear off the alloy
• Better looks and choice in design

The key questions are as follows. Please remember we are talking about a winter in Montreal, QC, meaning lots of potholes and salt on the roads in addition to parking in a heated garage at night:

1. Is there a noticeable difference in handling due to the added weight of steel wheels? (seems to be 5-10 lbs more per wheel, ignore the salt and potholes for now) (scaling safety and performance)

2. Are there safety concerns due to the potential bending of the steel wheels or are minor impacts from pothole too minor to be a concern? I.e.: During an accident, would the wheel type be a factor in the amount of damage to the rest of the car parts? (scaling safety)

3. Would winter and salt do more damage to steel or alloy wheels? In what ways, quantify the amounts.

4. What is the best long term value given that steel wheels may bend while both types may get salt damage and require replacement/repairs? (scaling costs)

5. Bonus question 1: Is there a noticeable difference in performance and safety of lighter and higher performance alloy wheels compared to standard ones. (E.g.: Enkei Performance or Tuning Series to unbranded alloys)

6. Bonus question 2: Are there pre-treatments to steel wheels that would help prolong its lifespan by reducing the occurrence of rust? Assuming the steel wheels come painted.

Thank you! I hope we could get answers, facts and discussions of the same quality as other Stack Exchange sites!

More Information: I forgot to mention it will be for the second set of wheels dedicated to Winter Tires.

Answer 1

Bob cross makes some good points, however, I would offer the following opinions:

1. Winter tires don't have the dry grip that summer tires do. Your "high performance" handling will be limited with your winter tires on. Therefore, I wouldn't be too concerned about the incremental difference in handling due to the difference in unsprung weight between steel and alloy wheels. So while Bob Cross is absolutely correct that lighter wheels do handle and ride better, it may not be worth it to spend the additional money for lighter wheels for your winter tires.

2. In terms of resistance to bending when you hit potholes, any wheel can be damaged when driven through potholes. The best protection is to pick a wheel/tire combination with a reasonably tall sidewall, keep the tires properly inflated, and avoid driving through potholes! With winter tires, I generally choose a smaller wheel diameter and taller tire sidewall than for my summer tires. This affords me more protection from pothole damage, and I enjoy the softer ride in the winter months. Again, high-speed dry cornering won't be great with winter tires, so I see no point in buying big wheels and low profile snows. As far as your steel/alloy choice goes, resistance to damage from potholes wouldn't play into my calculus. Steel wheels are also easy to repair should they get bent.

3. In terms of salt damage resistance, Bob is again correct that either wheel type can be damaged by salt exposure. I would add that with a steel wheel it's really easy at the end of the winter season to quickly wire-brush off any flaking paint and rust, then touch up the wheel with a can of spray paint. Its easier to match the (typically flat) paint on a steel wheel than to do a high-quality touch up of a glossy painted alloy. The steel wheels may develop rust spots more often than you'd notice chipped paint/salt damage on an alloy, but its just so easy to touch up the steel wheels. With my alloy wheels, I give them a good washing and a coat of good hard wax at the end of the season, which really increases its resistance to salt damage (and brake dust staining for that matter).

So here's how I think about the steel/alloy choice for winter wheels: It's boils down to almost purely an aesthetic question. Do you like the looks of the alloys better? If so, how much are you willing to pay for that? I've had both types, both are fine choices. Where I grew up, we had long winters, so we had to look at our cars with the winter wheels on for quite a while. This may have pushed us in the alloy direction a bit more. However, I also think some cars can look great with a set of black steel wheels.

Don't agonize over the decision, instead, congratulate yourself for making a great choice about buying a second set of wheels and dedicated winter tires. Its the single best thing you can do for winter driving safety.

Answer 2

Is there a noticeable difference in handling due to the added weight of steel wheels? (seems to be 5-10 lbs more per wheel, ignore the salt and potholes for now) (scaling safety and performance)

Yes. Assuming that your steel wheels are heavier than your alloy wheels (which might or might not be true), you'll be facing an increase in unsprung weight and rotational intertia. Your handling will be somewhat affected and you won't be as quick to accelerate or to brake. More specifics are required for a complete analysis.

Are there safety concerns due to the potential bending of the steel wheels or are minor impacts from pothole too minor to be a concern? I.e.: During an accident, would the wheel type be a factor in the amount of damage to the rest of the car parts? (scaling safety)

If you bend a wheel, it won't work as well. If you run into another car, it's unlikely that your wheel choice is going to matter: the frame, body and crumple sections dominate that situation.

Would winter and salt do more damage to steel or alloy wheels? In what ways, quantify the amounts.

It depends. A steel wheel will rust wherever there isn't paint. An alloy wheel might be affected by salt to varying degrees. The specifics of the allow are required to decide how much of a protective oxidation layer might form.

What is the best long term value given that steel wheels may bend while both types may get salt damage and require replacement/repairs? (scaling costs)

It depends. Can you afford two sets of tires and two sets of wheels, allowing you to switch for winter and summer? That's the best bet. If not, are you willing to replace or tolerate bent and rusted wheels for a while before spending money on them? If not, steel wheels might not be for you.

Bonus question 1: Is there a noticeable difference in performance and safety of lighter and higher performance alloy wheels compared to standard ones. (E.g.: Enkei Performance or Tuning Series to unbranded alloys)

It depends on the driver, the vehicle and the environment. Are you on a track driving at speed? If not, it's going to be more difficult to perceive the difference. Are you driving in a rough road environment? If so, you should purchase more robust wheels or there will be tears when you break a hub.

Bonus question 2: Are there pre-treatments to steel wheels that would help prolong its lifespan by reducing the occurrence of rust? Assuming the steel wheels come painted.

Yes: paint and more paint. Keep the salt away from the metal and the metal will last longer.

What I do:

I live in a region that gets salted when it snows but we generally have fairly mild winters (barring the odd hurricane, nor'easter or blizzard). I'm still running with the stock allows that came with my car. If I had the cash, I'd pay for some nice summer wheels, get summer tires for them and keep snow tires on the stock alloys (but I don't so I won't). I've never even considered getting steel wheels.

Updated some years later:

Quite some time after this answer, I managed to put the cash together for another set of wheels and tires. What I do now is the other option: I use my aging stock alloys as the wheels for my winter tires (they haven't been pretty for a long time so winter grime doesn't make me sad) and I have a pretty set of wheels with dedicated summer tires.

Caveat: I almost never need the winter tires for serious snow. Climate change where I live has caused some significant differences in snowfall so it just doesn't get all that wintery around here. That said, my summer tires are terrifying in anything like slush, snow or ice. With the winters, I never have a concern and, when the rare deep snow does show up, I'm happily kicking up four rooster tails wherever I go.

However, mac is right: the winter tires do not have the dry grip that the summer tires do. They can't: the combination of tire compound (for lower temperatures) and tread block design (they have sipes to dig into the snow) means that they have less overall grip and, at the limit, things feel much more sketchy. However, I'm a Dad and I like having a vehicle that I know that I can count on to get me through a winter.

Note: I still don't have steel wheels and, if I did bend one of my ancient OEM wheels on one of our horrifying winter potholes, I wouldn't get any. I don't like the certainty of rust combined with the fact that I don't like their looks. I'd rather get a lower priced replacement alloy wheel (or set) and enjoy my car's winter shoes.

Answer 3

I have had alloy wheels in extreme cold time of winter, and the ice build up causes the wheels to become unbalanced. I don't know if this is because of the type of metal the wheel is, or the light weight of alloy. I now have steel wheels for my winter tires and alloy for summer. I suspect the unbalance comes from the light weight of alloy, but maybe alloy causes water to freeze quicker, anybody know? Also, when I had the problem, it was on another vehicle I don't have anymore. I don't have any problem on current vehicle, but never ran the winter tires on alloy.

Answer 4

Well most of the car owners prefer alloy wheels because they offer both cosmetic and performance. However, I think alloy and steel both have their own significant points. Quality of an alloy wheels depends on the amount of Nickel added with aluminum in its making, whereas steel wheels are known as “unsprung weight” as they are not cushioned by suspension springs.

Now let’s discuss the points that you have asked:

1. Alloy wheels are actually made to overcome the drawbacks of steel. Alloy metal is lighter than steel that’s why provides you ease on steering the car.
2. Alloys wheels get bend easily via road impact in comparison of steel. However steel wheels are easily repairable if damaged.
3. Both the wheels have effects of salt and winter, but alloy wheels are slight better in resistance.

Moreover, alloy wheels are highly preferable because of its long lasting capacity and shining, but I think both are good as per the buyer’s budget and taste.

Answer 5

Steel rims are cheaper to replace than alloy wheels. Alloy wheels tend get damaged by the salt and can develop air leaks around the tire beads. Steel rims you can paint with tremclad type of paint to deal with the rust prior to mounting tires. Steel rims are also full rims which help protect the brakes from ice,snow and salt. Alloy rims don't offer the same level of protection to the brakes. Montreal potholes are more likely to damage the tires before the rim. I have bent the steel belt in 4 tires just from potholes. I have driven in Montreal for 4 decades and have seen it all.

In winter below +7C, all season tires lose the ability for gripping on dry pavement. Winter tires above +7C will have same issue.