Are steel wheels evil?

[Cabin_Guy]

I was reading " biggest mistakes I made" on another board and several people mentioned that buying steel wheels was a mistake, without saying why it was a mistake.
What's so bad about steel wheels?
( I'm asking here rather than the other site because I don't belong to that one)

 

[xt master]

I like steel wheels.

1.They put more weight at the ground for better traction.

2.If they get bent on the trail it is possible to bend back.

3.You can weld on some home made bead locks.

 

[SteelHeadz]

X2, no regrets going with steel wheels. The only 2 advantages you would have on the aluminum wheels would be that it's lighter and it has more bling bling look. The steelies can handle a lot more abuse on the rocks.

 

[DREDnot]

Maybe they meant buying aftermarket steel wheels.

Thay tend to be crap compared to factory. Thinner, more easily bent and chintzy coating start to rust sooner.

Hard to beat a factory wheel. Steel or aluminum.

I know everbody has this fetish for HAVING to get different wheels. If you really want to be different, get a good factory wheel that is not normally seen on your type of vehicle.
Its usually cheaper than aftermarket and everybody and his brother has black soft 8s so they can be "different"

 

[jps4jeep]

I like that ^

I would never wheel an aluminum wheel ever again.

Steel all the way

 

[jfrabat]

It depends on the terrain you wheel; in Cetnral America, steel rusts baster (mud sticks to it, and the humidity ends up killing them if you dont maintain them). However, if maintained, steel wheels will last forever; if they start to rust, you can always sand them and paint them, and if they bend, you can bend them right back (even if out in the boonies). I use alloy because of weight and because I dont do rocks, and they have worked fine so far, but I have nothing bad to say about steel except the weight part.

 

[Sine Deviance]

everybody and his brother has black soft 8s so they can be "different"

Hey! I have black Soft 8's and I like them But really, it's because I haven't seen another Jeep around here that is rocking Soft 8's. And trust me, I've seen plenty of Jeeps. Most of them around here are actually wearing 20+ inch rims with a more urban style. It's more like the kinda crap you'd see on a thugged-out Escalade. Douchebaggy popular kid stuff. And the dumb rednecks are even worse. I've actually seen LOWERED Jeeps around here.

I swear, nobody around here really knows how to appreciate a Jeep. When did Jeep become the car for the douchebaggy popular kid anyway?

 

[phall92139]

Ha! Are you Steel Wheelie guys kidding me! You, my friends, do not have the joy of spending hour upon hour polishing your wheels like I do. And as to their suitability...well, just let me say that any metal used to hold my beer can certainly hold the air in my tires.

On a serious note, I think it's just a matter of preference with each type having their good points and bad points. I've had great success with my Champion Beadlocks which use a basic American Racing Baja aluminum wheel which they modifiy. If I had the coin I'd probably opt for forged over cast but that's another story.

 

[xjmarc]

I cracked a stock aluminum wheel a few years ago and doubt I'll ever wheel anything but steel again. I rock my tighty whities (white wagon wheels) because everybody here has soft 8s and rock crawlers and I like to be different as well.

 

[jfrabat]

Well, nobody has pointed it out, so I will: it is a well known and scientifically documente fact that polished chrome wheels at 20HP and 17FP of torque... Especially if they are over 20" in size...

 

[Ggg]

I have three sets of steel and one set of aluminum, I have nothing bad to say about steel wheels, they have performed flawlessly. I have no idea what those other guys might have against steel wheels. What website was that?

 

[drinkslinger]

:flamethro:rofl:

 

[xt master]

nice rims drinkslinger,I would not want to wheel them though they look to nice.

 

[drinkslinger]

NOOOOOOO!!! Not My Jeep!!! Just makin' fun of big rims!!! Here's mine

 

[Mooseknuckles]

I run steelies, but only in the summer. I don't want them to rust up with all the Michigan salt.

 

[Cabin_Guy]

well thanks everyone for your informative ( and humourous) replies!

 

[phall92139]

well thanks everyone for your informative ( and humourous) replies!

While we all appreciate your thanks, what the heck did you decide on! And don't worry what you answer, you'll lose either way. Bwahahahah! :lol:

 

[Cabin_Guy]

Isnt really a decision to make at the moment, but when the times comes I will probably get steel, that's why I was wondering if there was a reason not to.
Just doing some learning about tires and rims.
interestingly my current Wrangler 30-9.5-15 tires are actually only about 7 1/2 inches wide at the tread, to the edges being scalloped ( I have no idea why they scallop the edges)....
I'm thinking of going 31-10.5-15, looking at Cooper SST ( or is it SSL? I forget). I've had Coopers in the past and they are a decent price and handle well. I have stock lift and dont really wanna raise it so hoping to find something that would fit well with maybe a little offset in the new rims ( whichever rims I get).
Just toying with ideas, don't wanna spend a lot of money and then find out it doesnt work on my stock lift, or looks like poo.

 

[DREDnot]

30-9.5-15 tires are actually only about 7 1/2 inches wide at the tread, to the edges being scalloped ( I have no idea why they scallop the edges)....
I'm thinking of going 31-10.5-15, looking at Cooper SST ( or is it SSL? I forget).

Those scalloped edges have a little bit to do with reducing road noise and alot to do with clawing your way out of deep ruts before you get hung up on your diffs

Narrow tread does have the advantage in most real world offroad situations. It usually comes up short in webwheeling,though.(And dune sand)

30x9.5 is a great size on a wrangler if you have 15s.
235/85 if you have 16s
Remember, contact pressure(narrow) beats contact area(wide)

Cooper STTs are great in the mud but tear and chunk quickly in the rocks

 

[SteelHeadz]

Scalloping and feathering on the tires indicates an alignment is out of spec. Possibly just a toe issue.