2010 OEM steel rims vs OEM alloy

[Garth Libre]

I'm thinking of going to OEM alloy 15 inch rims in place of my OEM steelies. What was the weight difference, and were the steelies substantially stronger? I know there were several alloy options available.

 

[sgtsandman]

Steel is going to be heavier. Depending in what you want to use them for steel has some advantages over aluminum.

For example, a spare set of tires for winter.

They are easier to beat back into shape if they get bent while off roading so you can limp home.

Steel also tends to react to road salt less then aluminum does. They still react, just less.


Aluminum usually looks nicer and of course they are usually (but not always) lighter.

It just all comes down to what you want and what your plans of use are for them.

 

[don4331]

For '00 (that's the year I have Ford option weights for), the aluminium rims were a whopping 1kg (2 lb) lighter each than the steel ones.

For my '17 F-150, the Aluminium rims were 2kg lighter (F-150 rims were significantly larger than the Ranger ones) than steel ones.

But the aftermarket aluminium rims they had on the truck when it was on the lot were almost 10kg heavier than the Ford ones!! (the aftermarket rims were 20s, while stock is 17, but the Ford 20s would only have been 5kg (11lbs) heavier than aluminium.​

The off road tires were 7kg heavier which result in wheels being 17kg ( 37lbs) heavier! Which given the tires were same width/overall diameter didn't seem to make sense, but it was what it was.​

 

[19Walt93]

Lighter wheels means less rotational resistance, less unsprung weight, and less back strain when working on it. They're wheels, a rim is the outer part of the wheel where the tire mounts- look at a bicycle for an example. If you really want some rugged wheels, those 3/8" thick monsters from a Crown Vic cruiser will bolt on.

 

[Ranger850]

On my 2000 Ranger Edge, that came with "15 steel rims, I'm running 16" Aluminum rims from a late 90's Lincoln Town Car,

 

[dvdswan]

Here we are talking about 15"+ and I'm still running the meager stock 14 alloys. Oh the shame...

 

[Snoranger]

I'm still running the meager stock 14 alloys. Oh the shame...

I bought a set of them, put ST tires on them, and keep them around as spares for my trailers.

 

[dvdswan]

I think you're on to something there...

 

[rubydist]

Keep in mind its the total weight of the wheel plus tire that you really care about. The larger diameter wheels are heavier, but the shorter sidewall tires are lighter, so look at the total.