Steel or Aluminum?

[Jerry Bransford]

I seem to recall reading a lot of dialog on a thread in the forum where @Jerry Bransford offered sage advice based on his experiences with running steel wheels for years, but switching to alloys without regret. (My apologies to Mr. Bransford if I am mistaken in this...). Anyway, I cannot recall which thread that might be, but it was a helluva good read. @Chris? Know which one it is, by any chance?

You are correct. Having run steel wheels on some very tough rock crawling trails for a couple years, I switched back to aluminum and I'll NEVER go back to steel. My steel wheels couldn't take the pounding on the rocks, they were always getting dented enough they couldn't hold air, and they would bend and no longer spin true. That was maybe 14 years ago, I'm done with steel wheels.

Here's a couple photos to show my previous rig on steel then aluminum wheels, and my present rig on forged aluminum beadlocks. And lastly, a friend's bent up steel wheel after a weekend on the rocks in Johnson Valley California.

My above red TJ was stolen, both of those pics are from the same trail, Sledgehammer in Johnson Valley Calif. The below pic shows my current black TJ near Death Valley Calif.

This below pic shows a friend's YJ after a weekend on the rocks, also in Johnson Valley. He too switched back to aluminum which is what the vast majority of rock crawlers run.

 

[Chris]

I seem to recall reading a lot of dialog on a thread in the forum where @Jerry Bransford offered sage advice based on his experiences with running steel wheels for years, but switching to alloys without regret. (My apologies to Mr. Bransford if I am mistaken in this...). Anyway, I cannot recall which thread that might be, but it was a helluva good read. @Chris? Know which one it is, by any chance?

I recall the thread, but can’t seem to find it. Personally though, I wouldn’t ever run steel wheels when given the choice of alloy.

 

[billiebob]

You get what you pay for. The finish on steel wheels deteriorates fast in winter salt. They are heavier. For most of us I'd say steels/alloys ?? either will perform fine. I know I'll never beat the shit out of my rims. But if you love breaking things and fixing, modifying so things don't break next time you might want to pay more for the alloys.

I'm back to running the stock steel spokers which came with my '87 YJ.

 

[Squatch]

I'm going to go with steel wheels and Toyo A/TII tires for my TJ, based on that it'll see far more paved streets than trails. I am seriously considering keeping a set of Canyons with more aggressive tires in the basement, however, for times when we intend to do some trail riding. Swap 'em out, as needed. They'll keep well in a cool, dark basement...

 

[ac_]

I just went from steel to aluminum just this weekend. I kept the same tires since they were brand new.

Tire Store Said:
Steel wheels are heavier and harder to balance since they have hard and soft spots and tend to warp.
Aluminum are lighter and don't warp and are easier to balance.

What I've noticed:
They did balance out a lot better (but I blame Discount Tire for the crappy balance)
I seem to feel the road more, like all of the bumps I feel in the steering wheel more new wheels don't absorb as much.
I can steer considerably easier. I am assuming because if the lighter weight.

I will most likely stay with the aluminum for my whole TJ career.

My $.02 worth