Are alloy wheels worth having?

Agile · 18 Mar 2015

I am thinking about my Peugeot 407 with steel wheels.

Are alloy wheels lighter in weight?

Is there any real driving advantage?

The lower profile tyres are they still usually more expensive or about the same now?

Tony

Burnerman · 18 Mar 2015

Originally destined for competition use, to reduce unsprung weight, I feel that they are purely for aesthetics now.
It's much easier to produce 'fancy' designs by casting and people expect alloys on even basic cars these days.
They are of course prone to kerbing, corrosion and in some instances shedding their balance weights!
As a driver, no one would really know if they had alloy wheels or not....they certainly aren't lighter anymore and the tyres, if they are a common size they are competitive but if they aren't, the price rockets and the choice limits.
John

Peter.N. · 18 Mar 2015

I would agree with John. I avoid low profile tyres like the plague, they tend to give a much harder ride and can also affect the handling and damage very easily apart from being more expensive. I would stick with the steel ones if that's what's fitted. Both of mine have alloy wheels but that's what they were fitted with and they are the standard size.

Peter

JohnD · 18 Mar 2015

they're just for looks.

they need more looking after, and are more prone to damage. Even if not damaged, they may need repainting after some years.

I don't think I've ever seen a manufacturer's wheel that's actually broken, but I have seen aftermarket ones that are mostly made of air, with not much metal in the spokes, that have broken.

I have a car with wide alloys, with extra-low profile tyres, fitted by the maker, and one of them got buckled, on the inner (unsupported) edge. The low profile makes the ride bumpier. The wide wheel is very big to carry in or under the boot. If you are 17, then the noise, ride and cost will not be important to you, and you will choose on fancy looks.

Stivino · 18 Mar 2015

Also, if you are thinking of buying alloy wheels, make sure they are stamped with "JWL". That is the Japan Light Alloy Wheel Assosiaion mark. It is kind of like a Kitemark and guarantees safety. The JWL mark has been "adopted" worldwide as the mark of safety on alloy wheels.
Further reading; http://tinyurl.com/p6kg9se

CylonRaider · 18 Mar 2015

lol

I'm about to blow £1400 on new alloys & tyres for my Civic for the looks.

£900 for the 18" wheels & the rest on Goodyear Asymmetric 2's

Yes I'll be paranoid about kerbing them. I suspect I'll need a gangplank to get to the kerb !

Burnerman · 18 Mar 2015

Eeeee when I were a lad there was only one alloy wheel to have.....the Minilite by TechDel - only available in dreams!
Now that I can afford them, I couldn't care less......youth wasted on the young etc!
Send us a pic of yours?
John

Peter.N. · 18 Mar 2015

If you've got the money, fair enough - I haven't.

Peter

Avocet · 20 Mar 2015

What car was the OP planning on fitting them to? The weight advantage (for most cars) is minimal. You really need "Supercar-sized" wheels before alloys give a decent weight advantage. Of course, you can kiss goodbye to losing wheel trims if you have alloys, so it's not all bad. Tyre profile changes might invalidate your insurance (ditto rim size changes) and throw your speedo accuracy out. Handling might be better or worse - it's hard to tell as it depends a lot on the car's suspension geometry. With the current state of many of our roads, I'm not a huge fan of alloys for "ordinary" cars, if I'm honest. Too easy to break or buckle them.

dhutch · 20 Mar 2015

CylonRaider said:
I'm about to blow £1400 on new alloys & tyres for my Civic for the looks.

Bloody hell.

- That's more than I paid for my car, which came with two full sets of alloy wheels! (summer set and winter set)

Daniel

mattylad · 20 Mar 2015

I paid £100 for the set I once bought.
Since then steelies all the way.

footprints · 20 Mar 2015

Much prefer steel, clip a kerb and get a new trim or set for a few pounds, you can even give them a spruce up with spray paint.

Trouble is as said they seem to be standard on most cars these days unless you buy the budget entry model with horse power that would shame a cordless drill!

What pees me off too is metallic paint it must be cheaper than solid the quantity they sell but it is pushed as an extra, suits me though I prefer a solid colour.

Agile · 21 Mar 2015

Its the standard Peugeot alloys that I am/would get.

But can you use alloys in pairs on the front only or rear only?

Or does the car have to be all or nothing?

So I should not expect any improvement in handling or accelleration with alloys on the front then?

Friend bought a huge 4 x 4 Cayenne and paid an extra £900 for a spare set of alloys as well.

I thought that he was mad.

Tony

Burnerman · 21 Mar 2015

You can mix them up anyway you like Tony.....it sure would look strange but so long as the tyre size was the same, you wouldn't notice any difference in any way whatsoever.
John

footprints · 21 Mar 2015

Can't see it makes a scrap of difference, unless you are racing on a track and a few KG gives you 100th of a second off your lap time !

Best thing to do is sling out some of the junk we all seem to carry around in the boot, I still carry a bag of tools and spare bits and pieces around just like when I drove an old Marina TC and the like, despite the fact that if I look under the bonnet these days it's hard to find the engine under all the gismos let alone fix it

Are alloy wheels worth having?

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