Steel vs. Alloy wheels and tire size.

JeepJeff · **Posted:** Mon Dec 06, 2010 4:48 pm

So I have made up my mind and going to order the Firestone Destination M/T (225/75/R16) for about $160 each. I am going to need wheels for these tires and what I have read is that there are Pros and Cons to each steel and alloy.

Steel bend vs Alloy that cracks.
Alloy are more expensive vs. steel.
Both are good for off-roading.

Thoughts?

I have also read that the best size tires that will not rub on an '04 is the 225/75/R16. Thoughts? I was thinking about moving up to the 235's if at all possible. I cannot lift it yet so it has to remain it's current height.

http://www.firestonecompleteautocare.../DestinationMT

JeepJeff · **Posted:** Mon Dec 06, 2010 4:52 pm

Sorry.. looks like these are my options:
LT225/75R16 E
LT245/75R16 E
LT265/75R16 E

Radman · **Posted:** Tue Dec 07, 2010 11:16 am

245/70/16 is the largest you can run wothout rubbing. Some have run 245/75 without rubbing also but it is close. You may need to trim bumper and pound the welds back. I run 245/70/16, no rubbing and looks great!

As for wheels it takes alot of abuse to crack an Alloy wheel. Alloy looks better. Choice is really yours based on your needs and budget.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Tue Dec 07, 2010 11:39 am

You got 3 types of alloy wheels out there............

Cast--These are the cheap ones and most common,they are the $80-$150 each alloy rims.There light,weak,and if not taken care of(washed often) they tend to pit and corrode(yes aluminum rusts) and tend to leak air then.Tend to crack before bending much at all.

Pressure Cast--A new type of cast wheel,kinda rare right now and at a higher cost then cast alloy wheels.Alot stronger then cast but light and will bend some before cracking.

Forged--These are the pricey alloy rims($400+),very strong,not so light most times(some can be as heavy as steel),will bend well before cracking.

Steel--Cheap,heavy,bend instead of cracking,and did I mention heavy?

long_tall_texan · **Posted:** Tue Dec 07, 2010 11:54 am

And just as a reminder that Troy has mentioned before, It is a little known fact that the Moab wheels are Forged, not Cast.

JeepJeff · **Posted:** Tue Dec 07, 2010 3:27 pm

Thanks for the advice! I am definitely going to check out the options. I think that I am going to stick with the 225/75/16's for now. I may just put the tires on the stock rims that I have and save for some new rims and a lift. May be the best course of action for now.

Cool site..
http://www.tirepackage.com/off-road/truck-wheels.aspx

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Tue Dec 07, 2010 4:13 pm

long_tall_texan wrote:

And just as a reminder that Troy has mentioned before, It is a little known fact that the Moab wheels are Forged, not Cast.

Most if not all OE alloy rims are Forged alloy,hence the extreme cost to replace.Those aftermarket knockoffs of rims like the MOAB's are cast alloy and not forged.

stumpjumper_09 · **Posted:** Tue Dec 07, 2010 7:41 pm

tjkj2002 wrote:

You got 3 types of alloy wheels out there............

Cast--These are the cheap ones and most common,they are the $80-$150 each alloy rims.There light,weak,and if not taken care of(washed often) they tend to pit and corrode(yes aluminum rusts) and tend to leak air then.Tend to crack before bending much at all.

Pressure Cast--A new type of cast wheel,kinda rare right now and at a higher cost then cast alloy wheels.Alot stronger then cast but light and will bend some before cracking.

Forged--These are the pricey alloy rims($400+),very strong,not so light most times(some can be as heavy as steel),will bend well before cracking.

Steel--Cheap,heavy,bend instead of cracking,and did I mention heavy?

Lost a little faith in that giant orange KJ. :ROTFL:

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Tue Dec 07, 2010 7:49 pm

stumpjumper_09 wrote:

tjkj2002 wrote:

You got 3 types of alloy wheels out there............

Cast--These are the cheap ones and most common,they are the $80-$150 each alloy rims.There light,weak,and if not taken care of(washed often) they tend to pit and corrode(yes aluminum rusts) and tend to leak air then.Tend to crack before bending much at all.

Pressure Cast--A new type of cast wheel,kinda rare right now and at a higher cost then cast alloy wheels.Alot stronger then cast but light and will bend some before cracking.

Forged--These are the pricey alloy rims($400+),very strong,not so light most times(some can be as heavy as steel),will bend well before cracking.

Steel--Cheap,heavy,bend instead of cracking,and did I mention heavy?

Lost a little faith in that giant orange KJ. :ROTFL:

Steel is not aluminum if you hadn't noticed,just added the steels pro's/con's at the end after the alloy rims.So in fact I did only list 3 alloy rims and 1 steel.See I can still count,still got 2 hands and 2 feet so I'm good for up to 20 at least :mrgreen:

.

long_tall_texan · **Posted:** Tue Dec 07, 2010 7:49 pm

What he stated was correct. 3 types of ALLOY. 4th type he listed is Steel. Steel is not Alloy.

stumpjumper_09 · **Posted:** Tue Dec 07, 2010 9:38 pm

Steel is not an element therefore it is an alloy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel

Sorry Troy had to set the record straight don't want anyone being mislead

long_tall_texan · **Posted:** Tue Dec 07, 2010 10:06 pm

stumpjumper_09 wrote:

Steel is not an element therefore it is an alloy

[url]

Sorry Troy had to set the record straight don't want anyone being mislead

while technically correct, we all know that if you go into your local tire and wheel store and tell them you want some new black alloy wheels for your Jeep, the Soft 8 and Black D windows would not even be presented to you as options. Why, because in the wheel world, alloy means aluminum, not steel.
:roll:

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Wed Dec 08, 2010 11:57 am

Let's discuss something more relevant.. such as will the Jeep OEM TPMS sensors work in steel wheels? OR does a KJ owner with TPMS end up having to hear a chime and see a light constantly just to run steelies?

long_tall_texan · **Posted:** Wed Dec 08, 2010 12:00 pm

TPMS can be transferred to steelies without any trouble.

JeepJeff · **Posted:** Wed Dec 08, 2010 12:48 pm

OK... Have any of you actually cracked an alloy wheel or bent a steel rim? I am curious what it would take to actually have that happen? The joy of the steel rim is that if you bend it, you can bend it back. Also, $59-$99 for a new rim is tolerable if it is common that this happens often. If you hit the trails and crack an alloy wheel I am sure that I would be much more upset then bending a steel rim. I guess what I am getting at, would it be worth it to save the cash for the alloys if I am going to be replacing the steel rims all the time..

Example:
1 MOPAR MOAB Cast aluminum is $230 vs. (2) $99 Black Rock 909-Series D wheels..

Thoughts?

http://www.jegs.com/p/Cragar/Black-Rock-909-Series-Type-D-Wheels/1196581/10002/-1

http://www.quadratec.com/products/product_search.php?mn=MOPAR&cn=Jeep+Alloy+Wheels&c=135

long_tall_texan · **Posted:** Wed Dec 08, 2010 1:47 pm

First, Those Moabs you listed are Cast, and are for JK, not KJ. The Moabs on the TJ Rubicons we have are forged.

Forged Aluminum is stronger than cast. It is also more likely to bend rather than break/crack like the cast aluminum will. That is due to the molecular alignment that takes place in a forging process vs. the random alignment of a casting process.

Steel wheels are "soft" compared to aluminum. Yes, they will bend rather than crack. But if they are bent, it is not going to be easy to just hammer them back out smooth. It can be done, but avg Joe is not going to make it look right.

Honestly, unless you are hard core off-roading, high rate of speed, or large drop off on very low aired down tires, it is unlikely that you are going to bend or crack any wheel - Steel or aluminum. Yes, it does happen, but the frequency of occurrence is very low. It is probably well worth the risk to just buy whatever wheel you really like and roll with them. IF, and it is a very slight chance, you bend/crack one, deal with replacement at that time.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Wed Dec 08, 2010 3:15 pm

JeepJeff wrote:

OK... Have any of you actually cracked an alloy wheel or bent a steel rim? I am curious what it would take to actually have that happen? The joy of the steel rim is that if you bend it, you can bend it back. Also, $59-$99 for a new rim is tolerable if it is common that this happens often. If you hit the trails and crack an alloy wheel I am sure that I would be much more upset then bending a steel rim. I guess what I am getting at, would it be worth it to save the cash for the alloys if I am going to be replacing the steel rims all the time..

Example:
1 MOPAR MOAB Cast aluminum is $230 vs. (2) $99 Black Rock 909-Series D wheels..

Thoughts?

http://www.jegs.com/p/Cragar/Black-Rock-909-Series-Type-D-Wheels/1196581/10002/-1

http://www.quadratec.com/products/product_search.php?mn=MOPAR&cn=Jeep+Alloy+Wheels&c=135

I have shattered alloy rims,not on my KJ but other 4wd's playing around.All where cast aluminum and met there final resting place via some good sized rocks and tree's.There was no driving on them afterwards as they were in a few pieces.

I have also bent steel rims on my KJ wheeling,took on very nasty hit on the drivers rear outer bead lip that got smashed on a rather sharp boulder at about 15mph(hey it was icy on that trail that day).It did bend the bead lip over some,leaking some air also,but got out my 2.5lbs hammer and beat it back in place and all was well.That rim did not bend anywhere else besides the dead lip as it was checked the next day on a balancer.

In the pic below is a rock buggy that has some high end Trail Ready beadlock alloy rims on it,it broke one of the rims(huge chunk missing and cracked) from hitting a basketball sized rock(granted a bit to fast).He did not have a spare on the buggy,Marty and myself had to go back to the trail head and get it out of his pickup.He also broke the steering sector shaft in the steering box,the D60 front yoke was sheared off the front diff,and broke the front output on the t-case.

It was a long day.

JeepJeff · **Posted:** Fri Dec 10, 2010 2:41 pm

Awesome! Thanks for the help guys! I think that I am going to go with the steelies.. Cheap and easy :mrgreen:

Going to go with the Cragar Soft 8's and I am sure that I will be happy with those. They will go where I need them to go and the price is definitely right.

I wil post some pix once I get the tires and wheels all sorted!!!

Thanks again for the help!

Steel vs. Alloy wheels and tire size.

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