No more rumors. Have *YOU* ever cracked an aluminum wheel?

riding in my friends f150 in the dunes. small jump and landing on a knuckle split one of his aftermarket alloys almost all the way around, just behind the spokes. the tire basically held the wheel together.

i would imagine a purpose made aluminum alloy wheel to be plenty strong for off-road use, but anything else may fail, especially after airing down

 

Ok. So what I'm hear is that steal is less likely to completely fail on the trail, which is what I was always taught. Now for me second question: Can steel handle daily driving? (Balancing, staying true, etc.) I can sacrifice the air pressure monitor, but would be nice to keep it.

I'm not looking to lift the truck. I'll probably just put some quality 32s on it. It's still got to work on the road. I drive it to work when it's too cold or wet to ride my bike. And I drive it to and from the trails. I ain't no trailer queen.

 

Define "rock crawling?"

I've seen both aluminum and steel destroyed. Aluminum is lighter, but steel you can hammer out.

As for balancing, you just throw in some Bb's to balance the tire

 

umm steel is the status quo. . . there is no issue with it and daily driving. plus, you can paint it really easy

 

My wife cracked an aluminum wheel on her Mazda. Does that count

 

Never cracked one yet, but I bent an alloy last year turning a corner from one paved road onto another. Edge of the pavement was broken and there was about a 6" drop. Rear tire went off the pavement then thumped the edge coming back up. This was at about 10 mph and 36 psi so at first I didn't think anything of it. Not until it I rotated it up front a little while after and the damned thing wouldn't balance. Needless to say I wasn't impressed with how easily a $200 wheel bent.

 

I cracked an aluminium rim on my Mazda 3 hitting a pothole..

 

Hard use leads to damage. You will need to maintain your vehicle more, regardless of wheel material.

I like alloy. Doesn't rust when it's rock rashed all to hell, and is lighter so it's less stress on the drivetrain. Helps with mileage a hair.

Steel is easily repaired, typically bends rather than breaking. Doesn't make an ideal daily driven wheel.

Bottom line is you're going to have to compromise somewhere. What attributes are most important to you?

 

Nahhh... red is always faster.

 

Yeah, I thought of that after I posted it.

Like I said, I'm not building a trail monster for climbing waterfalls. This is a daily driver. But my wheeling style comes from my time in Colorado. I like technical trails. So the rare times the truck does see dirt, it's going to be the kind of stuff that can bite at the rims and sidewalls.

Good point.

 

Virtually all automotive wheels were steel from the late 1920's until the last ten years or so. Chrome steel wheels have been used on hot rods and muscle cars from day one...And I have a set of black steel rock crawler style wheels on the Taco and Wrangler for winter tires.

Now, some of the really cheap steel wheels are poorly made and will vibrate, but if you are buying them from a tire shop, it is their responsibility to get you four good ones. Quality is more important than material.

Howard

 

I cracked two aluminum wheels on my S2000 after making a bad judgment call. Broke those suckers right in half and snapped a control arm in two as well.

 

I remember, back in the day, really wanting a set of American Racing black steelies.

Today, the only ones I've found that I like are Procomp and Cragar. Opinions?

 

I dont think ive seen a cragar on a tacoma.

 

and also if you are getting a standard style steel rim you shouldnt have to worry about balancing. Its when you get to a bead lock style is when it gets funky.

 

I've cracked 2 Enkei aluminum wheels on my Scion with big potholes.

 

Just found this. It might explain why.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/wheels-tires/149249-cragar-soft-8-a.html

 

My personal experience:

Steel wheels - I've bent a couple and just tossed them since they're extremely cheap to replace.

Cast alloy wheels - Cast wheels will crack for the most part under high stress. I've had about 3 that had hairline cracks. Cheap enough to just buy new ones instead of getting them repaired.

Forged aluminum wheels - Forged wheels can crack, but the majority of the time, they will just bend. Forged wheels are usually high-dollar 2pc or 3pc wheels so replacing them isn't always easy. Luckily, they can be easily repaired and made to look like new again for a 3rd of the cost of a new one.

 

Yes, I cracked an aluminum wheel (XD addict). Small crack, but leaked air. I had it welded up and it is now my spare.