Steel vs Alloy Wheels

31lbs if they're the same as 2nd gen steelies. My 17x7.5" FJ alloys are 5lbs lighter per wheel than my 16x7" steelies were.

 

I highly doubt you would be able to measure the difference in mileage between the two. The main reason aluminum wheel came about was for racing faster spin up time. I have steel wheels and have on all of my past Tacoma's I can tell you the paint sucked and still does. Pretty much every spring clean up involves a pressure wash and new paint. I have a piece of roof flashing that is painted a nice silver color inside from 3 different Tacoma's. The alloys are harder to keep clean and tire shops can be pretty hard on them if some one offered me a set I would take them but I would not change them out just because.

 

Let me add spring potholes when you may have winter rims still on with the frost still in the ground. Larger 18 inch summer alloys replaced by small 16 inch winter steels with higher aspect tires is a better winter and spring pot hole combination for the reasons you mentioned. You give up handling but the ride is smoother and there are fewer problems damaging rims.

 

The Steels look better, especially when you cover them with Chrome Wheelskins. I did this with the Steel Wheels on my 2007 CRV and they looked great and contributed to a better resale price. You will pay between $90. and $99. for them. I got 5 years out of them and kept the Steel Reliability with the Chrome Look. A reasonable alternative to high price wheels.

 

Alloy wheels are not as durable as you might think in the salt belt states. The finish tends to come off and they become porous as they corrode. You have to keep a close eye on tire pressures after a few winters.

 

I'd like to know how much the 16" optional SR wheels weigh... I like them a lot, but if they're 26+lbs then I don't see the costs/performance/appearance ratio working for me.

 

Why do they suck?

 

Probably because they're so heavy. Sure, they're more durable and you can hammer them into place, but they're ugly, age poorly, and are unnecessarily heavy. It's not like truck alloy wheels crack all the time. This isn't the stanceworks scene.

 

They're heavy.
Their TMPS sensors are totally different than the ones on all of toyota's alloy wheels. So if you want to upgrade to aftermarket wheels, you have to buy the alloy sensors since thats what the aftermarket companies model their compatibility off of.
They rust.
The coating on them is not very good. Mines all chipped off and starting to rust in some places.
Because the wheels are steel, the rear drums are steel, they rust together if you don't put antiseize between them. Same with the wheels and the front rotors.

 

Ok. Got it.
I have them and kinda dig the utilitarian look. Not bad on a silver Tacoma.
I really like the 2016 OR wheels though.

 

I prefer the spare wheels for that. Such as Peter's set up:

 

I got 23mpg during the last week of city driving. 22.4 MPG during the 300 mile down south to my grandparent's house. After the trip home, I'm still under 1k miles and cannot pass judgement just yet

 

Most i've pulled is 20.6

 

Same been getting 20 mpg avg.

 

Strange, that seems backwards against the normal trend. In the summer, the air is less dense and you're more likely to turn on the AC and to leadfoot the gas. Winter is just the opposite, overall colder, denser air and you won't touch the AC. Maybe short bursts of power to dig out of parking spaces, but for the most part slow and steady on the throttle for snowy roads.

While most folks do prefer to start it earlier and let it warm up in the winter, I can't see that "shovel time" accounting for a 5MPG difference overall.

 

For sure. Steel winter rims look like crap after a while but they do hold up over time. This is the second vehicle and 13 th year on the six lug steels we use for winter on the Taco.

 

I'm on my second set of Sport alloys , first ones were replaced under warranty for bubbling and pitting , these ones are now worse than the first set was

 

The inside of cold cars is quite moisture laden in cold climates from passengers and frequent use of the AC during the winter to keep the windows clear and the inside dry is quite beneficial. Using the AC during snow storms is mandatory. When I press the auto defrost of all windows on our Venza, the first thing that happens is, the AC comes on. We use the AC plus warm air mixer in winter for warm dehumidified dry air nearly as much as summer for cool dehumidified air. So, mileage is affected along with the often lowering of air pressure when tires cool down and even by drag of the winter tires.

This, along with thicker fluids and slower warm up all contribute significantly to lower mileage. Plus, that dense cold air is more resistant to drive through. Mileage takes a deep plung here in the winter.

 

The AC cycles when either defrost setting is used on the Tacomas

 

My alloys never see salt and winter weather......your's do ?