How do steel wheels hold up

For winter tires on salty roads I like steel wheels. I have my snows mounted on steel wheels and stored in the shed. When it's time for snows I jack truck up and put them on, no need to wait on a repair/tire shop to get me in. When they start to look bad just sand a bit, prime and paint.

Aluminum will oxidize and look terrible from the salt. More work to maintain and renew the finish from oxidation. Salt eats steel, salt just devours aluminum...

 

Don't worry about the wheels. If the truck you want comes with steelies, you can replace them later if you want to.
It's not worth 'upgrading' from what you want for something so minor.

 

With steel, if they get ugly, you can buy a cheap sand blaster, clean them up and rattle can them. Actually, you could do that with alloys too but you'll loose the appearance where some alloys are only clear coated over the bare aluminum.
IF you like the look of the steel wheels, I wouldn't hesitate to buy them.
I disagree with the 'you can buy something else later' (just my opinion, but I'm not young anymore) thought, unless you find a good set on Craigslist or marketplace. If you haven't priced aftermarket alloys lately, you'll be in for a shock. I love the looks of some of the bronze Method wheels I see on here but I'm not the type to spend $1,500 on a set of wheels.

 

^^^Truth^^^

"Salt eats steel, salt just devours aluminum..."

 

It's the same as what I do. Lol

 

If they're for Off Roading, they will not crack like an aluminum rim. With a steel wheel, you can literally hammer it back in shape if it takes a beating. You won't be left stranded!

 

I double dog dare you to spray paint them gold.

 

Here are Toyota steel rims on my wifes RAV4 after 7 salty/briney winters. This pic is of the worst one.

 

Is the general consensus that it is not worth the added cost to get alloys because they will not get eaten up if cleaned at normal times and they are repairable (both looks and function)?

 

Alloy wheels take a bit more care to stay nice looking.
You are the guy with the payment book, if you want the alloy look and are willing to do a bit more work to keep them nice then get them.

The better job you do taking care of your truck (or most anything really) the longer it will last and the nicer it will look.

 

If you are wanting to stand out from every other Tacoma you see, then feel free to go with some version of alloy. But I would not buy alloys thinking there was an advantage in long term looks. The BBS wheels I had on my Honda CRV looked pretty damn bad after 8 years, and that was no icey roads or beach running. My steels on the CJ in the photo was after 4 years of pretty steady beach running on padre island. The body had more rust than the wheels.

There is not a pat answer. If you want pristine wheels, dont drive it.

 

Call it patina

 

I have the steel wheels on my ‘20 SR. Granted, I don’t drive a bunch in the salt/snow, but they look fine. I typically wash my truck once a year, whether it needs it or not. I’d buy a truck with these as the wheels again, for sure, because I believe in function over form.

On one of my trips off-road, I hit a 2’ deep mud rut at 15mph- I’ve had a slow leak in that tire since then. I’ve had a tire shop unmount it and clean the bead- which didn’t fix the problem. Eventually I’ll get it fixed. All of that to say- I think these wheels are pretty durable.

 

The steelies on my '10 look like shit after all these New England winters. The previous owner is a good friend of mine, and he washes his vehicles pretty regularly, and takes care of them. If I were keeping the truck past next month I'd probably try to blast them myself in the Spring, but the next owner can deal with that.

I'm gonna sell the wheels for around $11,000 next month if anyone is interested. I'll throw in a free truck with them.