Imagine two motoring enthusiasts talking about how they would like to improve their cars. They discuss beautiful paintwork, flashy spoilers and fenders, and real leather (or good quality fake leather!) upholstery. And then one of them says wistfully that they would love to put alloy wheels on their car. The other says that of course, that is what they should do! The first replies that it is not ideal, given how expensive alloy wheels could be. Plus, he adds, they are not as strong as steel. This is how the second motorist would make their case โ already having chosen alloy wheels for their own car!
Strength is Relative
While steel wheels certainly are stronger than alloy wheels, there is a limit to how strong you actually need your wheels to be. Driving a rally in terrible muddy conditions on a potholed road? Then, yes, stick with steel! But for pottering about on London roads, getting to and from work or venturing out for a drive, you will find that alloy wheels are not only adequate but they do particularly well, especially given their resistance to the corrosion that can be caused by proximity to the saltwater that almost surrounds the county.
Price is Too!
While the price you pay at the till for your wheels will seem to give steel an advantage over alloy wheels โ you can buy two or three sets of cheap steel wheels compared to some of the higher-end alloy wheels โ this apparent saving begins to be nibbled away almost straight away, as the alloy wheels show their superiority in a couple of important areas.
The weight of your vehicle determines how well it moves, how responsive it is and how quickly it responds to your commands. This is especially the case when it comes to unsprung weight, which refers to those parts of the vehicle that are not supported and spread by the suspension system (also called the springs). The largest component of unsprung weight of any vehicle tends to be the tyres and the wheels, so if very lightweight wheels are chosen, then the vehicle’s responsiveness in your hands is transformed.
But the lighter weight of the vehicle is the gift that keeps on giving back โ having less weight to get up to speed and then maintain at speed, your car’s fuel consumption drops dramatically, immediately saving you so much money on the miles to the gallons difference. This, by itself, can, over the five-plus year period of owning the wheels, save you a considerable amount of money back from that initial outlay. Should you have your alloy wheels in place for ten years, and make a 10% saving on fuel consumption โ the entire cost difference between steel wheels and alloys will have been erased!
In case you are convinced and want to pump up your ride with new wheels then we recommend you Elite Direct. They offer good quality cheap Calibre Alloy Wheels in Chigwell. Take a look at the vast variety of wheels they offer online and take your pick!
Are you thinking of pumping up your ride? Have you bought Alloy Wheels before?
*Disclosure: Paid Collaboration with Elite Direct. All images provided by Elite Direct.ย
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This is not something that Iโve really thought about before. My husband goes off road, so Iโm not sure what strength we would need but thatโs something to discuss.
I haven’t to be honest!
i havent really thought about it tbf
cool!
Oh this is really interesting- I have never even considered this much before. Thank you!
I didn’t know anything about them before reading your post. Very interesting.