Hi. I am trading in my 2010 base Fit 5 speed for a 2015 EX 6 speed. I know little about cars, but I love them. This will be my 5th Honda (87 Prelude, 95 civic, 98 civic, 10 Fit)
None of my cars prior to this new one has had better than steel wheels. I want to know what the difference is while driving, as well as if I need to take special care of them? I live in Boston so we have lots of salt on the roads during winter.

Thanks! Hope to pick up my new baby by this weekend!

 

You don't really need to treat them differently… we're in the Middle West (salt belt), and the vehicles we've kept 10+ years do show corrosion of the aluminum wheels after a few years. I try to run our cars through a touchless wash bay (with undercarriage wash) as often as our winter weather permits. Not having a heated garage helps, IMO, as the frozen crud doesn't melt into saltwater every night.

I've replaced *one* aluminum wheel in 13 years living here - hit a bad pothole last year and it bent the wheel not only at the rim, but completely off axis at the hub. Surprised it didn't break the wheel!

My cars with steelies have tended to rust at about the same rate as the aluminum wheels corrode…

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There is no advantage of having alloy wheels, they are just for looks. Alloys may break if you hit a pothole hard and larger size (thinner rubber) also helps with that. I would rather choose regular steelies for safety reasons (LX model).

 

IDK where you're getting bs from. A simple google search alone will give you plenty of info as to the pro's and con's for both alloy and steel made wheels.

 

+1. stop posting out of your posterior...

alum wheels are lighter given the same width/offset, that alone is a huge reason. BUT, if you do not clean them after getting salt on them, the sale will eat the clearcoat and the wheels will oxidize faster.

 

OK - So I should keep the wheels clean during winter when salt is being used on the roads? I wash my car at least once a month during the winter for that reason alone, so I don't think I'll worry about corrosion too much.


I do keep reading different things about alloy, tho - One, that they are stronger. Two, that they are more likely to bend or break. These two contradict each other.


I know they will improve handling since they are lighter, no? Maybe not in snow, but generally? I would get a pair of snow tires for winter months but as a city apartment dweller I have no place to store them during the summer.

 

Steel is an alloy.

 

Not all alloy wheels are lighter. Some of them are but most weigh about the same or even more.

They are mostly for looks, but there is nothing wrong with car looking good. You just pay more for this pleasure.

You can store tires at most tire shops, for a fee of course.

And yes, steel is technically an alloy too, bravo Fit Charlie!

 

There are many different wheel designs around, which partly accounts for the differences. The stock alloy wheels are not particularly light and, more to the point, not especially lighter than the stock steel wheels (on a Fit). It's a bit hard to compare precisely because they're also different sizes, so one needs to take tire weight into consideration as well...but suffice to say it's not a vast advantage.

Good aluminum alloy wheels are stronger than steel wheels, in that they can take a bigger bang without damage. However, when damaged, aluminum alloy wheels tend to break while steel ones tend to bend (dent). Good wheels of either kind are safe. Poor wheels may be unsafe—and there tend to be a broader range of alloy wheels available from aftermarket suppliers than steel wheels, so more choices that are great or terrible or somewhere in between.

The lightest alloy wheels are not usually the strongest alloy wheels, and vice-versa, since more material (in the right places) gives more strength. There are plenty of not very light and not especially strong alloy wheels available, too, often made with lesser alloys or lesser manufacturing techniques, so weight alone is not a good indication of strength.

In my pretty limited experience, corrosion of alloy wheels is usually more of a cosmetic concern than a safety concern. Of course, sufficient corrosion is a safety problem, but that's a lot of corrosion over a relatively long time.

Many alloy wheels protrude from the tire more than most steel wheels, and so are more prone to scraping on curbs if you aren't careful about such things.