Why do some new cars have steel wheels ?

Spicy_McHaggis

AdrianC wrote: »

Originally, non-steel wheels WERE fitted for unsprung weight - but they tended to be alloys of magnesium, rather than aluminium. Even aluminium alloy wheels can be significantly lighter than steel, but at the price of fragility and easy bending/cracking in road use.

(As a side issue, brake cooling would be even better behind wire wheels than alloys, or even with minimal ducting inside the wheel.)

I won't go near your comment about how even lightweight alloys come near to steel wheel weight, but steels are always lighter. I'll let you figure the problem there out on your own. Then I'll let you come round and try the weight of a 7x16" steel rim that I've got sat about, sans tyre, at the moment. It's ridiculously heavy.

BTW, are you comparing size-for-size?

When does londonTiger post anything that isn't scientifically proven?

bigjl

mjoneseyjones wrote: »

If you cant easily manage winter driving in this country without swapping your tyres over then your driving ability must resemble that of a blind parakeet.

'B..b...b...b...but the temperature is less than 7 degrees!'

Do you actually drive a car?

XBox/PlayStation or PC Gaming don't count.

Have used Winter tyres and they make a difference in wet and cold weather.

Resistant to aquaplaning is improved.

They do feel a bit different and are not as precise.

But if you have the budget available and are keeping the car for a few years then they are a worthwhile investment.

Spicy_McHaggis

bigjl wrote: »

Do you actually drive a car?

XBox/PlayStation or PC Gaming don't count.

Have used Winter tyres and they make a difference in wet and cold weather.

Resistant to aquaplaning is improved.

They do feel a bit different and are not as precise.

But if you have the budget available and are keeping the car for a few years then they are a worthwhile investment.

He's got himself banned, so no point picking an arguement with him.

It would only end up with an abusive rely from him anyhow.

Chris75

You could add the topic of very low profile and very wide tyres to this thread.


They work well on competition cars with very stiff suspension that can keep the wide tread on the ground but very badly on road cars where low profiles are harsh, keep contact patches on the road badly, transmit nasty shock loads from road obstacles into the wheel and are often much more likely to allow wheel damage by kerbing etc. Over wide tyres make the problems worse and are very poor on wet/icy roads.


Very wide low profile tyres on large alloy wheels fitted to road cars are all about styling and nothing about engineering. Just look at the number of wheel/tyre options that the likes of BMW or Porsche offer. I am sure that the engineers have a view about which works best from an engineering point of view but what you see in catalogues is decided by stylists.


Give me steel wheels and tyres no lower than 60 profile and of a reasonable width every time.


PS The wheels don't need to be as big if you fit more sensible tyres.

fred246

Iceweasel wrote: »

I've never had a problem removing a wheel that i put on myself - same applies to the wheel nuts/bolts.

Most people seriously overtighten alloy wheel nuts - best to use a torque wrench - every now and again Lidl have a decent one on special offer.

Why are garages so bad at doing anything? If you take your car for a new tyre they bend the sills because they don't jack it properly, then they overtighten wheel nuts because they don't use a torque wrench properly.

Chris75

fred246 wrote: »

Why are garages so bad at doing anything? If you take your car for a new tyre they bend the sills because they don't jack it properly, then they overtighten wheel nuts because they don't use a torque wrench properly.

I don't know where you get your new tyres from but I would change it immediately!

Iceweasel

fred246 wrote: »

Why are garages so bad at doing anything? If you take your car for a new tyre they bend the sills because they don't jack it properly, then they overtighten wheel nuts because they don't use a torque wrench properly.

They all have torque-wrenches - and the special plastic sleeved sockets so as to not damage your alloy wheels.

But ....... many of the spotty yoofs can't be bothered to change the settings to suit each individual car's tightness specification - or perhaps they don't know how.

Lily-Rose_3

mjoneseyjones wrote: »

oh for gods sake man, shut up. If a reference to a blind parakeet and a refusal to swallow your winter tyre obsession elicits a reaction as simpering and hand wringing as that, i dread to think what youd be like if someone was ever actually rude to you!

Glad to see you got home from work ok though - i heard it was as cold as 3 degrees centigrade in some parts of the uk this evening, lucky you had those winter tyres on or you'd be upside down in a ditch by now!

shammyjack wrote: »

toys are expensive ! Your parents paid a lot of money for them !

You really need to stop throwing them out of your pram !

NeverEnough wrote: »

Why do there have to be such hateful exchanges about winter tyres, mjonesyjones, along with childish references to blind parakeets and the like? No-one requires you to buy winter tyres for your car, so get over it that other people have different opinions and do use winter tyres, they are not spending your money!

Why do you have the need to insult, attack and generally behave like a hormonal adolescent about other peoples' decisions to buy and use winter tyres?

:t .......... :T

Retrogamer

Iceweasel wrote: »

They all have torque-wrenches - and the special plastic sleeved sockets so as to not damage your alloy wheels.

But ....... many of the spotty yoofs can't be bothered to change the settings to suit each individual car's tightness specification - or perhaps they don't know how.

I used to work for a well known dealership where they all had their own specialist tools for everyone to share but mechanics had their own.

Out of around 9 mechanics, only 1 of them had a 1/2" torque wrench.

Air gun was the preferred method for mechanics and us apprentices used a breaker bar instead.

The only time i ever seen a torque wrench in use in the 2 garages i worked in was when a cylinder head was being fitted or on another occasion checking the torque on the big end bearings for a recall.

Working in a garage made me lose faith in them.

colino

I'm sorry that you worked in such a terrible place. Anyone I know has actually been through a proper education and training path to where they actually work and take a pride in their jobs. A bodger wouldn't last a day and it wouldn't need the boss to spot it, he would be called out by anyone else, who have pride in their professions, to have him removed forthwith.
I know it's topic drift, but I wonder where some of you take your cars, surely the second most expensive thing you will buy needs sympathetic attention?
Come to that everyone remotely connected to the trade round here know who the numpties are and the regularity of the tool vans visits, and the girth of their owner drivers, suggests that most keep their gear up to date and invest in their futures.
Car maintenance shouldn't follow the lowest tender wins ethos.