Upgrading to alloy wheels?

w12ee3e

I might be clutching at straws here, but my slightly older car (2012) has all steel rims. Would upgrading to alloy rims offer much performance and economy benefit?

I'm trying to do all I can to improve efficiency. I had cruise control fitted for steady driving, had low rolling resistance tyres installed and stay on top of servicing.

400ixl

Not really much of a performance or economy benefit. Alloys will most likely be marginally lighter than the steel wheel but not significantly. You would also have to declare them as a modification which may put up the price of your insurance, negating any benefit.

KimJongUn88

The money you’d spend on alloy wheels would be best going towards purchasing fuel.

Herzlos

Alloy wheels are a bit lighter but it's largely a cosmetic or handling thing (because you can have bigger wheels with lower profile tyres. I can't imagine it'd give you more than say a 0.1 mpg benefit so you'd need to do incredible mileage to pay off the new wheels + tires.

If you're trying to save money on motoring, then keep your tyres at the higher of the recommended tire pressures and drive more slowly; don't waste money trying to save money. Use the car less if you can manage it.

facade

Alloy wheels generally use (often more expensive) lower profile tyres, which give a poorer ride quality on our rough roads.

They also corrode and leak, requiring expensive refurbishment, or visits to the tyre centre to have them re-sealed as a stopgap.

I wouldn't have alloy wheels by choice, mine came with the inflated specification that I had to have to get the one thing I wanted- an automatic.

Richard53

Hmmm, alloy wheels ...

In theory, alloys handle better because they are lighter and allow the suspension to conform to the road surface better. But:

Some alloys are now heavier than their steel equivalents
More expensive than steel
In a severe impact, alloy will shatter where steel will bend
Alloys seem more prone to kerb damage
Alloys seem more prone to internal corrosion, leading to slow leaks
Corroded alloys look worse than rusty steel (personal opinion)
However, nice set of alloys look great.

The benefit would be purely cosmetic.

born_again

KimJongUn88 said:

The money you’d spend on alloy wheels would be best going towards purchasing fuel.

Now that is a MSE answer.... 👍

The_Fat_Controller

You also have to advise your insurer if you change wheels and that may result in an increased premium.

Spend your cash elsewhere !

marlot

w12ee3e said:

I might be clutching at straws here, but my slightly older car (2012) has all steel rims. Would upgrading to alloy rims offer much performance and economy benefit?

...

The only time they might be worth it is if your existing tyres are at the end of their life, and you can pick up a set of alloys with decent tyres for less than the cost of the tyres alone (+fitting to your steel wheels).

But as others have said, there is no measurable performance or economy benefit to alloys.

chrisw

I doubt you will see the money back you've spent on cruise control. 

Unless you're very heavy footed, savings will be minimal. I reckon I can drive more economically without it than when it's switched on.

fatbelly

They do look better but a new set of wheel trims does much the same job for not much money.