vB Easy Archive - Other than style and material, what is the difference between alloy and styled steel?

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Other than style and material, what is the difference between alloy and styled steel?
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Posted by: hofo_mofo

So yeah other than the fact of the styling difference (somewhat) and the different materials, what is the difference between the two. I hear that alloy is not recommended for winter driving, yet basically all cars when adding a package to the base model change to alloy wheels. I just want styled steel like what my Rav4 has, cause if what i hear is true, then i dont have to worry about winter rims

please enlighten me...except wongster...he smells

Posted by: slickNsxy

i would think that the difference in materials is the only big diff.

alloy is probably cheaper than steel which is why more cars come with it

but dont know if one is better than the other as far as driving conditions.. I would assume the rubber is really what you should worry about.

Posted by: hofo_mofo

Quote:

Originally Posted by slickNsxy

i would think that the difference in materials is the only big diff.

alloy is probably cheaper than steel which is why more cars come with it

but dont know if one is better than the other as far as driving conditions.. I would assume the rubber is really what you should worry about.

really? cause I mean the standard is Steel with full covers (hate hub-caps), and then an extra n hundreds for alloy rims

Posted by: slickNsxy

oh...im thinking styled steel like a rim. not a doughnut with a cap on it. sorry miss read your post.

but im still gonig with the tires thing for driving conditions. although different rims let you have different tires. so have a doughnut for rims might not let you get good tires for winter.

Posted by: mau108

i think steeles are heavier aswell which = less fuel efficiency, more wear on the tires, maybe less handling (maybe more depends on weather)

Posted by: hofo_mofo

Quote:

Originally Posted by mau108

i think steeles are heavier aswell which = less fuel efficiency, more wear on the tires, maybe less handling (maybe more depends on weather)

hmm i think i remember reading that

but as I can see (and this not meant to be offensive to either you mau108 or slickNsxy) I'm assuming there is no real clear cut and dry explanation why one is better/worst over the other

Posted by: eimajuno

Quote:

Originally Posted by mau108

i think steeles are heavier aswell which = less fuel efficiency, more wear on the tires, maybe less handling (maybe more depends on weather)

That could be the case but I think that it is somewhat unlikely since most of the time the steele wheel is smaller than the alloy wheel that would be common on a car. I think that the difference in size make them compensate for each other. I would not be using my 26" rims in the snow

Posted by: rbk

Alloys provide better cooling to the brakes, lighter, stronger, and they obviously cost more.

Posted by: Stock R

I really wish I studied more and crammed less for my materials courses but here's what I remember. Correct me if I'm wrong.

First, let's clear up what two materials we're discussing here. The thread title refers to a comparison between "alloy" and "styled steel"? Alloy is a term that refers to a combination of materials, so when referring to "alloy" it could be "aluminum alloy" or "steel" <- Mix of Iron and Carbon. "Styled Steel" is a term I've never heard of before. For the sake of clarity, I will assume from this point on that we're comparing "Aluminum Alloy" and "Steel" <- I'm not sure what type they use in wheels unfortunately.

Unfortuantely as well, I do not know much about wheel construction and when it comes to metals the material selection and production process is VERY important but here's a summary.

Aluminum comes in many forms. They are usually classified in a number series where the series numbers show the types of alloying metals used, and the percentage added. The advantage of aluminum is that it has much higher corrosion resistance compared to steel. Aluminum is also lighter in weight. One of the particular advantages of aluminum is that certain alloys (2000, 6000, 7000 series) can form "precipitates" from the alloying compounds. When treated, the alloying compounds precipitate and form little grains which prevent movement in the crystal structure, hence making the material stronger. When you see 6061-T6 aluminum, it means it's a 6000 series aluminum with 6.1% alloying additions that's been treated with an artificial aging process. The downside of aluminum is that it's not very 'workable' aka 'forging' in the precipitate series. That's why aluminum components are usually cast. However, don't be deceived that just because it's not forged means it's not as strong. If 2000,7000 series aluminums have to be pretty darn good if they use it on airplanes! However of course all this sums up to one thing -> higher cost.

Aluminum summary - lightweight, corrosion resistant, strong, higher cost <- nice polished wheels

Steel is a particularly rough subject because there are MANY variations of it. Depending on the amount of carbon in iron and the processing method, there are WAY too many kinds to list. Some include stainless steel and high-carbon steel.

The main thing with steel is that it is cheap! Carbon is cheap. Iron is cheap. Depending on the processing method as well, a steel with the same composition can be soft as well as hard all based on the phase it takes. A plain steel when quenched has an amorphous structure which is very strong but brittle. Whereas if it is slowly cooled, it'll take a spheroidite form that is very soft. Exceptions to the price factor certainly exist of course. Stainless steel is a rather expensive steel because of the nickel and cadmium added to it. More exotic steels such as 300M and Aermet 100 are very expensive and would probably never see use in cars. Another benefit of steel is that it can be worked (either hot or cold). By deforming the metal by forging, the grains in the material are squished in 1 direction and elongated in another changing the grain flow. This as a result strengthens the materials by adding energy into the grains to resistant deformation in certain directions. One of the major problems with steel is that it oxidizes (rusts), badly. I'm sure everyone knows that that's no good. Don't assume that SS and Al don't oxidize though, they sure do. The reason for materials like 300M and Aermet 100 are for corossion resistance in airplanes. Another downside as well is weight. Steel weighs more. Aside from all that there's too much to go into for steel so I'll leave it at that.

Steel summary - cheap, heavy, can be strong, rusts unless you pay $$$ <-hideous black wheels you need covers for

Now that many of you have fallen asleep, I hope you enjoyed my 'quick' summary of metals. As a bonus, here are some things to note: SUS 304 is STANDARD stainless steel. Dont' let anyone fool you into thinking you're getting some special kind of steel. SUS 303-305, etc. are slight variations. For aluminum, don't let those #'s fool you. You now know that the 6XXX code is just a numbering system and doesn't represent superiority. The "T" designation just states the tempering process. I've seen a company advertising a strut bar saying that it's made with an expensive process. The bar also happened to be made with a T4 designation which means "naturally aged" aka "we took this bar and left it in a room for 4 months so it really cost us nothing more than storage, however we will tell you it's expensive cause you have no idea what T4 means". Although I didn't directly answer this question, I hope what I've typed helps. Nonetheless, it was good procrastination

Posted by: hofo_mofo

yeah I was going to write Alumnium Alloy..but I ran out of characters for the title...so thus I assumed people would know

Posted by: theocrx

steel is heavyer... thats pretty much it... lol ;o)