Steel rims for winter tires?

[annfan]

Originally Posted by AC_B777

I bought a nice used set of 17" alloy rims from a 2002 Nissan Maxima a few months ago for my 2010 GV.

You should exercise a little caution when using a wheel designed for a passenger car on a light truck. Just like tires have a different load rating for passenger car use or truck use, so do wheels. Just because the bolt pattern and offset may fit, doesn't mean you should use them. I don't know the weight difference between a 2002 Maxima and a 2010 GV, but its something you might want to check. If all you do is drive on the street, you probably won't have an issue. I've seen the results of alloy wheels that have broken while driving and its not pretty.

[barog]

I don't think it is a no-brainer in favor of alloy. Annfan mentioned the possibility of alloy wheels breaking. I was in a vehicle with steel wheels and a tire blow on the highway. While it all went well but I was left wondering what would have happened with alloy wheels.

Alloy expands and contracts more than steel as temperature changes. In winter some people say this can be an issue affecting tire pressure, vehicle driving behaviour, lugs etc, especially with the temperature variation with mountain driving.

Just saying I'm happy with steel for winter tires.

[Och]

I would love to find a set of alloys, but I'm having trouble actually finding exact specs. It seems that before 2010 GV's used different bolt pattern than 2010+?

Also getting conflicting information on center bore. Some sites say 67mm, some say 61mm, and I measured 55mm.

[geevee]

Originally Posted by Och

I would love to find a set of alloys, but I'm having trouble actually finding exact specs. It seems that before 2010 GV's used different bolt pattern than 2010+?

Also getting conflicting information on center bore. Some sites say 67mm, some say 61mm, and I measured 55mm.

This information has been listed in this forum in the past.

[geevee]

Originally Posted by barog

I don't think it is a no-brainer in favor of alloy. Annfan mentioned the possibility of alloy wheels breaking. I was in a vehicle with steel wheels and a tire blow on the highway. While it all went well but I was left wondering what would have happened with alloy wheels.

Alloy expands and contracts more than steel as temperature changes. In winter some people say this can be an issue affecting tire pressure, vehicle driving behaviour, lugs etc, especially with the temperature variation with mountain driving.

Just saying I'm happy with steel for winter tires.

Hoodlums commonly end up running on alloy rims running from the police etc, and they don't typically have the alloy rims break.

This doesn't help my position at all, but often people with alloy rims suffer slow leaks because corrosion has spread underneath the bead. One thing I'm certain of is that alloy rims are cast/machined to higher tolerances than stamped steel rims, so they are better balanced and rounder.

I weighed the GV's oem alloy rim one time, and was surprised to find they're within a pound of the steel rim used as the spare. This suggests it's either overbuilt, or needs to be that substantial for the application.

[Och]

Originally Posted by geevee

This information has been listed in this forum in the past.

Yes, I've searched, and still cant find definitive information.

[Dugway 52]

GeeVee:

That alloy wheel weight comparison to the steel wheel seems to make sense.

In light of your weight comparison, Suzuki's alloy wheels are probably 1) gravity cast; or 2) low pressure cast. These forms of manufacturing alloy/aluminum wheels are the most cost-effective if high-performance or racing wasn't the intent of the vehicle manufacturer.

Note that Germany and Japan are the only countries in the World that have strict government regulations that govern wheel manufacturers performance and fit specifications (the 18-inch cast wheels on our brand new GV are manufactured in Japan, and not in the USA thank goodness). Countries like the USA and Canada who manufacture alloy and steel rims don't have any Government regulation vis performance and fit specifications, and only follow suggested guidelines (i.e. there is NO regulation on manufacture!).

The probable reason why your OEM alloy rims are nearly the same weight as your cheap steel spare rim is: that the casting process used isn't conducive to filling a complex mold, or a mold with a design that minimizes the use of alloy and maximizes wheel strength.

The absolutely best rims are actually FORGED, not cast. However, the cost of forged rims are far in excess of the same-old cast rims found virtually everywhere in the non professional auto components market (i.e. the market that caters to everyone except the professional rally circuit and racing segment). There are hybrid forged rims out there, too (called: spun flow-forming rims; however, these are only for Formula I and extreme rally performance applications!).

Hope this helps?
D-

[basspaul]

The reasons most people get steel rims here in Quebec:

cost: the market is so large you can usually get them for $50 each new
It's actually cheaper to buy a set of steelies than pay to swap your tires over the life of the tires

damage tolerance: in winter, you're much more likely to slip into a curb or fall into a monster pothole. Steel rims bend, alloy rims can crack. You can also hammer out steel rims, bent alloy rims need a specialized shop to do it right. You also don't care as much if they get scuffed.

Also my cheap steelies are barely rusting into their 7th winter.

[eriktar]

I live in Norway. We use so much salt that the rivers and forests close to the roads actually die. You Suzuki will be redused to a heap of rust long before anything will happen to your alloy wheels. Unless there is a huge price difference, go for the alloys and have a better looking vehicle.

Regarding damage to the rims, don't go to large and you'll be fine. 16" is a good target for winter tires.

[Och]

I've got a set of alloy wheels that I used during winter on my 1994 Lexus LS400 and then on my 2001 Lexus GS430. They originally came off the 1994 LS400, but I continued using them on GS430 during winter when I no longer had the LS. The GS430 was flooded by superstorm Sandy in October, but I had this set of winter wheels in the garage.

They are as follows:
size: 16X7
bolt pattern: 5X114.3
lug size: 12mmX1.5
center bore: 60.1
Offset: High

It happens that my 2013 Grand Vitara has almost identical wheels. It came with 16" alloys, I'm not sure if they are 7" wide and I'm not sure if offset is the same - but bolt pattern, lugs and center bore are identical.

My Grand Vitara came with 225/70/R16 tires. The Lexus rims right now have 215/60/R16 tires. I am going to order a new set of winter tires that are 225/70/R16 and used them on the GV with the Lexus rims.