Steel vs. Alloy for Winter Use?

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Originally Posted By: dparm
Originally Posted By: Miller88
Steel. Like ronbo said - alloys will develop bead leaks after a few winters.



Never had that problem on any of our cars over the years. If you make some effort to rinse the wheels off occasionally, you'll be fine.


This is a longer term issue like 8+ years. I think you change out cars at a much more rapid pace.
 
Id look for a set of OE steelies and OE hubcaps for a more finished look. My 91 BMW has no issues with the steelies, though Im sure a fresh coat of paint would make any 23 year old wheel happy...

And since the roads are worse off in the winter, the strength of the steel wheel is an important factor too.
 
Originally Posted By: Traction
Winter tire are so much safer, and cheaper than a trip into the ditch.
Plus greater ability to dodge someone sliding toward you.
 
Even though aluminum wheels(CAN BE) the same cost as a set of steelies, those aluminum wheels in particular will corrode quickly.

A buddy of mine bought winter snow/ice tires on aluminum wheels for his sons/daughters cars because this aluminum was the same or le$$ cost than steel at that time. The aluminum wheels had corroded in 2 winters even though the cars & wheels were maintained with regular washings.

I bought winter snows on steelies w/ wheel covers. They look GREAT!
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I've always gone with alloys. I just retired my 2001 Grand Prix with 230k miles. It had a set of cheap alloys off from Tirerack and they never had a bead corrosion issue. The only corrosion issue I ever had that caused leaks was on my '94 Grand Prix where I went a few seasons where I had the tires switched on and off on the OE rims before buying dedicated rims for the warmer seasons. The OE rims eventually corroded but I figured it was due to all the mounting and dismounting of the winter tires for a few seasons.
 
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