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What Are the Pros and Cons of Different Wheel Materials?

Wheels have been evolving ever since ancient civilizations started whipping up killer dubs for their wagons. Throughout thousands of years, humans have produced some sweet variants with significantly different properties. When you pick up a wheel catalog these days, you don’t have to sort through wooden and stone offerings, but you do have to balance the options of steel and aluminum. Beyond those two, decisions are further complicated by the availability of more complex materials like carbon fiber, magnesium, and titanium.To get more news about Alloy wheels, you can visit nnxwheels.com official website.

Buying car parts shouldn’t be a source of anger or anxiety, however. It should be a joyous occasion, and The Drive wants to facilitate the decision process. Once you understand the pros and cons of each type, you’ll know which belongs to your car.

In this explanatory guide, we’ll talk about some of the material choices you’ll come across during wheel selection. Along the way, we’ll dive into some other key characteristics you might be curious about as well. All that should be left on your mind is fitment and styling.

Steel wheels get a bad rap because they're typically the heaviest of the bunch and they don't tend to be quite as pretty as the others. However, steel wheels do have their strong points.

Steel is also typically much stronger and resistant to bending or cracking than other wheel materials. Not only is it great for a budget build, it's the premier choice for heavy lifters that see plenty of hard use on unforgiving surfaces.

As strong steel is, there's no arguing that it's a heavier material than aluminum or other, more exotic wheel materials. That means your vehicle needs to work harder in most cases to accelerate and stay moving when equipped with steel wheels.

The Basset Inertia Advantage is a steel wheel but is among the lightest wheel options on the market. However, it’s not a DOT-approved model. Most wheels that are safe for street use are going to be heavier than most wheels of a similar size.

Some folks will also argue that steel wheels aren't as good looking as other choices. We agree that they don't traditionally offer the most complex designs, but it ultimately comes down to personal preference. After all, steel wheels can look amazing on the right builds.

Aluminum is most likely the material you'd choose if you were to pick out a set of aftermarket wheels. When it comes to performance and appearance, aluminum is usually steps above steel. It's what most iconic wheels are made of today.

Aluminum might not be as strong as steel, but it can handle day-to-day use and even more demanding situations. You probably don't have to worry about a pothole blasting your aluminum wheels to bits if you're driving under regular conditions, although it is possible on vehicles with low-profile tires. You can always take a look at stronger options if wheel strength is a major concern for your application. We'll come back to that in a moment.

The weight savings of aluminum is nothing to scoff at, either. Less weight reduces the workload on your driveline for better acceleration and efficiency. You can argue that these gains are minimal, but if performance is your goal, it makes sense to run lightweight wheels.

Your vehicle’s appearance comes down to personal preference, but we like aluminum wheels as the stylish choice. Most interesting wheel designs rely on this material.

Aluminum has many advantages. The only reasons not to consider it (aside from styling preferences) on a street-driven application would be price and strength. Aluminum is light but not necessarily flimsy or weak. It's just not going to handle the extreme stresses that some steel wheels can. It ultimately comes down to the wheels you're considering because there are aluminum wheels that could outshine steel wheels in this area.