Steel to alloy wheel - Pros and cons

you should be able to find the tyres easily enough.

Alloys are generally a little heavier but the sotck factory rims wont be enough for you to notice. No other problems really, just make sure your ins. co know.

In most cases, unless you're going for ultra-light

Alloys are also more vulnerable to damage [kerbs, speedbumps etc] and you can have trouble getting the tyre-beads to seal airtightly against the rims of older alloys [once there's been a bit of surface corrosion].

You will need to change the wheelbolts/nuts to fit alloys.

Alloys are harder to keep looking good than steel wheels.

Finally, alloys will probably bump up your insurance premium 'cause it makes your car more likely to be stolen by little Damien "no licence but 55 convictions" TWOCcer.

Personally, on an old Sierra, I'd look at getting a set of 14-inch *steel* rims from a scrapyard and spending the money you'd save over alloys on getting better-quality tyres. Tyres are much more important than wheels!

The average motorist won't notice the difference in handling. The wider tyre width will provide better grip.

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE: ======================

When fitting alloys to the car you'll need to use different wheelnuts. The wheelnuts for alloys are wider at the bottom than the ones for the steel rims. You can buy them from a Ford dealer for around £1 each. DO NOT use the alloys with the standard steel rim wheelnuts, they'll chew into the alloy holes and your wheel can eventually drop off.

A friend of mine put same-size alloys on his car and the insurance went up over 50%. More attractive to thieves, apparently . . . Better check first. Dave

You have a Mk 1 Seirra estate, and the thought of the unsprung weight occurs to you ? But anyway, I've had alloys before, and they are a pain in the ass. The only avantage I found with them was when the tyres needed replacing, I could go to the scrapper and swap them for some steels with decent tyres.

JR

Dear All,

Many thanks for such informative responses.

FIO I contacted my insurance company and they want an extra £26.... Considering this factor and the comments posted here, I have decided to buy second hand steel rims and put the savings into four decent brand tyres.

Thanks again to all those who responded.

Syndey

Syndey ? Is that your weekend name....hmmm