Steel vs. Cast wheels

BigClay

BigClay

Knower of useless ZJ things
Joined
Sep 24, 2008
Location
Winston-Salem
What are your thoughts on steel versus cast wheels? Why are cast wheels so much more expensive? I looked at some cast and steel wheels, same exact size and they weighed almost the same. What are your opinions on each and which do you prefer?
 
I've ruined a shitpile of aluminum wheels from wheeling on them.
 
If by "cast" you mean cast aluminum, then they should be quite a bit lighter than steel wheels. The 16x8.5 cast aluminum wheels I have are in the low 20 pound range. Comparable steelies are in the 35-40lb range.

As far as cost differences, as a raw material, aluminum is about 4 times more expensive than steel. Steel wheels are fabricated, so they can stamp/roll/weld a couple pieces together, and the only machining required is the center bore and bolt pattern (that may be stamped also). For cast aluminum wheels, the basic form of the wheel is cast by pouring molten aluminum into a pattern with additional material on it, but every interface surface has to be machined, as well as some non-critical surfaces depending on the casting quality and complexity of the design. This adds a lot of time and cost. Yet some cast wheels are $75, and some are $300+. So you're also paying for the name and style.

Since we're on the topic, forged aluminum wheels are made from a solid block of aluminum that is formed into a rough shape by a huge press (millions of pounds of force). This process starts with a stronger and more consistent material, and that material is then further strengthened by the mechanical working in the forging process. It also is more uniform in strength and internal stresses, whereas a casting is never consistent. The forging also has additional material on the rough form, and every surface has to be machined.

For strength, it really depends on the design. Steel is stronger than aluminum, but because of weight concerns and wheel designs, a forged aluminum wheel is generally stronger than steel wheel options.
 
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jeepinmatt said:
If by "cast" you mean cast aluminum, then they should be quite a bit lighter than steel wheels. The 16x8.5 cast aluminum wheels I have are in the low 20 pound range. Comparable steelies are in the 35-40lb range.

As far as cost differences, as a raw material, aluminum is about 4 times more expensive than steel. Steel wheels are fabricated, so they can stamp/roll/weld a couple pieces together, and the only machining required is the center bore and bolt pattern (that may be stamped also). For cast aluminum wheels, the basic form of the wheel is cast by pouring molten aluminum into a pattern with additional material on it, but EVERY surface has to be machined. This adds a lot of time and cost. Yet some cast wheels are $75, and some are $300+. So you're also paying for the name and style.

Since we're on the topic, forged aluminum wheels are made from a solid block of aluminum that is formed into a rough shape by a huge press (millions of pounds of force). This process starts with a stronger and more consistent material, and that material is then further strengthened by the mechanical working in the forging process. It also is more uniform in strength and internal stresses, whereas a casting is never consistent. The forging also has additional material on the rough form, and every surface has to be machined.

For strength, it really depends on the design. Steel is stronger than aluminum, but because of weight concerns and wheel designs, a forged aluminum wheel is generally stronger than steel wheel options.
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Every surface doesn't have to be machined, where did you get that from? Usually only critical areas like tire bead/internal profile, hub face, hub bore, lug seats, etc. There are tons of wheels with as-cast surfaces....
 
What are you doing with them? Steel is heavier, balances easier with big tires, and won't break like a standard alum wheel can when wheeling in the rocks.
 
I always heard and believed that aluminum wheels were lighter that steel until I bought beadlocks. Compare a 17x9 Raceline to a 17x9 steel wheel with weld on kit. I bet my lunch money they weigh exactly the same if not heavier on the Raceline.
 
Fabrik8 said:
Every surface doesn't have to be machined, where did you get that from? Usually only critical areas like tire bead/internal profile, hub face, hub bore, lug seats, etc. There are tons of wheels with as-cast surfaces....
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Fair enough, depends a lot on the complexity of the finished profiles and the quality of the casting. The back inside of the wheel doesn't get machined, and portions of the OD, and portions of the face. I'll uncapitalize EVERY and add some more words if that will make you feel better.
 
XJsavage said:
I always heard and believed that aluminum wheels were lighter that steel until I bought beadlocks. Compare a 17x9 Raceline to a 17x9 steel wheel with weld on kit. I bet my lunch money they weigh exactly the same if not heavier on the Raceline.
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It was raceline wheels I was comparing, their cast vs steel beadlocks, and they were exactly the same weight.

broncosbybart said:
What are you doing with them? Steel is heavier, balances easier with big tires, and won't break like a standard alum wheel can when wheeling in the rocks.
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I am planning to put beadlocks on my TSLs and be my offroad only set.
 
I was making the exact same comparison last night.

Fwiw inner air locks are $552 and weigh 6 lbs ea.

H2 cast wheels weigh 37 lbs.
h1 wheels recentered with rubber runflats and rock rings weigh 90 lbs.

MoSt alum beadlocks weigh 42-50 lbs.

Most steel single beadlocks weigh 46-56 lbs.

Just be careful comparing strength weight and cost.

The big boys aren't paying retail for wheels and us weekend warriors have to eat the cost when we pay retail for wheels.

$880-$900 for a forged beadlock haha not happening
 
Well, never mind my comments then. I suspected you were comparing lower end wheels.

The alum wheels are heavy because they use a lot more material in them vs a standard street type wheel.

I've got a set of of them on my 67 Bronco. They are very nice. A lot more goes into making them vs the typical steel headlock wheel, along with material cost as already mentioned.

IMHO it is the bling factor and little more.
 
The other thing to consider is not all cast wheels are created equal.

There are several different ways to cast wheels, and all end up with different grain structure and strength.

I can't afford the bling factor, nor do I care, buts that's probably also why I don't have aluminum links either. The same is true for 7075 links. By the time you get large enough solid diameter to get the strength you need, the weight is comparable to a similar strength DOM link, yet it costs higher, even though you no longer need a tube adapter welded in. Hijack/off
 
Another wheel to look into is the Trail Gear creeper locks. The machining and finish is very impressive but again, not light by any means.
What keeps me coming back to an aluminum bling bling beadlock wheel is how well a tire bead seats onto the lip. Unlike any weld on steel wheel, it's almost fool proof and a perfectly airtight seal every damn time. That almost makes them worth it alone.
 
XJsavage said:
Another wheel to look into is the Trail Gear creeper locks. The machining and finish is very impressive but again, not light by any means.
What keeps me coming back to an aluminum bling bling beadlock wheel is how well a tire bead seats onto the lip. Unlike any weld on steel wheel, it's almost fool proof and a perfectly airtight seal every damn time. That almost makes them worth it alone.
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Wouldn't a factory steel beadlock have the same type of bead as a factory aluminum beadlock?
 
BigClay said:
Wouldn't a factory steel beadlock have the same type of bead as a factory aluminum beadlock?
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The inner wouldn't change but anytime you convert a steel wheel to a bead lock, the outer bead of the tire basically just floats between two steel rings. It's easy to clamp the two rings together and the tire be off centered as hell. Also, how well you weld them up determines how fast they leak.
I've had two sets of diy beadlock wheels and they don't bother me.
I've never had Allieds but I'd consider those over a diy.
TG, Walkers, Racelines, Champions are $$ but likely the last set you'll ever have to buy.
 
Yeah, I had a set of aluminum Champions that went together really well and held air pressure most of the time, but you couldn't touch them without gloves on.
 
Ah yes, shard action. :lol:
 
I've had a few different kinds of steel bead locks and they all clamp down on the outer bead, just like a DIY kit. The raceline alum wheels have a groove machined in the rim for the outer bead to sit in. It is much nicer.

That said, I haven't noticed any off-centering on the steel setups I've had. You just need to tighten the ring down in a crisscrossing pattern.
 
i have old school race lines the actually say allied and raceline on the wheel i had to have it fixed because i cant drive lol and greg at raceline told me to never sell them because the new ones are crap metal compared to the old ones i have no idea how true this is but he is the plant manger
 
XJsavage said:
What keeps me coming back to an aluminum bling bling beadlock wheel is how well a tire bead seats onto the lip. Unlike any weld on steel wheel, it's almost fool proof and a perfectly airtight seal every damn time.
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This is the only reason I like aluminum beadlocks. I like them for dual purpose rigs because there easier to balance. I think a lot of that has to do with getting the tire in the right spot on the wheel.
 
XJsavage said:
The inner wouldn't change but anytime you convert a steel wheel to a bead lock, the outer bead of the tire basically just floats between two steel rings. It's easy to clamp the two rings together and the tire be off centered as hell. Also, how well you weld them up determines how fast they leak.
I've had two sets of diy beadlock wheels and they don't bother me.
I've never had Allieds but I'd consider those over a diy.
TG, Walkers, Racelines, Champions are $$ but likely the last set you'll ever have to buy.
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That's not how our steel trailreadys are. It has a tapered lip that centers be bead, and the ring just clamps.

These pics show the tool we made to install a new tire. The new tire bead tapers to a point and makes it tedious to get centered the first time mounting. Once the tires are mounted for a while, the bead profile retains the taper and makes it a breeze to mount.

This ensures the tire is centered on the outer bead surface before the ring clamps.


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Another note, is that I don't think any single beadlock is DOT approved.

H1 wheels have a DOT stamp.
Hutchinson aluminum double beadlocks are DOT approved.


You can put inner air locks on an h1 wheel. This would allow super fast and easy mounting with the 2 piece h1 design, but save gobs of weight and still have double bead lock and run flat capability.

I don't know what other non DIY steel beadlock has similar bead retention as our trailready but I would love to know.
 
I'm completely unfamiliar with steel TRs.
 
Mac5005 said:
Another note, is that I don't think any single beadlock is DOT approved.
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Any single beadlock that has a bead profile that is anything different than the standard SAE bead profile will not be DOT approved. If that profile is missing or modified, not DOT. Most single beadlocks violate that condition. I think I saw one that clamped from the inside and kept the bead profile, which could still be DOT legal by my understanding.
 
Fabrik8 said:
Any single beadlock that has a bead profile that is anything different than the standard SAE bead profile will not be DOT approved. If that profile is missing or modified, not DOT. Most single beadlocks violate that condition. I think I saw one that clamped from the inside and kept the bead profile, which could still be DOT legal by my understanding.
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I think you're talking about the Bead Assist Device wheels B.A.D. Wheels | Bead Assist Device Wheels | Bead Lock Wheels
I thought those were really cool, and designed/mfg in South Carolina too. But unfortunately it doesn't look like they are sold anymore. Not sure if they didn't catch on, or if they got snatched up by a bigger company or some thing along those lines.
 
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