Steel or aluminum?

[badtothebowtie]

i had an 86 plow truck that i had to full force hit with a 20 lbs sledge a few times to get it off i may start greaseing outside of drum

[hotrodpc]

I already did that to this one. I just needed the tire off to use to tow a vehicle home. Finally gave up on that one. I did the get the other side off though with the sledge. When its time to get it off for brakes or something of that nature, I intend the back off the lugs and make a slow u turn on grass. It'll come off when I am ready.

[BernieB]

Depends on the truck IMHO. On my GMC 3500 work truck I like the stock steel rims because I can replace one cheap if I really prang one up. On my g/f's Dakota pickup the aluminum sport wheels look good and we've not had any problems with them in the 12 years she's owned the truck, and it has been used for some serious hauling and off-road use.

[batty1214]

I deal with both at work...... And like everyone else It depends on what its on..... Aluminum rims will corrode on the beads, and won't hold air......... steel rims rust and won't hold air........ On my personal pickup, I run aluminum for weight and looks...... my farm trucks I run steel, cause they get abused...... the work trucks I take care of I leave what they came with stock.

[98k1500]

i really prefer aluminum light weight look nice but they arent as tuff as steel and a nice set of simulators like what i got on mine and they all look nice, i am looking for a set of 16's for my truck, not fancy ya know just the regular ole, round hole aluminum rims like alcoa makes for semis but the smallest i have run across are 19.5s not real happy with results of this search yet makin me mad i just dont know where to look

[lukasmcdukas]

i like aluminum for its weight. lighter wheels = less rotating mass = better performance and mileage.

[1500cheyenne96]

I like to run aluminum wheels in the summer and steel wheels in the winter cause i used to run alms. all year round then had the lugs weld themselves to one of the rear wheels I didn't touch the back of the truck for about a year and the lugs were so tightly welded that a 1" breaker bar with a 2 foot pipe wouldn't get them off then i broke the bar trying to snap the studs so i ended up having to cut the studs out a completely ruining the wheel in the process

[BernieB]

Originally Posted by 1500cheyenne96

I like to run aluminum wheels in the summer and steel wheels in the winter cause i used to run alms. all year round then had the lugs weld themselves to one of the rear wheels I didn't touch the back of the truck for about a year and the lugs were so tightly welded that a 1" breaker bar with a 2 foot pipe wouldn't get them off then i broke the bar trying to snap the studs so i ended up having to cut the studs out a completely ruining the wheel in the process

Ouch! Just hearing that makes my wallet ache...

Had a guy come into my shop one time with a similar problem. Aluminum rims where the lugs were on so tight he couldn't get them off. Compounding the problem, all five nuts on each wheel were those locking nuts that require a "key socket" be inserted in them... and he'd broken both of the keys trying to get 'em off.

Yeah, a real nightmare job.

Fortunately, I just happened to have a few of those special sockets for removing rounded off lugs in my box. They're kinda weird, sort of like what you'd get if you turned an Eazy-Out inside-out, made of hard steel with a tapered cone and deep left-handed grooves inside. Expensive little buggers though, about $30 each IIRC, and those hardened steel locking lugs wore out four of them before we got all the lugs off. I charged him $100 per rim, and he paid it very happily, but it took several hours of work with my good IR gun (800 ft.lb. reverse), and a lot of cussing, to get all 20 lugs off.

[bradrhale]

ran into something similiar one time. there was a spacer plate behind the steel wheel that was backwards and ended up welding itself to the lug. the 1" impact wouldnt take it off even after heating it up. didnt want to cut it so got the 4 way out, the one for big trucks, with a 10ft cheater pipe. some call it drill casing. had 2 people jumping up and down on it while i held the 4way steady. after a few bounces, it finally gave up and off it came. only problem was that there were 10 lugs on that truck. more than half were the problem.

[chevyguy]

Steel bends, Aluminum breaks. On a trial rig. Only steel, But alumunum looks better.