Steel vs aluminum wheels, and reducing pothole damage.

[Jeff7]

It was dark and raining. One of the many puddles evidently contained a surprise:
My Impreza took a nice little dive into a pothole that's over 4" deep. (I couldn't measure it accurately when I revisited it this morning, since the water in the bottom had since frozen.) The front passenger side tire deflated almost immediately.

Front
Back

So it's in for service and inspection. I'll probably end up needing two new wheels, and new tires. I can't imagine that the tire fared very well in that kind of impact.



The question: Those are aluminum alloy wheels. I'd wanted steel wheels since shortly after I got the car, or rather, smaller wheels, hoping to get a smoother ride from having more tire. I know they call the performance of thinner tires "sporty," but I just call it "bumpy."


But then the thought is, would steel wheels be stronger? If so, do the aluminum wheels end up acting more effectively as a crumple zone to help prevent additional (expensive) damage to the rest of the vehicle during a pothole hit? Or wouldn't it make much difference?
If an aluminum wheel is more expensive, but will serve to protect the rest of the car, I'd sooner replace a wheel than have to pay to fix tie rods, suspension, or anything else that's under there.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

In my experience, aluminum wheels are more resistant to dents but when they do dent/bend it's more difficult to repair them.

Steel wheels bend easier, but you can hammer them out yourself with a deadblow mallet.

 

[Jeff7]

In my experience, aluminum wheels are more resistant to dents but when they do dent/bend it's more difficult to repair them.

Steel wheels bend easier, but you can hammer them out yourself with a deadblow mallet.

But how much of the impact force do they transfer to the rest of the car?

I'm thinking that if I smack into a pothole with a strong steel wheel, the wheel might be damaged less, and the bend can be fixed, but it could transfer more of the damaging impact force into the rest of the car. So I'd have a cheap wheel that can be fixed, but an expensive repair bill.
Versus an aluminum wheel - if the wheel can absorb more of the damage, effectively sacrificing itself, then it might end up costing less overall.

But this hinges on whether or not the steel or aluminum wheel is stronger, and that's the part I don't know.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Aluminum wheels tend to be thicker, and aluminum has much less give than steel.

So in my mind, steel would absorb far more impact than aluminum.

Also, look at 'extra load' tires. They have thicker sidewalls and deal with potholes better.

 

[Jeff7]

Aluminum wheels tend to be thicker, and aluminum has much less give than steel.

So in my mind, steel would absorb far more impact than aluminum.

Also, look at 'extra load' tires. They have thicker sidewalls and deal with potholes better.

Less give than steel? Which alloys are we talking about?

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Less give than steel? Which alloys are we talking about?

Whatever allow cheapo steelies are made from compared to most aluminum wheels.

I've hammered bends out of plenty of a couple of wheels without much effort.

Aluminum is much more difficult. It almost has to be 'formed' back into place.

 

[skyking]

Don't fret the wheel material so much Jeff. you are overthinking that part, when you are dead-spot on with a smaller wheel and higher profile tire. That will protect EVERYTHING better. Your ass, your wheels, your suspension. If they do get cut/torn, they are also less expensive to replace.
Nothing beats sidewall for ride and durability. Not so hot for cornering, but that is it.

 

[LTC8K6]

Yes, the tire profile trumps the rim material. Get higher profile tires.

See about insurance coverage and also see if the city will reimburse you.

 

[Jeff7]

Yes, the tire profile trumps the rim material. Get higher profile tires.

See about insurance coverage and also see if the city will reimburse you.

That was the next few things.

How does the insurance thing work? I've never had to use my car insurance in 14 years of driving.
Do I get the repairs done first and then submit to them a copy of the invoice or receipt? I'd imagine that it depends on the cost. I've heard that if you submit relatively inexpensive claims, all it really does is jack up your rates for awhile.
I really have no idea how much this might cost. My driving life has been fairly uneventful. I'm figuring on new wheels and new tires, at best. With any luck the rest of the car survived.

Something that might get weird for insurance, as far as the receipt/invoice goes: It's in the shop for the regular inspection/emissions, and also to have a look at the underside: Several weeks ago, while attempting to navigate an snowy and unplowed parking lot at an airport, I ran right over a curb and had the car half onto the grass. It was indistinguishable from the rest of the piles of snow, and they had not yet put in reflective posts that are usually present to tell plows where to avoid. I don't know what that might have done.





Reimbursement: I'd have to find out who's responsible for the road there. I called up Erie's line for reporting potholes, but because it's outside of the main city, they referred me to PennDOT.
PennDOT's pothole reporting line so very helpfully filters for the region of the originating call. Using Skype, the call shows as coming from California, so PennDOT's answering system automatically told me "This service is not available from your location," and disconnected. But I did get an alternate number from the city.
PennDOT said they'd look for it when they had a chance, but that it could be awhile because of weather and limited crews - it's been a bad season for the roads.




So what's a good brand of steel wheel? Does it matter much?

And I'm having trouble now finding someone selling steel wheels. So many of these wheel resellers I'm finding are selling custom rims, shiny chrome-plated things, fancy stylings, etc. Not much interest in selling basic steel wheels, I guess.

 

[Thump553]

Jeff7: Just a layman's guess, but try a junkyard/auto parts reseller.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I wouldn't bother with your insurance. Just have your wheels fixed. Shouldn't cost more than $150 per wheel.

If you decide to get higher profile wheels make sure there is enough brake clearance.

 

[bruceb]

Your chances of getting any city or town to pay for pothole damage is very low. Generally you have to prove they knew about that pothole for 12 hours or more in advance and even then, how do you prove where the damage was done ? ? As to your wheels, damage is not that bad and a wheel repair shop can fix them. It would be less costly than new rims, but check your local salvage yard. You may be able to find them for $50 or so each, in which case buy them used and fix the old ones for spares.

 

[Squisher]

My Prius wheels have to be some of the thinnest and most prone to damage out there. Going rate is $75 from a salvage yard. I think I've gone through 4 wheels in the last 5 years.

 

[skyking]

I wouldn't bother with your insurance. Just have your wheels fixed. Shouldn't cost more than $150 per wheel.

If you decide to get higher profile wheels make sure there is enough brake clearance.

Good point Jules.

 

[996GT2]

It was dark and raining. One of the many puddles evidently contained a surprise:
My Impreza took a nice little dive into a pothole that's over 4" deep. (I couldn't measure it accurately when I revisited it this morning, since the water in the bottom had since frozen.) The front passenger side tire deflated almost immediately.

Front
Back

So it's in for service and inspection. I'll probably end up needing two new wheels, and new tires. I can't imagine that the tire fared very well in that kind of impact.

A similar thing happened to me a few months ago when I hit a big pothole.. My wheel and tire were undamaged, but one of my shocks started leaking shortly after. Definitely get your suspension checked after an impact severe enough to bend a rim.

 

[bruceb]

Not only suspension, but I would almost bet the wheel alignment is now out of specs.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

My local tire shop somehow knows how to deal with both the city and the railroad companies. I've heard the owner talk about filing claims with both.

The problem with filing an insurance claim is that your deductible is (probably) more than the damage. They will likely keep your deductible and not even bother with chasing the city.



Year/make/model/trim level and current wheel size?

 

[hanoverphist]

i know the regular impreza brakes need at least a 15" (or 16"? i cant remember now...) wheel, the wrx needs a 17" to clear the calipers tho. i run 205/45/17 on my old legacy wagon, im glad i havent had any issues so far with hitting hard enough to toast a wheel yet. the aluminium wheels are usually lighter, which is their benefit over steels. well, style also.

 

[cbrsurfr]

My local tire shop somehow knows how to deal with both the city and the railroad companies. I've heard the owner talk about filing claims with both.

The problem with filing an insurance claim is that your deductible is (probably) more than the damage. They will likely keep your deductible and not even bother with chasing the city.



Year/make/model/trim level and current wheel size?

$0 deductable for the win. I had a rock break my windshield once with no impact to rates. I lost a rim to a pothole, but since I was driving on business, work paid for it. I also ruined a tire on a pothole once after an Escalade forced me out of my lane, work also paid for that one.

 

[Jeff7]

Ok, I'm back from a few days of business travel, and dealing with a furnace that broke while I was away. Nothing like getting back home to an apartment that's 40°F inside.

Jeff7: Just a layman's guess, but try a junkyard/auto parts reseller.

Yeah, that might have been a good idea.
As it stands now, I'm in for close to $900 to the dealership: Steel wheels and a few new tires. I don't know how to find a "good" auto repair shop that will also know how to work well on a Subaru, if that's even an issue. Though it's likely that almost anywhere would be better than a dealership.
And I didn't want to take X days to get new wheels from <website?> and be without a car for that long. Though it's been close to a week now: They finally got the wheels, but they were the wrong ones, so that adds another day or two.
The new wheels are also 16". They said that this car won't work with smaller wheels. (?)
But they're steel, so hopefully the next impact will be more easily repaired.

My local tire shop somehow knows how to deal with both the city and the railroad companies. I've heard the owner talk about filing claims with both.

The problem with filing an insurance claim is that your deductible is (probably) more than the damage. They will likely keep your deductible and not even bother with chasing the city.

Year/make/model/trim level and current wheel size?

2012 Subaru Impreza Premium, and "16-inch" is as much as I know.


Does a dealer automatically check alignment and shocks when you tell them that it sustained pothole damage? Or do you need to know what services to specifically ask for?

I'll add that it was also there for Pennsylvania's required annual state inspection.

 

[kitatech]

This conversation is why when searching for a unique set of wheels and spotting someone selling FIVE alloys, I jumped at the chance to have that spare...

 

[tortillasoup]

the question isn't Aluminum vs. steel, the question is 30psi vs 40psi. A bent wheel is a bent wheel and there is no guarantee that when you bend either wheel that you will be able to balance it. My neighbor with his M35 has two severely bent wheels from potholes but somehow was able to get them to balance perfectly while another friend of mine with another car that has steel wheels had a wheel that was bent and could not be balanced. So it's just luck whether or not you'll be able to salvage the wheel but if you want to prevent potholes from destroying your wheels, add more pressure to your tires so that the curb/pothole whatever doesn't put enough force to actually reach the rim itself.

 

[kitatech]

.....So it's just luck whether or not you'll be able to salvage the wheel but if you want to prevent potholes from destroying your wheels, add more pressure to your tires so that the curb/pothole whatever doesn't put enough force to actually reach the rim itself.

Coincidentally....after two months with alloys upsized from 15" steelies, I have settled on 44psi for the performance tires on Kitacamry's new 17" wheels (running OEM-215/55 tires).....an unexpected increase from the 32psi (the doorjam spec for 17s) I had been running with 15" OEM-type tread ...this is a huge increase from the 29psi doorjamb spec for 15s.....and at 44, (cold max psi is 51), there seems no decrease in the tires' wet or dry performance and pavement contact patch seems shoulder-to-shoulder-even on the tread up front, a bit less contact on the rears (offsetting cornering shoulder wear for longer treadlife)...

....at 44psi the soft Camry ride is a thing of the past, (though still comfortable...a bit firm, but hardly "jarring"), and the ride is flat in corners and under acceleration and braking, as much a function of the tires as the (larger) alloys that with tires weigh only 4lbs/corner more than the 15" steelie/tire combo...other alloys are lighter, but the 4cyl/MT combo is light, (and lighter still than the 6cyl/AT combo with OEM fitted 17s), so saving weight was not a serious concern.

...all this considered, I make every attempt to avoid potholes, and slow down for speed bumps and driveway curbs, and replaced the factory stabilizer links (whose built-in rubber bushings had seen better days) for a more solid-impact over them...I could have run a bit longer on the vertical stabilizers, but I figured that the bigger wheels would put more pressure on them and I didn't want any loose "links" in the suspension....

 

[LTC8K6]

the question isn't Aluminum vs. steel, the question is 30psi vs 40psi. A bent wheel is a bent wheel and there is no guarantee that when you bend either wheel that you will be able to balance it. My neighbor with his M35 has two severely bent wheels from potholes but somehow was able to get them to balance perfectly while another friend of mine with another car that has steel wheels had a wheel that was bent and could not be balanced. So it's just luck whether or not you'll be able to salvage the wheel but if you want to prevent potholes from destroying your wheels, add more pressure to your tires so that the curb/pothole whatever doesn't put enough force to actually reach the rim itself.

Doesn't that just transfer more force to the suspension?

I thought the idea was to soften the impact?

 

[kitatech]

the question isn't Aluminum vs. steel, the question is 30psi vs 40psi. A bent wheel is a bent wheel and there is no guarantee that when you bend either wheel that you will be able to balance it. My neighbor with his M35 has two severely bent wheels from potholes but somehow was able to get them to balance perfectly while another friend of mine with another car that has steel wheels had a wheel that was bent and could not be balanced. So it's just luck whether or not you'll be able to salvage the wheel but if you want to prevent potholes from destroying your wheels, add more pressure to your tires so that the curb/pothole whatever doesn't put enough force to actually reach the rim itself.

Doesn't that just transfer more force to the suspension?

I thought the idea was to soften the impact?

The air in tires acts as a cushion, allowing the tire to absorb shocks to the sidewall before all the pressure gets to the rim....right?