Home Skillet wrote:
After getting fed up with wheel simulators, I put ALCOAs on my Class C.
The ride difference is outstanding. So much less unsprung weight for the suspension to deal with.
Ahhhh, someone who understands unsprung weight and how it affects driving and the ride quality.
While I do not mind steel wheels on cars, my favorite family owned tire shop says that alloy wheels run truer and balance easier with less weight than steel wheels.
I have a '03 RAM 2500 Tradesman model that had steel wheels when I bought it in 2018. In 2019 I was able to buy a set of like new factory aluminum wheels off a '09 (still 3rd gen truck) 3500 SRW. What was astounding was the difference in weight. The steel rims were 17 pounds each, heavier than the alloy wheels. And yes, I could tell the difference in the ride over bumps and anything that made the tire bounce, as the shock had less weight to dampen the movement of. Its subtle and like a lot of things, after you get used to it, you don't notice it any more, but its there, or rather, not there, anymore.
I think Alcoa does make an alloy inner wheel for the rear now. Used to be that you retained the steel rim on the inner rear. There are three part numbers, rear inner is not polished at all, outer rear is polished on the dished side, and the fronts are polished on the "bulged side". You cannot put the wheels in different positions due to the lack of polish on the inner side of whichever wheel it is, and the fact that the inner side gets marks, impressions and rust stains, etc, from the hubs.
Charles
