Thread: Soon-to-be owner: steel rims or alloy?

Thanks a lot for the info. Think I'll stick with the steel wheels and the black pack, but considering maybe the Scotia Grey instead of the black for the body. Have never seen scotia grey in real life though so bit of a risk. In the end it's not about the colour anyway of course but may as well try and get it right I figure

Originally Posted by Pete757

I would have thought modern A/C would easily be able to take care of the difference between a silver and black roof.

I found that on the Strezleki track in sept, even with the silver roof and premium tint, the A/C struggled. There is a lot of surface area involved.

Quick, get one before they're all gone. Then have some fun and get it dirty. It don't matta wot kulla!

Mine is white with contrasting black bits and I really like it. Each to his own.
If you fit a full roof rack it might shade it a bit. The aircon is pretty cold but its a lot of airspace to cool when the vents are only in the dash. Why don't they run a vent down the roof I wonder? Tinted windows are a good idea to help with cooling.
As for wheels, are you really gonna be able to hammer out a bent steel wheel on the side of the track? Really? Its a nice theory but I can't see it happening in real life.
The alloys are lighter and stronger. Mind you, I am keeping a steel wheel from the Disco to act as a second spare.


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Disco Mike,
And don't forget the wheel nuts!
Have you tried it for size yet, ( the Disco wheel on the Defender) or is it a well known fitting.

Seems to me that the main supposed advantage of alloy rims is to improve the ride over bumps by reducing unsprung weight. Note weight of 6.5 inch wide heavy Wolf rims, which have for a while been standard on 130 and military Defenders is about 15 kg. Add weight of tyre to this. Example is new 235/85X16 Goodrich Mud Terrain 30 kg. Total weight of tyre and rim about 45 kg. I haven't checked weights of alloys made for Defenders.


However, presume with same tyres would result in less than 20% reduction of tyre and rim combined weight. Then with "Live" axles there is additional unsprung weight for each wheel of about half the total weight of the axle /diff assembly above it. So I presume alloy wheels on them could only give a small improvement in ride. The difference would be much more noticeable with independent suspension and much less unsprung weight.


However, for a robust work vehicle, independent suspensions have major disadvantage compared with axle/ diff assembles being unsprung. Cost more to make and have more potential problems as they get old. Lots of things to wear and prone to bending. Can easily cost a lot from eg scrubbing out tyres quickly before it is noticed. Looks to me that re Toyota Hiluxes for example, the older ones with live axle fronts should give less trouble for longer than late model ones with independent suspension.


Alloy wheels should be easier to maintain a tidy look than paint on steel, which invariably chips and gets rust spots. I have recently had a dozen Wolf rims galvanised, which will largely overcome corrosion problem, particularly under tyre. Also, after initial tarnish, appearance will not further deteriorate much.

I've had both,never noticed any benefit from either. Pat

Nothing wrong with the black HD Wolf steel wheels on a black Defender I think. You would get the same wheels as mine, only gloss black as opposed to matt black for my winter wheels. After 6 years, they still are perfect.