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

Welcome back landi,
Mine came out with alloys, 2 weeks after I bought it I'd already cracked one on a track in Labertouche. Sold them, put on disco steel ones with a 25mm offset and nearly 12 years later they are as good as the day I got them, if not a bit scratched.
Cheers

I was going to do that, but plans changed, got the silver pack, I think the lighter roof was a saver out at birdsville

My New MY15 Defender

Although mine is a Disco and not a Defender here is my experience.

After doing this on a trip



I decided steel rims were the go as I could hammer it out.

After a lot of research I cam to the conclusion that alloy rims are stronger than steel but if you do damage an alloy you are screwed.

It was also pointed out that it would take a mighty effort, had the above been steel, to hammer the bends out.

So when I got my D2 which had 18 inch wheels I went to 16 inch and stuck with alloy.

Cheers guys. Think I forgot to mention it'll be the 110 SW, so guessing they'll be the "heavy duty" steel rims as opposed to the ones on the 90?

And yes the Silver Pack definitely would be the sensible way to go re the roof. Having trouble convincing myself against the black though

The basic issues as I understand them are wieght vs. rigidity:
1. alloy are lighter and reduce drive line wear marginally
2. steel are less rigid and hence likely to bend rather than crack.

It's horses for courses, I suggest: using steel rims on pot-holed or rocky roads is probably less fraught than alloy, but alloy are more suitable on well-surfaced roads.

Originally Posted by Landi

Cheers guys. Think I forgot to mention it'll be the 110 SW, so guessing they'll be the "heavy duty" steel rims as opposed to the ones on the 90?

And yes the Silver Pack definitely would be the sensible way to go re the roof. Having trouble convincing myself against the black though

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

A new Landy before they run out - nice one.
It would mean more $ and storage but you could always buy a second set of rims with rubber and swap when you like. It's a quick and easy job. At the end of the day get what you like the look of. And if going'serious' off-roading carry multiiple spares of which ever wheel. It's an option?

My 90 is black and when washed looks great. It is hard to keep it clean though and if you go in the bush then you will get more noticeable scratches.
The dark paint and heat issue is no problem for me although I did install a small amount of insulation in the roof space so that might be helping. The A/C does work really well in the puma.

If I was to do it again, it would be a hard choice between black or some kind of grey/silver colour. Then again, the new red ones look very nice!