Well, this is an old post. I found it quite interesting and decided to add my thoughts! Alloys are definitely better looking than their steel counterparts and add to the glam quotient of your car.
Since they are made of aluminum, they are lighter than ordinary steel wheels and decrease the overall weight of your car. This should generally add to the fuel efficiency of your car. But, most people, when they upgrade to alloys, generally fit wider tires and this can lead to a slight increase in fuel consumption.
Alloys or otherwise, the tire pressure that you maintain is crucial for optimum performance.
*Ensure that you check the tire pressure at least once a week, when the tires are cold or maybe run a maximum of 5 Km.
*Because of their composition, alloys are more resistant to damage than steel wheels. This makes them ideally suited for tubeless tires, as they depend on bonding with the wheel rim.
This also means you would spend less on balancing your wheels. While balancing is still needed, the weights used for alloys are different from steel wheels. They kind of get stuck onto the wheels.
Alloys generally allow a number of tire types to be fitted on them, with respect to width.
This would be the greatest benefit to any automobile enthusiast. You can make a dreary looking car turn into an eye catcher simply by fixing alloys and wider tires.
Talking about tubeless tires, these are the way forward. It has caught on in India big time and most of the cars(even small cars) are factory fitted with tubeless tires.
The main advantage is resistance to punctures. While they are resistant to punctures, they’re not totally free from it.
Consider this….if you’re traveling on a highway at 80 Kmph and manage to get a nail to stick to your tire(BTW…there are lots of nails on our roads!) and if you’re on tires and tubes, the air gets released really fast and there are high chances that you’ll struggle to control the car.
On the other hand, tubeless tires are self healing to an extent and you will not even notice any difference. If you fill air regularly and notice a slight decrease every week or so, would be a good idea to get it checked at your tire shop.
The only disadvantage is, since the repair method is different, you cannot rely on your neighborhood puncture wala to do it for you.
Once the nails or any other objects are taken out, a tire sealant is inserted into the damaged area. This bonds with the rubber and voila, the tires are as good as new.
In addition, I must mention the better ride quality with tubeless tires. I have gone tubeless on my car and could make out the difference, once I upgraded.
Well, there certainly is a cost attached to alloys and tubeless tires, but it sort of evens out by the greater safety and ride comfort.
Thanks for stopping by and reading through……cheers!