Stuka

Aluminum's look better, and are lighter. Thats there only advantages.

Steel wheels are by far stronger, more durable, and they have a safety bead. So when you air down, you have a much better chance of not losing a bead. Most aluminum wheels have very small safety bead, which for the most part, doesnt work.

EDIT: Well, aluminum has one other advantage. It doesn't have any flex. But thats not a factor for most off roading (with the exception of baja style racing). For a road going car, thats a huge deal, because it can have a huge effect on handling.

Mark Doiron

Yeah, probably. I don't care for blinged out Jeeps, either. But that didn't rule out some nice alloy wheels (ProComp 7089s). Ignore the screwdrivers--that's where the tire was cut while climbing Panty Hill at Disney, OK:

nclehmann

I agree that there are some very nice alloys available for JKs. However, even the ones I like sometimes have too much detail in them like dimples, fake bolts, grooves, notches and other recessed or raised designs that I don't care for. I really like the ProComp 8069s because they look like steelies but have the advantages of aluminum mentioned in the posts above. I like the black look (gloss or matte, doesn't matter since after a week it's all matte anyways) more than the polished or painted look, but that's all preference not pros/cons. Although I haven't found a single Jeep I don't like with some Mickey Thompson Classic II wheels!

I think it's all preference. If we were driving high-end sports cars and this were a forum on street racing, I would see the absolute need for alloys, but to go a max of 60mph on highways and accelerate to 60 in 2 minutes and can't take a curve going faster than 5mph, I don't think there are many noticeable differences between steel and aluminum. On the trail, I think the width and size of the wheel is more important that the material it's made of.

CJ7nvrstk

Currently running the stock steelies but when I jump to 35's and replace the wheels I will be going with steelies again.

Reasons: cost and durability. I have cracked aluminum in the past and don't want to have to deal with that again. I understand the drawbacks of extra weight with the steelis but am willing to deal with it.

kelevra

there are pros and cons for both types of wheels. for me, if my jeep were going to spend 90% of it's life on the street, the improved ride quality of aluminum's unsprung weight would be the way i would go. right now i am planning a 50/50 jeep so i purchased procomp steelies for the durability. the price difference helps with the purchase of other upgrades as well. i kept my stock alloys for any long trips that i might make, the steelies can come along on the trailer.

nosmr2

I chose steelies mainly on price. Cragar soft 8s are cheap. If I break one, or rash it up bad it won't be as painful to replace. Also they are easy to keep clean. Cleaning up detailed aluminum wheels just takes too long.

SASQUATCH

Think they are both fine, I bought steel for some one-off beadlocks down the road.

PoorDad

I am keeping the stock Moab alloys and have no plan of replacing them until I have to. I like the old steel "wagon wheels" or the wheels on the J8, but unless I did something to up my HP, I will look for as plain an alloy wheel I can find.

nclehmann

Hutchinsons and Walker Evans are in a league of their own. They're specialty wheels that are designed specifically for off-road abuse. I don't classify those as "alloys" or in the same league as most ProComps, Eagles or American Racing. They're also twice the price of most alloys!

I am certain that when the OP posted the question, he was not thinking of Hutchinsons or Walker Evans!

4x4fn

Do you notice the weight of the steel wheels that much...I have the stock 17" aluminum with 33" km2's and was thinking about getting the cragar soft 8, but now I am concerned about the added weight. Should I be? Plus I like the look of the black steel wheels on a jeep....

Chris