advantages of alloy wheels

[gary]

Hi, I'm new in here, I have a 2006 Yaris YRS. I'm wondering if I should replace my steel wheel into alloy wheel? If so, what are the advantages if I change into alloy. I have my eye on the Toyota Incisor allow wheel 15"x6' Thanks.

[hasher22]

they look better than hubcaps......

plus i dont know the weight of steelies vs alloys but if the alloys are lighter than the steelies then you will accelerate a tad better......

[ASHRAF]

if u increased the size of alloys and drop ur car a little
the car handling will be alot more better

Personally, I use 17"*7" xHP and they are awesome

[as400g33k]

Mostly for looks only.

[plawrenc]

Originally Posted by gary

Hi, I'm new in here, I have a 2006 Yaris YRS. I'm wondering if I should replace my steel wheel into alloy wheel? If so, what are the advantages if I change into alloy. I have my eye on the Toyota Incisor allow wheel 15"x6' Thanks.

Hi Gary,
this response is late , so I hope you have already fitted some nice alloys..

Alloy wheels are noticeably lighter than the steels that come standard.
When I first changed to alloys this was particularly noticeable when manualy rotating wheels. The absence of hub caps also makes rotating wheels and changing flat tyres a little easier.

In terms of handling, the lighter wheels respond more quickly to the suspension springs in rough conditions, giving better traction on uneven surfaces particularly when cornering.

I'm assuming your car has 15x5.5" steel wheels fitted; in this case the incisors you mentioned are a wider rim which will only slightly improve responsiveness of the steering, braking and acceleration. You will however be able to recycle the stock tyres.
Normally when switching to alloys people go for a larger diameter wheel and wider rim which results in noticably better steering response, less rocking during braking and acceleration, but a rougher ride.

The main feature that you will gain from moving from the standard wheels to alloys is the look. They look awesome! They are also more open, making the brake mechanism miore visible for inspection and give the car a sportier look.
In general, The larger the wheels, the sportier the car looks and handles but the rougher the ride.

The most critical downside is that if you scratch your alloys on the kerb, they cannot be replaced cheaply. This is critical if you are not cautious when taking corners and parking.

I recommend changeing to alloy wheels as soon as the stock tyres wear out.

[SmellyTofu]

I have a set of 15" Toyota genuine wheels for sale in Sydney (from Toyota Japan). It has some scratches thanks to an inconsiderate tyre installer.



Let me know if you are interested as it's filling up my garage and I have no car to fit these on

btw, $250 for the set of 4

[*MAD DOG*]

Originally Posted by gary

Hi, I'm new in here, I have a 2006 Yaris YRS. I'm wondering if I should replace my steel wheel into alloy wheel? If so, what are the advantages if I change into alloy. I have my eye on the Toyota Incisor allow wheel 15"x6' Thanks.

You can if you want to. If you change to alloy the wheel should be lighter than the stock steel rims, so you should have a minor acceleration improvement.

However a steel rim keeps the pressure in the tyre better than an alloy rim. So you may have to check your tyre pressure more often with an alloy rim. Also check with your insurance company first before putting anything on your car, you'd hate to have them not pay because you werent stock.

To be honest the best mod you can do to your car is a NST 10% Underdrive Crank Pulley. Both NST and Micro Image, vendors on Yarisworld sell these. I'd get one of these over wheels for sure.

[Speedz]

What does the underdrive crank pulley does in terms of better performance? Im doing a 80k km service and might sneak that one in... :P

[YarisSedan]

Also your vehicle will "ride" better. Alloy wheels flex a bit so it acts like a second shock absorber. Thats why lots of the luxury cars come with alloys from the factory.

The downside though is usually when people get alloys they get a thinner sidewall because they like the look or they want to step up on a rim size so then its offset by the fact you have a smaller stiffer sidewall.

[TwoBearWisconsin]

Two questions - what does the stock 15" steelie weigh? and what happens if the alloy wheel doesn't accept the tpms?

[*MAD DOG*]

Originally Posted by Speedz

What does the underdrive crank pulley does in terms of better performance? Im doing a 80k km service and might sneak that one in... :P

Faster acceleration off the line and less strain on the engine. Pm cali yaris for one.

[why?]

lol, it is always fun to see one of these 'original' threads of 2006 popping up now and again, reminds me of the old peeps.

The steel stockies weigh 16 lbs according to wheelweights.net.