Steel vs Alloy Winter Wheels: Which Should You Pick?
If you're buying winter tires this fall in Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo or Guelph, there's a second question right behind it: should they go on their own set of wheels, and if so, steel or alloy? Both work for winter. Here's how they compare, so you can pick what suits your vehicle and budget.
Why winter tires on their own wheels?
A winter wheel and tire package puts your winter tires on a dedicated set of wheels. Once it's built, every seasonal tire swap is a wheel change instead of removing and remounting tires on one set of rims, so it's quicker. Your everyday wheels also stay off salty winter roads.
The Automobile Protection Association (APA), a Canadian consumer group, calls buying a set of smaller, ideally steel, wheels for winter a good idea, and says the upfront cost can be recovered over two or three years by no longer paying to mount and remove tires from a single set of rims each season.
Steel winter wheels
Steel wheels are the classic winter choice. They're tough and budget-friendly, and the APA says steel wheels are more resistant to impacts and better suited to corrosive winter driving than more fragile alloy wheels. Think potholes, hidden curbs and months of road salt.
Pros: durable, usually the lower-cost option, and well suited to salt and rough winter roads.
Cons: heavier and plainer looking than alloys.
Alloy winter wheels
Alloy wheels are lighter and better looking, and you can choose a finish built for winter driving. They also make sense on some newer vehicles. The APA notes that with very large wheel sizes, your winter options may be limited to a second set of alloys.
Pros: lighter, better looking, and sometimes the best or only option for vehicles with large wheels.
Cons: usually cost more and, as the APA notes, they're more fragile than steel.
Can you go smaller for winter?
Often, yes. Many vehicles can run a smaller wheel diameter in winter with a taller tire sidewall. The APA explains that a smaller wheel lets you fit smaller, cheaper tires, but the overall diameter of the wheel and tire has to stay the same as the original equipment combination. The wheel also has to fit your vehicle, so we check fitment, including bolt pattern, offset and hub bore, before you buy. Our tire sidewall guide explains how to read your current size.
Don't forget the TPMS sensors
If your vehicle uses sensors mounted in each wheel to monitor tire pressure, a second set of wheels needs its own sensors for the system to work. The APA says moving sensors back and forth between sets is discouraged to avoid damaging them, and many systems need to be reprogrammed during seasonal swaps. It also warns that on some vehicles, running without working sensors can affect other safety systems such as electronic stability control. We service and reset TPMS sensors as part of every installation, and if your light comes on during a cold snap, read why your TPMS light comes on in cold weather.
Whichever you choose
Look for the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol on the tires themselves. The wheel doesn't make a tire a winter tire.
Install a full set of four. Transport Canada says handling improves when tires with the same type, size, speed rating and load index are on all four wheels.
Check pressures when the tires are cold and use the pressure on your door label, not the maximum on the sidewall.
Have every new package mounted and balanced properly before the first snow.
Build your winter package at SVS Tires & Wheels
We stock steel and alloy wheels and put together complete winter wheel and tire packages with winter tires matched to your vehicle. You can also look up your size with our Find Tires by Size search. On a budget? Pair your wheels with new economy tires. We sell new tires only, never used.
Every package is mounted on our touchless tire machine and balanced with Road Force balancing equipment. No room for the other set at home? Store it with us for $80 per season, plus taxes.
Visit SVS Tires & Wheels at Units 7-8, 990 Bishop St N, Cambridge, ON N3H 4V7. We're open Monday to Friday, 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Call 519-267-4200 or book online.
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