My 2005 Toyota Sienna has aluminum rims and I was thing about getting steel rims because of the many bumps and pot-holes in the big city. I've seen my van with both types of rims and hence they are interchangeable. Will going from aluminum to steel affect weight, gas mileage, handling, and performance, Etc. ?
Steel rims are heavier than aluminum, but they're also stronger too. Most people I've run across when I used to live up north would have a set of winter tires mounted on steel rims say from Nov. to springtime, and switch back to their other set once snow was no longer an issue. More un-sprung weight will definitely effect the performance, but steelies can deal with pot holes better than aluminum, and they're cheaper too. There's always a trade-off to everything.
Steel is cheaper. It is also heavier, which will affect handling, acceleration, and efficiency.
For bumps, steel bends, aluminum cracks. Minor bends can be repaired. A cracked wheel usually means replacement. But you can avoid both by using the correct size wheel that allows adequate sidewall height.
BTW: a common strategy is to use the nice aluminum rims for summer tires and cheap steelies for snow tires.
