Propickup Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/105105
BUYER'SGUIDE Installing aftermarket wheels on your heavyduty pickup will improve its looks while providing benefits in performance and economy By Peter D. DuPre he wheel is arguably man's single most important invention, allowing the movement of goods, the development of society and the modern army to develop. It's been around for a while, probably developed some 10,000 years ago in Asia as a way to make the transport of heavy goods a lot easier. But it wasn't until about 8,000 years ago, when the chariot was developed for military use, that the custom wheel came into vogue. In an effort to make their horse drawn war machines faster, military engineers developed the spoke wheel to replace the solid wood wheel. After that, someone got the bright idea to attach sword blades to the axle hubs. Sometime later, gilded carriages and beauti- T WINTER WHEELS HOT WHEELS 72 PROPICKUP Buyer's Guide 2012 For fleet owners operating in the snow belt or around coastal areas where high concentrations of corrosive road salts are found, the conundrum of whether to winter tires on steel or aluminum wheels abounds. In this arena, steel is generally considered the clear winner, as it stands up better to road salts than aluminum with fewer problems due to pitting and clouding of the finish. With a steel wheel, a quick run through the car wash and an annual touch up, plus a waxing, is all the protection you need to keep your wheels virtually corrosion free. With alloy wheels, salt is the enemy. Not only does it cause corrosive pits in the aluminum wheel structure that can eventually weaken the wheel, but it is also damaging to the protective clear coat finish that most alloy wheels have. Combine water, job site dirt and chemicals, and road salts and your custom alloys are going to suffer from the perfect storm of damaging and corrosive materials. – PD