[mithun]

With the maturing Indian Car market, lots & lots of new generation cars now come factory-fitted with alloys. And, the alloy quality differs from car to car even in the same segment.

So how do you rate Stock Alloys based on the following factors :

• Weight
• Durability
• Life
• Looks
• Other Factors

Don't forget to add the positives & negatives of stock alloys of each car.

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by mithun

So how do you rate Stock Alloys based on the following factors :

• Weight
• Durability
• Life
• Looks
• Other Factors

My 2002 Limited esteem came with factory fitted Traxx alloys.

Weight - Slightly heavy compared to the alloys today.

Durable - Apart from minor scrapes, no issues.

Life - Still got 'em runnin on the car.

Looks - Subjective. But was a neat subtle design in the early days. Can't compare it to the alloys in today's market.

Pro's : Needs an allen key to remove the hubcap to reach the wheel nuts. Minor deterrent to theft's.

Con's : One of my alloys developed slight corrosion on the inside (near the valve) which caused air to leak constantly from the tubeless tire. Scraped the deposit off with emery paper and the leaks stopped.

[anujmishra]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

[/list]Con's : One of my alloys developed slight corrosion on the inside (near the valve) which caused air to leak constantly from the tubeless tire. Scraped the deposit off with emery paper and the leaks stopped.

If it is alloy (as you name it) then how come corrosion developed? Then definitely it is not alloy, it may be steel rim.

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by anujmishra

If it is alloy (as you name it) then how come corrosion developed? Then definitely it is not alloy, it may be steel rim.

I know the difference between a steel rim and an alloy.

What makes you say that an alloy wheel cant develop corrosion? An alloy wheel is fabricated from 2 or more metals (hence called alloy).... and metals can corrode for various reasons.

[GTO]

I'm not a fan of OE alloy wheels, primarily because most of them have uninspiring designs and are very expensive to replace. Some German OE alloys form the only designs I like (Skoda RS, Merc C, Merc E, BMW 7).

Originally Posted by n_aditya

What makes you say that an alloy wheel cant develop corrosion? An alloy wheel is fabricated from 2 or more metals (hence called alloy).... and metals can corrode for various reasons.

In my 14 years of using alloy wheels, I have yet to see any single example that rusted. This includes OE as well as aftermarket.

[Sankar]

Corrosion he mentioned is different from rust. Alloy wheel corrosion occur as white flakes or white bubbles. It happens when the protective coating, paint/clearcoat/anodizing, is gone. It also depends on the quality/composition of the alloy.

[abhinav.gupta88]

Skoda Octavia vRs

Weight : Never Lifted.
Durability : Quite Durable . Have seen even 4 year old vRs' with alloys in perfect state
Life : Dunno
Looks : Nothing but stonker. IMO the best Stock alloys of any car sold in country ( bar the imports please )
Other Factors : Get Dirty pretty fast and 10 spokes means more time to clean them.

[equinox22]

2008 Honda Civic Si

Weight: 9.75kg. Is that heavy or light?
Durability: Done 12000 km so far including high speed and bumpy runs.
Life: Long I hope!
Looks: Love the looks. One of the aspects that makes it stand out from other Civics.
Other Factors: The front alloys get more dirty and require more frequent cleaning. Not too hard to clean though.

[Sahil]

I have never been a fan of OE alloys too unless they are larger size, it might not matter otherwise but when it comes to alloys size does matter !
I have always been tempted to exchange my OE alloys for aftermarket ones but the buy back prices are Pathetic!!
Of my cars I like the design of the 525's multi spoke 17inchers but they would look waaay better if they were an inch or two bigger, along with a better color finish. I did not want to upsize hence just got them painted.
The new superbs alloys look very small for a car of it's size and I love it's smooth ride too much to upsize. So I'm gonna compromise on looks.
In larger OE alloys I'd pic: 530 highline, A4 3.2,E280 Limited edition