This month the Wheel Doctor picks up two reader notes from the Facebook page, one tough question about tires for an odd Acura MDX size, and one attempt to correct my obvious idiocy regarding steel wheels, which requires me to defend my honor.

I have a 2014 Acura MDX AWD with 245/55/19 tires. The Conti Cross Touring tires are a bit sloppy around the curves. Lots of body roll. I feel the car can handle better than the Contis. Not a lot of selection in the tire size. Best performers seem to be Nitto NT 850 and Yokohama Avid Envigors. Any advice?

-Johnathan

Yeah, that's a tough one, mostly because I would suspect you have the Advance Package, which locks you into those 19” wheels and a tire size without a whole lot of options. That closes you out of what I would ordinarily like for the MDX, being the Conti ExtremeContact DWS or the Firestone Destination LE2.

Between the Nitto and the Yokos, I tend to lean towards Yoko just on general principles, although I haven't driven that specific set of Avids. One possibility I see that you did not mention would be the Michelin Latitude Tour HP, which I have also not actually driven but which customers on TireRack seem to like a lot.

 

Sean Philips wrote an article "Alloy vs. Steel Wheels: Beauty and the Beast" and it is based on incorrect information. Perhaps "popular" information, but nonetheless, wrong. He stated that alloy wheels are always lighter than steel wheels, and are therefore better performers. Wrong. Big time. The Cobra R wheels on my Mustang weigh 25 lbs each, while the Bassett steel race wheels weigh less than 16 each.

What Sean doesn't realize is that steel can be made MUCH thinner than aluminum, and still be stronger and tougher. This is one reason why Mahl is having such success with their steel pistons.. They are at least as light as aluminum, because they don't need to be anywhere near as thick as aluminum does in order to be stronger. (other factors involved in steel benefits inside the combustion chamber, but I digress)

If you shell out the big bucks for FORGED alloy wheels, now you're talking about a lightweight performance wheels. (Such as Weld's drag lights) But steel is still a lot stronger and more durable, and not very heavy (16 lbs is NOT heavy for a wheel) but most importantly, steel is far cheaper, so money can be spent where it counts.. (On power and suspension improvements)

I build cars and trucks, as a hobby and formerly as a profession, so my general vehicle knowledge is fairly decent. Does Sean want to make any bets that if he spends $1200 on a pretty set of 18 lb alloy wheels, and I spend $250 on a set of 16 lb steel wheels, and I spend the remaining $950 left over on suspension upgrades for the car, that his car with the fancy wheels is going to out perform the one with steel wheels? I don't know Sean, but when I see people using nothing but popular misconceptions and misinformation(the general public has no clue about vehicles, except whatever ads and bias articles they read) it irritates me, because I've spent a good portion of the last 35 yrs playing with vehicles, and getting to know them in depth.

-Dan

Okay, in my defense I did not technically say that alloy wheels are ALWAYS lighter than steel, but I did not say “usually” either, so I'll concede the point there. Yes, it's possible to make racing steels that are lighter than the comparable alloys, but such steels are few and far between, and certainly not available for all vehicles. I was talking about the easily available OEM steels you see on the family Honda, which are built for strength rather than performance, not racing wheels built to be as thin and light as possible.

And while I will also concede that I would lose your proposed bet, I have a separate question for you. If you spend $1200 on a pretty set of 18 lb alloys, and $250 on a standard set of 25 lb OEM steels, would any amount of suspension upgrades cancel out the actual differential in unsprung weight? I'm asking honestly – I really don't know the answer to that question.

Dan, you or anyone else can give me their opinion on my question or ask me any other questions on the Facebook page, or email me at tires@aboutguide.com or via Twitter @AboutTires.