Let's talk about iron wheels first. It has two advantages: low price and good flexibility. It takes three or four hundred to change an iron wheel hub, and six or seven hundred to one or two thousand to change an aluminum wheel hub. The price difference between the two is very big. The iron hub has good flexibility, and the deformation of a single place can be repaired. For example, when the wheel hub is in contact with the tire on the road, it can be repaired by plastic surgery, and it can be used for a while. Of course, if there is slow air leakage, it needs to be replaced. Its disadvantages are heavy weight, easy deformation and unsightly.
Let's talk about aluminum alloy wheels first. The disadvantage is that it is expensive and the edge is damaged and cannot be repaired. There are many benefits. First of all, it looks good and can be made into various styles with good visual effects. Mainly a matter of face. Aluminum alloy wheels are generally high-end cars. When you see an iron wheel, you must buy a low-end car. Secondly, it has real advantages. Because the density of aluminum is smaller than that of iron, and because of the shape, aluminum alloy wheels are lighter than iron wheels, about one or two kilograms lighter. Because of its light weight, it brings the following benefits.
1. Nowadays, cars are pursuing lightweight. The lightweight hub actually reduces the unsprung weight. The unsprung weight can be simply understood as the mass of the part below the suspension that can jump with the wheel. As the saying goes, one kilogram of unsprung is equivalent to ten kilograms of unsprung, so it is not an easy task to reduce the unsprung weight. Replacing iron wheel with aluminum wheel is the simplest and most convenient method.
2. The acceleration performance will be improved. It's like turning a big disk. If the big disk is heavy, we have to make great efforts to make the disk rotate slowly. If you turn a disc with the same size but light weight with the same force, it will turn very fast at once, and the acceleration performance will be improved when you get to the car. The corresponding braking performance will also be improved, because the wheel hub is light, its own inertia force becomes smaller, the stored mechanical energy becomes less, the kinetic energy that the brake needs to overcome becomes less, and the braking performance is improved. It is also a heavy plate. It takes a lot of force to stop after turning, but it takes a little less force to stop the disc.
3. The handling and comfort are improved. Because the wheel hub becomes lighter, the inertia force becomes smaller when moving, and the suspension will be more active when jumping up and down on the bumpy road. Hanging in various road conditions will move faster, turn lighter, respond sensitively and slowly, and have better maneuverability. In the same way, the unsprung weight is reduced, the suspension is more active, and the vibration from the bumpy road surface can be better resolved. In addition, the lighter the unsprung weight is, the heavier the sprung mass is, and the less influence the unsprung parts have on the sprung parts, because the weight is light and the inertia is small, and the inertial force cannot move the car body to make it move. Therefore, the vibration caused by bumps is resolved by the up-and-down movement of the suspension, which will hardly be transmitted to the car body, and the comfort will naturally be improved. In fact, we can also feel that the car is more stable when it is fully loaded than when it is empty, and the bumps on the bumpy road are not so serious. This is because the sprung mass increases, which in turn has the same effect of reducing the unsprung weight.
Finally, the use of aluminum alloy wheels will also reduce fuel consumption, or because it is lighter. Just like we run with 2 kg shoes and 1 kg shoes, the strength we use is definitely different. Of course, you may not feel the improvement of various performances when driving at ordinary times, but the improvement of automobile performance is accumulated bit by bit. Even if the manufacturer improves the performance, it will be improved little by little, and it is impossible to upgrade to a big level at once. Therefore, if the economic conditions permit, if the original car is an iron wheel, you can spend some money to replace it with an aluminum wheel, and the benefits are still many.