Topic: American Racing vs Pro Comp

[sirchesshire]

I have a question for those who know more than I...  I have 2 sets of wheels.  A set of American Racing Baja's and a set of Pro Comp 1069's.  Both are 15x8's and are in good shape.  Is there a better wheel of the two?  My jeep is a fun driver.  Mostly on road but with decent enough tires to go over the hills and through the bushes (which I do from time to time).  So far, the only advice I've been able to find says that the Pro Comps are built stronger than the AR's, ie. the AR's are more brittle if you hit a rock or such.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[sharpxmen]

I can't give a specific answer which one but imo if it's a DD i would go with whichever one is lighter. for offroad the stronger ones obviously.

[Jeffy]

Both wheels are cast aluminum.  I doubt there are an quantitative test on either.  On the ladder of strength, they are below both Forged Aluminum and Steel Wheels.  They tough them as the strongest cast wheels in the industry but that's not saying much.  Unless you're getting the tires airborn or driving on the rims a lot (rockcrawling), I don't think it really matters.  Go with whichever fits your budget and are to your liking.

Just a FYI; American Racing makes many of the OEM wheels for most domestics.  They have made the Jeeps wheels for a LONG time so they are a well trusted name.

[sirchesshire]

Thanks for the quick reply's. I actually have already bought both sets because I couldn't beat the deals.  I got the AR's for $25 less with decent tires.  The PC's are naked at the moment.  I plan on selling the set that I don't put on my Jeep. 

[drunkencityworker]

pictures would help this thread so we new which ones you are talking about

[sirchesshire]

The two wheels are almost identical.  I have attempted to attatched pics of both.  If it doesn't work, I'll try again.

[sirchesshire]

Well, there is something up with the 1069 pic.  They don't look that much different.  Side by side, you can hardly tell which is which and they both look like the pic of the AR.

[drunkencityworker]

I like the look of procomp. but would sell both for 1 set of steelies cause those crack. ur screwed steelies can be bent back to shape to get ya home

[jfrabat]

I have AR (outlaws II) and I am happy with them.  Since I dont rock crawl, steel is not for me (I rather save the weight).

[FourbangerYJ]

I like the look of procomp. but would sell both for 1 set of steelies cause those crack. ur screwed steelies can be bent back to shape to get ya home

I ran the Procomp's and am now running the MT classic II. I would still be running the PC but I changed bolt patterns. I found a killer deal on some used MT's.
I have run steel in the past. They are strong as far as cracking and you are right about being able to bend them back into shape to hold air in the tire. But the down side of steel is the weight and once they get bent they vibe real bad. The more use they get and the more bent they get the worse the vibes get. After a while you need to replace the wheel if they get bent bad enough. Ya, the AL wheels can crack but it's not very often it happens and if you carry a spare you just swap it out and keep having fun.

[Jeffy]

I ran the Procomp's and am now running the MT classic II. I would still be running the PC but I changed bolt patterns. I found a killer deal on some used MT's.
I have run steel in the past. They are strong as far as cracking and you are right about being able to bend them back into shape to hold air in the tire. But the down side of steel is the weight and once they get bent they vibe real bad. The more use they get and the more bent they get the worse the vibes get. After a while you need to replace the wheel if they get bent bad enough. Ya, the AL wheels can crack but it's not very often it happens and if you carry a spare you just swap it out and keep having fun.

This comes up a lot but I've never come across a case where no one had a spare and there was a need to bend a wheel back.  For most people in NA, I doubt they will see any difference other then cost and maybe weight.

[FourbangerYJ]

This comes up a lot but I've never come across a case where no one had a spare and there was a need to bend a wheel back.  For most people in NA, I doubt they will see any difference other then cost and maybe weight.

I have only seen it once where a rock bent the lip of the wheel and air was leaking out. A few whacks with a hammer and it could hold air. But like I said earlier the wheel don't spin very true after that.
I am surprised how much steel wheels are. I remember you could get a white spoke wheel for $30-35 new, now the cheapy steel wheels are more than double that. As far as weight I saved about 10 pounds per tire/wheel combo by going to AL. Not sure how much it is felt but little by little it adds up.

[Jeffy]

As far as weight I saved about 10 pounds per tire/wheel combo by going to AL. Not sure how much it is felt but little by little it adds up.

It will fluctuate a lot depending on tires as well as dia. and width.  Aluminum wheels get heavy when you start comparing 15's to 16's or larger and 8" to 10", etc...  Especially with cast aluminum.  Forged aluminum wheels can be made lighter since they are inherently stronger.