Having owned four sets of Alcoa aluminum wheels, unless the wheel has the Alcoa name stencil/decal, as well as the casting ID for Alcoa, they’re not real unless they’ve been refinished. I suspect that your valve stem corrosion issues aren’t galvanic corrosion, but corrosion induced by the removal of the clear cost or the chromate coating. If you take a multimeter, set it to ohms, touch the wheel metal surface, ie a chip or scratch, with one lead and the metallic value stem, with the other, a open reading means the valve stem is isolated, so you don’t have a galvanic cell.
That tire wear is coming from exiting the fwy exits too fast as well as at slow speeds turning the tire at max. What happens is that the rear (wheel drive) is pushing the load forward onto the tire while the tire is at an angle and that is how the wear is occurring. I have observed this on may long wheelbase vehicles and I have about 1.5 million miles driven. It really helps tire wear to slow down on the fwy exits and going a bit slower curvy mountain roads.
Ah the problem of fancy wheels. True Alcoa wheels will have an Alcoa sticker on them. And are the BEST. When you bought new tires you should have gotten new valve stems tire balancing And an alignment as well. Have you maximized the gross weight of your truck and trailer by Getting empty (empty includes full fuel, water, waste (use water to fill the tank) propane and loaded weighs on a CAT scale. So you do not overload/underload an axle. Play with the tire pressure most commercial trucks run 105 psi on steer axles. Are the tires in the proper Load range. E or better? With mixed rims rotating tires is not cost effective. Now you put aluminum rims all around you can. But that's labor intensive. Cause you'll need to polish all the rims inside and outside. And make sure your lugnut studs are long enough. I'm a 2nd gen trucker with 26yrs experience. Sorry for the long post.
JD - Your honesty and forthrightness is exactly why I have i have tremendous confidence in your channel. My wife and I are looking for, and doing our best due diligence on our next, and hopefully final, full-time 5th wheel as we go into retirement. Your reviews play a very important part of our decision. Thank you for everything you do!
50 years ago I was a kid working in a traditional service station (Oregon). I did a lot of light tire repair (I.E. no split rims). Way back in 1970ish it was cool to get an aluminium wheel (Mag) to work on. Mostly it was rusty domestic steel rims and a few tube tires running around. Good times.
I have a ‘19 F350 DRW and I had all four rims replaced due to corrosion and air loss. The dealer didn’t give me any issues with the replacement. Now they are applying a sealant between the rim and valve stem
I put an 8" lift on my dually years ago thinking id put semi wheels and tires on....untill i realized i can't even move them around...now im thinking lowering it and running 19.5's. As per them being Alcoas..... literally everything is made in China.
You can move them around. They will only be drives moved to a different position on the drives only. Steers you just go back and forth with them. Since they're designed for weight they will last longer than others and the weight control will be like no other tire type. I rotate my tires on my 18 wheeler so why wouldn't you be able to rotate them on a pickup...
I had front tire wear on a 2010 F350 dually. What I found out is the alignment is set to handle more weight. So if you don't have much weight on the front end it will not weigh the front end so the tires will wear evenly.
So I have to ask; why did you believe they were Alcoa? Does Ford say they are? Did somebody else? They cannot just use a trademark like that. There must be something going on a bit deeper
I assumed they were as well, Ford has used Alcoa wheels since the '90's on 1/2, 3/4, and 1ton trucks as well as the Ranger and Bronco. Alcoa spec Ford wheels are clear coated and have no sticker.
Have you tried Centramatic wheel balancers? They solved all my out of balance problems on our Silverado 3500HD. We even put a set of 4 on our 5er RV and wouldn't want to do without them.Thanks for your informative videos!
I worked for Accuride Corp. here in Kentucky for many years. This company did have probably 80% of the steel wheel market on semis and medium duty trucks. I left in 2000 as they was buying out Kelsey Hayes and was going after Alcoa. I have spotted some Accuride aluminum wheels on big rigs, but it’s hard sometimes to tell the difference. I have been out of the loop in what’s happened in the truck wheel business now for over 20 years. There is nothing better than to see my reflection as I pass a truck with aluminum wheels. By the way, the big three will always go the for the best price as they source any part. Love your videos.....
I am friends with a guy who worked for superior wheel company in Calirornia. Superior wheel has been around since the 1950s or 60s and at some point sold to gentleman from China who ran the business here in the USA. A few years ago he decided to build a wheel factory in China to build the larger size wheels like the 20in on up. He had, I think, a German company design it, an Italian company build it and a America company set up the powder coating lines for the clear coats. His company is still making wheels for American auto and truck factory's here in the states but the world has changed to a global economy.
Front tire wear is normal because all pickup trucks are aligned to be at full load. Alignment specifications are at full load. If you run more than 50% of the time less than full load the only way to correct this is to set up out of Alignment. This is a camber adjustment. Its done with shims on most solid axle front ends. I did this on a dodge 3500. Tire shop didn't want to do it made me sign waver because it was set out of specifications. But it stopped tire wear.
Interesting. I've gone through 8 videos I've done on 2014-2018 trucks and none of them have a Alcoa sticker on any of the wheels, HOWEVER, I just saw a TFL video on a 2015 RAM that did have the Alcoa sticker. Perhaps they sourced them from multiple suppliers at the time. ua-cam.com/video/keO2e9CDAuk/v-deo.html 0.16 seconds in
If you notice a problem with the valve stems bring you truck to a commercial tire shop and have them put the correct valve in them for you should help with the issue
Owned a 2107 ford f-350. Great truck but had nothing but problems with air leaking between the aluminum wheels and what i was told was the steel valve stems and TPMS sensor. Corrosion would set in then leaks. Dealership just kept replacing everything but never fixed issue. Kick the can down the road until the warranty ran out....
I have a 2017 F350 and I am on my third set of wheels from Ford as the valve stem area corrosion. This set is starting to leak. I think this is a safety issue!!!
I drive an f550 for work. The stock continental tires are junk. They lasted me 30k miles before they had so many chunks missing i had to replace them. Also it looked to me that the axle looks the same as a f350, the only difference was a spacer that converts it from 8 lug to 10 lug
the corrosion is from moisture against the untreated aluminum at valve, front tire is from turning and is normal scrub, rotation should be done more often.
I have a 2017 F-350 DRW and all the aluminum wheels leaked air and all had corrosion around the valve stem. I was putting air in them every week. What a pain. I finally found a Ford Dealer (Bob Bell Ford in Glen Bernie, Md) that would support my claim. They took care of the problem with Ford and I now have six good wheels that don't leak air. Been leak free for over 3 months now!
It might be time to purchase aluminum wheels for the inside tires. It would save a lot of time and expense when rotating tires. I hate dismounting tires once I have them balance nicely.
I've been wanting to do that for my F350. Also do the same for the spare. Now I know to look for that corrosion near the valve stem if I come across some for sale. These wheels are going for an astronomical price used.
Have driven an 2015 f550 and now a 2018 f550 bucket trucks home to and from work... my rears normally showing no uneven wear. With that said I’ve started just swapping side for side! Get the tires spinning the opposite direction works for me! Got 70k miles on this set running near 18000 lbs. plus you will not have to dismount and remount and balance tires!
Those look like drive tires on the steer axle. The C&C Rams have similar tire issues, my guess is the front end geometry when the truck is so light. If you could get more weight on the steer axle you may see more even wear.
Wow!!! You just sent me shopping for a new set for rims for my "Little thing" as I call her. The F-450 definitely deserves to be rolling on USA made rims.
That's why when I bought my F 450 it was because of the wheels Don't like the look of the F350 wheels Can you get those F450 in a durabrite like in the big trucks
It's a combination of a half dozen things that are pretty much out of our control.. it's the nature of the beast....I've tried everything from ever different tire make to sispention work to no avail....my 550s live on the express ways.towing goosenecks ., I've given up on trying to solve what is a design/engineering faw an just replace steers when they start to show wear...
I also had the corrosion problem on my 16 Ram 3500. The wheels were replaced. Like you believe, the contact of dissimilar metals is the reason as you’ve stated. I think one could take that one step further and say it is electrolysis caused by the contact of dissimilar metals with battery current provided by the TPMS Battery that is attached to the valve stem. I tried to explain that and how prevent that to the dealer without any success. Fixing the problem would take some re-engineering of the penetration thru the wheel that would totally isolate the valve stem from the wheel. The rear wheel could contain other metals in the blend that react more quickly than pure aluminum. No problem on the front wheels in my case. The new wheels are doing the same thing. The Alcoa wheels on my Class 6 Hauler without the imbedded TPMS System with the same type valve stem in the wheels show no signs of corrosion. So it’s either the stray voltage from the TPMS Battery of poor metal content in the rims. I run TST 507 TPMS Sensors on my valve stems on my Supercrewzer and my rig. I’m pulling a 20,400 lb 2008 Carriage, Carriage fifth wheel trailer. There is no trailer production line built that is comparable to my trailer and is the reason I still have it. I’m still on the road, currently in Virginia, headed back to Florida for the winter on my pad at The Great Outdoors. Safe Travels.
It’s called galvanic corrosion. It happens on all aluminum wheels at the valve stem because you have a rubber gasket and a metal washer and the nut that tightens it down and seals the hole. You will also have galvanic corrosion where the 2 rear tires meet and as for tire rotation the inside of the outside rear duel isn’t polished it’s going to be rough aluminum.
I have a 1975 F-600 and I don't have any problems. A bit of rust, mostly straight with a V-8 linked to a 4- speed, top speed is 32 ft. per second...off a cliff.
Thrashed my steer tires in 6k miles on my F450 work truck. I do a lot of gravel pack roads, bank shale roads and forestry roads all day, only on asphalt to get to the site. I actually traded the "alcoa" wheels and XLT steering wheel to a local salvage yard in exchange for steel wheels & mounting, plus a Lariat steering wheel. The XLT steering wheel gets so stinking hot its hard to touch sometimes, plus it was a nightmare to clean!
I rotate my wheels on my 2018 F450 and noticed the markings were not Alcoa but China and some company name (can’t remember). Still good. The front and rear wheels cannot be rotated because the inside of the wheel is not as polished and it has all the miscellaneous manufacturer numbers/info stamped in plain view. And, mine actually have stickers indicating”front” and “rear”.
I just looked at the Ford website. I think it might have said Alcoa last year when choosing these wheels. This year it says, "19.5-inch Forged Polished Aluminum Wheels with Bright Hub Cover and Center Ornament (DRW)." With that text, no issue of copyright or trademark infringement. Thanks for the update!
I had a 17 ram 3500 with Alcoa wheels it even came with Alcoa stickers when I purchased the truck, also it had aluminum wheels all the way around including the inside rear tire, the only metal tire I had was the spare. Great rims and smooth ride, they came in 17’s
Great video. One small thing, you cannot rotate the front rims to the rear because the inside of the front rim is not polished, same goes for the rear aluminum outside wheel. It isn’t polished on the inside. Ford will also warranty the corrosion up to 60,000 KM. It’s a known issue especially up here on the great white north.
Just got my Ram 3500 Lariat Longhorn dually , I have never been so in love before. It’s absolutely the the nicest thing I have ever owned and I love driving it so far , I’m holding my breath for that moment when I find out “ that thing “ that is going to break my heart . We pay a lot of money for these exquisite chariots and shouldn’t get slapped in the face later with a cheap step taken . I just know it’s gonna sneak up on me later at the most inconvenient time an become a major deal , I hope I’m wrong .
That's been going on for years.. I had that issue on my 2011 F-350.. Had it again on the '16 F-350.. Didn't have the '17 long enough to see if it occurred, but I will be keeping it in mind on my new '20 F-450.. Can't change to rubber valve stems due to tire pressure ratings. (IIRC)
Unpopular opinion: As long as Ford services the warranty on the wheels, I really am not concerned. In a global economy with every major American company souring materials internationally I really am not surprised. I wonder what the country of origin is for all the iron ore and steel used in the frame? I would be _a lot_ more concerned about that!
Question. But first a comment. I’m not really concerned about whether they are true Alcoa or like mentioned a knockoff, what my question is what is the solution for the corrosion caused by the two different metals touching? Do they make aluminum valve stems that would solve this issue or should I just replace with rubber valve stems and at the same time solve the after market TPMS pass through problem?
JD, I have a 2017 F350 Dually diesel and had the same issue regarding corrosion around the valve stems on three wheels. Additionally the chrome on the running boards was lifting. Ford Replaced them all and I was only out $150. I was also beyond my normal warranty period. Good luck
Nice. Sorry to say I will not or ever purchase Chinese made products. Nor will I purchase good year tires. Since I was 1st able to drive I purchased from where ever but no longer. Choice is mine. No need to explain. Still will follow your channel cause you actually keep people safe and informed.
That's a good thing to try but unfortunately things like Smartphones and most consumer electronics are manufactured in China or use components that are manufactured there. Makes it difficult.
Steel rims all day, with wheel simulators. Stay cleaner easier, if you scratch em, just pull em off and replace em in 2 mins. Plus you can switch fronts and rears, inners and outers, etc. Plus if you damage the rim you just hammer it out and keep rocking
All aluminum wheels do it regardless of make! Semi Trucks have corroded for years around the valve stem! When they start leaking need to change o ring and use a brush to clean off the corrosion!
The front tire wear will happen the way you were saying happens on most any 4x4 unless you run more like a summer tire. I've driven from a 150 to a 550 all 4x4 and they all will chop. Some faster than others.
They didn't put the square piece of rubber on the valve stem thats spose to be there any tire shop can fix that problem you have then take American Eagle polish to get those stains off the Aluminum it works great do it with the wheel off the truck
I have the 5500 Ram and I changed my rims from 19.5 to a 8.5x20 tires are so much easier to find because of the 20 inch rim, I love the Hankook tire so Im running the Att at a 285x60x20 great traction wear is great rotate every oil change which is 7500 miles should get 75,000 out of set of tires you might want to look into it
When i started as a ford tech and seen these aluminum wheels with steel inside wheels that always did bother me I know its a cost effective thing but I feel they should at least offer 6 aluminum wheels. Now im wondering what ply the tires are? Because I know some car carrier trucks are running 19.5 wheels but tires are rated as such and with that you could get those tires mounted next time you tires. Yes they do cost more but the upside is longer tire life. Just like years ago people put 22.5 semi wheels on duel wheel f350, 3500; trucks before it was cool. Guys did that because buying semi tires lasted the life of the truck. You could probably look into that and upside as well as I have heard it gives the truck a more stable feel especially towing at the max weight.
Yes true. But again they could still make longer studs still fit both aluminum wheels. Kenworth freightliner all them offer both dual aluminum steel inside is a cheaper alternative.
I’ve owned two f-450s I love the trucks but hate the 19.5s. They look good but they are hard to rotate like you said you can get a good rotate and the truck rides awesome then the next one will just about bounce to off the highway. The best thing I did was go with a direct bolt on 22” love them
Ford does replace the rear rims I've had it done twice on my 2018 F450 it's called a laminate defect around the valve stem if it's 3 year 36 on your warranty
My 2017 F450 had real Alcoa wheels which was stated on the sticker and etched along with the size of the wheel on the inside. All mine were aluminum as well. Making it very easy to rotate. (Purchased my F450 in November 2016 btw)
I had to buy a new rim for one of my semi trucks. The box said made in China. It’s a 24 inch rim. Box said Alcoa. I think they are making all the rims in China now. Sad we can’t make them I’m the States anymore
I had valve stems leaking on all the wheels on the 2019 f350 due to corrosion. Replaced them with regular rubber ones and problem solved. Make America great again. Ha
I have an f450 dump truck and have had two rubber valve stems blow out on me. One while I was sitting at the scale house loaded with gravel and had just paid for the load 10 minutes before closing time. Not fun. I won’t be running rubber stems anymore.
M B 👍. Sounds about right. Only used them because the metal one got damaged by something and the tire shop didn’t have another one. They put the rubber one in to get me by and I didn’t get it replace before it blew out.
Rubber valve stems are less durable. Had an inexperienced tire guy try to put rubber valve stems on my trailer tires, until noticed them and told him that he’d better replace them with metal valve stems, immediately
So, question. You mention the wide stance axles. Does the 450 have a better turning radius than the 350 or are you just saying without this curtain axle, they would take a football field to turn around?
Can you do a videos on these topics. First, why can you not get an electronic rear locker on the dually? Second, why are you limited on Ford builds when you select Diesel engine and you also want to select a higher gear ratio. If you go with a 4.10 or 4.30 you have to switch from the Diesel engine to the gas engine.
Do the wheels really need to be that big to clear the brakes ? I'm not a fan of the current giant wheel short sidewall anesthetic on any vehicle. I want my sidewalls back ! Ps. I want manual transmissions and vent windows back too !
Up here in the rust belt the corrsion is even more fun the deal with. I have a '19 450 with the same rims and each rim has corrosion in a spot or two. I am thinking of switching to an actual Alcoa when mine start to look bad or loosing air.
Nice truck. I'm a Ram owner but Ford does make some good looking trucks. Never would have guessed the inner wheels were steel compared to Aluminum for the outer wheels.
When I was a kid I saved my money and bought a Haro Master freestyle bicycle because it was made of “4130 chromoly”. In my mind that was some space-age material. Imagine my heartbreak when I received the bike and it says “4130 chromoly steel”. Did that change anything about the bike? Of freaking course not.
I also have a 2017 F350 that is having the same corrosion leaking issue. What is a good solution? I really don't want to drop a few grand for new wheels. The Alcoa valve stems look like a possible solution but will they work with TPMS? Very frustrating!
I walked into a Ford dealership looking to replace a rear rim on a 1990 for F-350 super cab dually, I asked for a price for the standard steel rim in gray metallic. They quoted me a price of $289, I replied that I wanted the price for a steel rim and not an aluminum rim, their reply was, that is the price a steel rim. I said forget it and went FleetPride and paid $65 for the same rim. R.H. Scales also had them for about the same money.
I bought 4 F450’s and 1 F350 this year all mine had ALCOA stickers on them.Did yours?They’re ok for the work trucks but I always take them off my daily driver and switch to an 18” wheel.
You said you had a vibration issue. We found a damper uner the rear bumper area. google ford f450 rear damper assembly for a picture, I can't attach one. Through my investigation I found this part is supposed to help negate/damper vibration/ hopping at certain speeds, when zero or light loads. Our vibration happens around 74-76 MPH. WE haven't tested this speed while trailering for safety reasons. We tow a 45ft 21K Fifth Wheel with a 4400 Hitch weight. Can anyone here comfirm or disprove my theory? Asking for your assessments. Thank you.
I think I have true Alcoa wheels on my 97 Ford F-350 and they look awesome and so do these and I’m seriously thinking about buying a f450 in a year or two and doing some hot shoting with it any advice on how to setup the truck for that or if a cab a chassis would be better ? My diesel mechanics teacher said if I do a pickup I can register it as a pick and I plan on daily driving it and maybe put the new cm truck beds hot shot bed on it
Interesting. I have a new f350 dually i bought last year. And my tires have been losing air..I thought it was probably the tires.. i just put new tire on and i just noticed they are still leaking.. first i have heard about this possible problem
The first thing I did when I got my 450 was change the wheels to American Force 22” so I could get a wider tire and the ride is so much better and hauling weight is the same A much better tire also.
Ya I thought this was gonna be disappointing , I run 22” American force wheels with adapters I took the stock wheels off 2 days after I bought the truck go big or go home!!
All Alcoa rims have the little Alcoa stamp - I just assumed they were Ford sourced somewhere - I never once thought they were actual Alcoa rims as it didn't have the Alcoa stamp.
Like Rancho Branded shocks are not actually Rancho, and majority of leather interiors are vinyl sides, backs with seat surface or the little insert in rear seats that is leather. Alot of careful wording on their part.
I knew the wheels on the RAM medium duty were not Alcoa. They have Chrysler stamped on them. We've had to replace a wheel due to one of them being cracked.... They are much thinner than an actual Alcoa wheel.
That's good news because it means that if needed you should be able to find the exact wheel on Aliexpress for a good price. You will just have be willing to wait 6 weeks for delivery.
Have the same problem with my f350. All four outside wheels are leaking. Ford said to pound sand, they do not care. Totally disappointed in Ford on this. I loos around 10-20psi every night day. And I can't find an aftermarket wheel to replace it that is not oversize or stick out past finders.
Having owned four sets of Alcoa aluminum wheels, unless the wheel has the Alcoa name stencil/decal, as well as the casting ID for Alcoa, they’re not real unless they’ve been refinished.
I suspect that your valve stem corrosion issues aren’t galvanic corrosion, but corrosion induced by the removal of the clear cost or the chromate coating.
If you take a multimeter, set it to ohms, touch the wheel metal surface, ie a chip or scratch, with one lead and the metallic value stem, with the other, a open reading means the valve stem is isolated, so you don’t have a galvanic cell.
Gunga Dinn - what would be an appropriate isolator?
Ben Burns
A couple ply fiberglass or gasket paper shim installed between the duals and between the rim and hub. The shim would be disposable.
@@2muchtalk173 Most of the time it's rubber mounted on both sides of the wheel stem.
If you think that truck is filthy, I'll not ever show you my truck.
I painted my truck about 5-6 months ago. I',very yet to wash it. It is black, so it looks pretty rough, lol
How true....
As a farmer who enjoys offroading, i second this.
Whew. I thought you were going to announce the F450 was being discontinued
Naw, that Power Joke is still for sale. ;)
I thought it was, they were only going to make it in a cab chassis from now on.
Lol
Yeah i was thinking something like that or they werent gonna offer them with a bed anymore or something lol
Good god no
That tire wear is coming from exiting the fwy exits too fast as well as at slow speeds turning the tire at max. What happens is that the rear (wheel drive) is pushing the load forward onto the tire while the tire is at an angle and that is how the wear is occurring. I have observed this on may long wheelbase vehicles and I have about 1.5 million miles driven. It really helps tire wear to slow down on the fwy exits and going a bit slower curvy mountain roads.
Real Alcoa wheels have a sticker
That’s what I thought....even going back to the 16” factory alloys on my Uncle’s 1996 F350 when new, had the little Alcoa badge on them.
Ah the problem of fancy wheels.
True Alcoa wheels will have an Alcoa sticker on them. And are the BEST.
When you bought new tires you should have gotten new valve stems tire balancing And an alignment as well.
Have you maximized the gross weight of your truck and trailer by
Getting empty (empty includes full fuel, water, waste (use water to fill the tank) propane and loaded
weighs on a CAT scale. So you do not overload/underload an axle.
Play with the tire pressure most commercial trucks run 105 psi on steer axles. Are the tires in the proper Load range. E or better?
With mixed rims rotating tires is not cost effective. Now you put aluminum rims all around you can.
But that's labor intensive. Cause you'll need to polish all the rims inside and outside. And make sure your lugnut studs are long enough.
I'm a 2nd gen trucker with 26yrs experience. Sorry for the long post.
The tire wear is not due to turning radius. It's alignment/geometry related.
It is actually due to ackermann geometry because of the tight turning radius available.
JD - Your honesty and forthrightness is exactly why I have i have tremendous confidence in your channel. My wife and I are looking for, and doing our best due diligence on our next, and hopefully final, full-time 5th wheel as we go into retirement. Your reviews play a very important part of our decision. Thank you for everything you do!
450 had much better turning radius than 350! Worth the extra money
NO WAY IN HELL FORD REPLACES THOSE WHEELS
They would go Broke
50 years ago I was a kid working in a traditional service station (Oregon). I did a lot of light tire repair (I.E. no split rims). Way back in 1970ish it was cool to get an aluminium wheel (Mag) to work on. Mostly it was rusty domestic steel rims and a few tube tires running around. Good times.
Your truck looks badass. Not overdone and rendered useless like so many others.
The truck looks badass, and the wheels don't.
Hey man I work on these as a fleet mechanic. We have a bunch of 550/5500 The best tire I’ve found is the Toyo tires.
I have a ‘19 F350 DRW and I had all four rims replaced due to corrosion and air loss. The dealer didn’t give me any issues with the replacement. Now they are applying a sealant between the rim and valve stem
That truck is still badass....
If they are Alcoa they have Alcoa stamped by the size and part number. My 08 F350 has that stamped on them.
I put an 8" lift on my dually years ago thinking id put semi wheels and tires on....untill i realized i can't even move them around...now im thinking lowering it and running 19.5's.
As per them being Alcoas..... literally everything is made in China.
You can move them around. They will only be drives moved to a different position on the drives only. Steers you just go back and forth with them. Since they're designed for weight they will last longer than others and the weight control will be like no other tire type. I rotate my tires on my 18 wheeler so why wouldn't you be able to rotate them on a pickup...
I had front tire wear on a 2010 F350 dually. What I found out is the alignment is set to handle more weight. So if you don't have much weight on the front end it will not weigh the front end so the tires will wear evenly.
So I have to ask; why did you believe they were Alcoa? Does Ford say they are? Did somebody else? They cannot just use a trademark like that. There must be something going on a bit deeper
I assumed they were as well, Ford has used Alcoa wheels since the '90's on 1/2, 3/4, and 1ton trucks as well as the Ranger and Bronco. Alcoa spec Ford wheels are clear coated and have no sticker.
they look like alcoas looks are deceiving
Have you tried Centramatic wheel balancers? They solved all my out of balance problems on our Silverado 3500HD. We even put a set of 4 on our 5er RV and wouldn't want to do without them.Thanks for your informative videos!
My 14 model Ran 3500 had factory Alcoa wheels. Had Alcoa sticker on each wheel.
Have had good luck using Michelin tires on 19.5 wheels.
I worked for Accuride Corp. here in Kentucky for many years. This company did have probably 80% of the steel wheel market on semis and medium duty trucks. I left in 2000 as they was buying out Kelsey Hayes and was going after Alcoa. I have spotted some Accuride aluminum wheels on big rigs, but it’s hard sometimes to tell the difference. I have been out of the loop in what’s happened in the truck wheel business now for over 20 years. There is nothing better than to see my reflection as I pass a truck with aluminum wheels. By the way, the big three will always go the for the best price as they source any part. Love your videos.....
I am friends with a guy who worked for superior wheel company in Calirornia. Superior wheel has been around since the 1950s or 60s and at some point sold to gentleman from China who ran the business here in the USA. A few years ago he decided to build a wheel factory in China to build the larger size wheels like the 20in on up. He had, I think, a German company design it, an Italian company build it and a America company set up the powder coating lines for the clear coats. His company is still making wheels for American auto and truck factory's here in the states but the world has changed to a global economy.
Front tire wear is normal because all pickup trucks are aligned to be at full load. Alignment specifications are at full load. If you run more than 50% of the time less than full load the only way to correct this is to set up out of Alignment. This is a camber adjustment. Its done with shims on most solid axle front ends. I did this on a dodge 3500. Tire shop didn't want to do it made me sign waver because it was set out of specifications. But it stopped tire wear.
I guess you’re talking about the 450s and 4500s. I have a 3500 Ram dually and it has Alcoa stickers on um. It’s a 2013.
Yeah I've got an 18 that has the stickers on them 🤷♂️
My 14 Ram 3500 chassis cab has Alcoa right on the wheels.
The 19 and up dont I guess. My wife works at a dealership and said they don't habe the stickers on them anymore 🤷♂️ guess ram went cheap too lol
Interesting. I've gone through 8 videos I've done on 2014-2018 trucks and none of them have a Alcoa sticker on any of the wheels, HOWEVER, I just saw a TFL video on a 2015 RAM that did have the Alcoa sticker. Perhaps they sourced them from multiple suppliers at the time. ua-cam.com/video/keO2e9CDAuk/v-deo.html 0.16 seconds in
If you notice a problem with the valve stems bring you truck to a commercial tire shop and have them put the correct valve in them for you should help with the issue
Owned a 2107 ford f-350. Great truck but had nothing but problems with air leaking between the aluminum wheels and what i was told was the steel valve stems and TPMS sensor. Corrosion would set in then leaks. Dealership just kept replacing everything but never fixed issue. Kick the can down the road until the warranty ran out....
I have a 2017 F350 and I am on my third set of wheels from Ford as the valve stem area corrosion. This set is starting to leak. I think this is a safety issue!!!
Have had same issues. Dealership keeps replacing the same parts. It’s a design issue that Ford needs to make right.
I drive an f550 for work. The stock continental tires are junk. They lasted me 30k miles before they had so many chunks missing i had to replace them. Also it looked to me that the axle looks the same as a f350, the only difference was a spacer that converts it from 8 lug to 10 lug
the corrosion is from moisture against the untreated aluminum at valve, front tire is from turning and is normal scrub, rotation should be done more often.
I have a 2017 F-350 DRW and all the aluminum wheels leaked air and all had corrosion around the valve stem. I was putting air in them every week. What a pain. I finally found a Ford Dealer (Bob Bell Ford in Glen Bernie, Md) that would support my claim. They took care of the problem with Ford and I now have six good wheels that don't leak air. Been leak free for over 3 months now!
Obviously you’re going to have to buy a new truck.
ha ha ha ha
Rik I second the motion!
Hahaha it just doesn’t do the job anymore.
Hahaha right, my exact thought
J.D. I'll give you a thousand bucks for your truck like it sits, dirty and cheap knock off wheels and all!!😎
It might be time to purchase aluminum wheels for the inside tires. It would save a lot of time and expense when rotating tires. I hate dismounting tires once I have them balance nicely.
I've been wanting to do that for my F350. Also do the same for the spare. Now I know to look for that corrosion near the valve stem if I come across some for sale. These wheels are going for an astronomical price used.
May have to replace the wheel studs to go to aluminium on inside. Factory studs are probably too short.
Have driven an 2015 f550 and now a 2018 f550 bucket trucks home to and from work... my rears normally showing no uneven wear. With that said I’ve started just swapping side for side! Get the tires spinning the opposite direction works for me! Got 70k miles on this set running near 18000 lbs. plus you will not have to dismount and remount and balance tires!
Those look like drive tires on the steer axle. The C&C Rams have similar tire issues, my guess is the front end geometry when the truck is so light. If you could get more weight on the steer axle you may see more even wear.
Wow!!! You just sent me shopping for a new set for rims for my "Little thing" as I call her. The F-450 definitely deserves to be rolling on USA made rims.
That's why when I bought my F 450 it was because of the wheels Don't like the look of the F350 wheels Can you get those F450 in a durabrite like in the big trucks
Isn't the wear on the front tire because it is a beam front suspension, not because of the turning radius?
It's a combination of a half dozen things that are pretty much out of our control.. it's the nature of the beast....I've tried everything from ever different tire make to sispention work to no avail....my 550s live on the express ways.towing goosenecks ., I've given up on trying to solve what is a design/engineering faw an just replace steers when they start to show wear...
I also had the corrosion problem on my 16 Ram 3500. The wheels were replaced. Like you believe, the contact of dissimilar metals is the reason as you’ve stated. I think one could take that one step further and say it is electrolysis caused by the contact of dissimilar metals with battery current provided by the TPMS Battery that is attached to the valve stem. I tried to explain that and how prevent that to the dealer without any success. Fixing the problem would take some re-engineering of the penetration thru the wheel that would totally isolate the valve stem from the wheel. The rear wheel could contain other metals in the blend that react more quickly than pure aluminum. No problem on the front wheels in my case. The new wheels are doing the same thing. The Alcoa wheels on my Class 6 Hauler without the imbedded TPMS System with the same type valve stem in the wheels show no signs of corrosion. So it’s either the stray voltage from the TPMS Battery of poor metal content in the rims. I run TST 507 TPMS Sensors on my valve stems on my Supercrewzer and my rig. I’m pulling a 20,400 lb 2008 Carriage, Carriage fifth wheel trailer. There is no trailer production line built that is comparable to my trailer and is the reason I still have it. I’m still on the road, currently in Virginia, headed back to Florida for the winter on my pad at The Great Outdoors. Safe Travels.
It’s called galvanic corrosion. It happens on all aluminum wheels at the valve stem because you have a rubber gasket and a metal washer and the nut that tightens it down and seals the hole. You will also have galvanic corrosion where the 2 rear tires meet and as for tire rotation the inside of the outside rear duel isn’t polished it’s going to be rough aluminum.
I have a 1975 F-600 and I don't have any problems. A bit of rust, mostly straight with a V-8 linked to a 4- speed, top speed is 32 ft. per second...off a cliff.
Thrashed my steer tires in 6k miles on my F450 work truck. I do a lot of gravel pack roads, bank shale roads and forestry roads all day, only on asphalt to get to the site. I actually traded the "alcoa" wheels and XLT steering wheel to a local salvage yard in exchange for steel wheels & mounting, plus a Lariat steering wheel. The XLT steering wheel gets so stinking hot its hard to touch sometimes, plus it was a nightmare to clean!
I rotate my wheels on my 2018 F450 and noticed the markings were not Alcoa but China and some company name (can’t remember). Still good. The front and rear wheels cannot be rotated because the inside of the wheel is not as polished and it has all the miscellaneous manufacturer numbers/info stamped in plain view. And, mine actually have stickers indicating”front” and “rear”.
I just looked at the Ford website. I think it might have said Alcoa last year when choosing these wheels. This year it says, "19.5-inch Forged Polished Aluminum Wheels with Bright Hub Cover and Center Ornament (DRW)." With that text, no issue of copyright or trademark infringement.
Thanks for the update!
I had a 17 ram 3500 with Alcoa wheels it even came with Alcoa stickers when I purchased the truck, also it had aluminum wheels all the way around including the inside rear tire, the only metal tire I had was the spare. Great rims and smooth ride, they came in 17’s
Great video. One small thing, you cannot rotate the front rims to the rear because the inside of the front rim is not polished, same goes for the rear aluminum outside wheel. It isn’t polished on the inside. Ford will also warranty the corrosion up to 60,000 KM. It’s a known issue especially up here on the great white north.
Just got my Ram 3500 Lariat Longhorn dually , I have never been so in love before. It’s absolutely the the nicest thing I have ever owned and I love driving it so far , I’m holding my breath for that moment when I find out “ that thing “ that is going to break my heart . We pay a lot of money for these exquisite chariots and shouldn’t get slapped in the face later with a cheap step taken . I just know it’s gonna sneak up on me later at the most inconvenient time an become a major deal , I hope I’m wrong .
I just got a 2020 Ford F-450 and I am pretty certain that the window sticker said Alcoa 19.5” wheels. But I could be mistaken.
Can you just go with a 'highway rib' steer tire to help with the front tire wear? Then just don't worry about rotating them any more?
That's been going on for years.. I had that issue on my 2011 F-350.. Had it again on the '16 F-350.. Didn't have the '17 long enough to see if it occurred, but I will be keeping it in mind on my new '20 F-450.. Can't change to rubber valve stems due to tire pressure ratings. (IIRC)
The wear issue indicates the Ackerman measurements are wrong. Having the tie rod in front of the axle does that every time.
Unpopular opinion: As long as Ford services the warranty on the wheels, I really am not concerned. In a global economy with every major American company souring materials internationally I really am not surprised. I wonder what the country of origin is for all the iron ore and steel used in the frame? I would be _a lot_ more concerned about that!
Hopefully the steel is nucor, us steel or Steel dynamics.
I got rid of the inside outside wear by replacing the stock track bar and mount with an aftermarket heavy duty adjustable track bar.
i have a 2016 f350. same corrosion around stem, replaced one rim due to crack at stem. warranty does not cover
Question. But first a comment. I’m not really concerned about whether they are true Alcoa or like mentioned a knockoff, what my question is what is the solution for the corrosion caused by the two different metals touching? Do they make aluminum valve stems that would solve this issue or should I just replace with rubber valve stems and at the same time solve the after market TPMS pass through problem?
I have a 2017 f350 and have Corrosion on all four aluminm wheels Ended up buying 4 steal rims so I don't have put air in every week
JD, I have a 2017 F350 Dually diesel and had the same issue regarding corrosion around the valve stems on three wheels. Additionally the chrome on the running boards was lifting. Ford Replaced them all and I was only out $150. I was also beyond my normal warranty period. Good luck
Nice. Sorry to say I will not or ever purchase Chinese made products. Nor will I purchase good year tires. Since I was 1st able to drive I purchased from where ever but no longer. Choice is mine. No need to explain. Still will follow your channel cause you actually keep people safe and informed.
That's a good thing to try but unfortunately things like Smartphones and most consumer electronics are manufactured in China or use components that are manufactured there. Makes it difficult.
Steel rims all day, with wheel simulators. Stay cleaner easier, if you scratch em, just pull em off and replace em in 2 mins. Plus you can switch fronts and rears, inners and outers, etc. Plus if you damage the rim you just hammer it out and keep rocking
All aluminum wheels do it regardless of make! Semi Trucks have corroded for years around the valve stem! When they start leaking need to change o ring and use a brush to clean off the corrosion!
The front tire wear will happen the way you were saying happens on most any 4x4 unless you run more like a summer tire. I've driven from a 150 to a 550 all 4x4 and they all will chop. Some faster than others.
The 2019+ RAM 3500 DRW has different bolt patterns Front to Rear so a tire rotate requires a full dismount.
I have a 2019 350 dually Ford replaced all 4 aluminum wheels and all 6 tires at 20,000 miles same issues with valve stems.
They didn't put the square piece of rubber on the valve stem thats spose to be there any tire shop can fix that problem you have then take American Eagle polish to get those stains off the Aluminum it works great do it with the wheel off the truck
I have the 5500 Ram and I changed my rims from 19.5 to a 8.5x20 tires are so much easier to find because of the 20 inch rim, I love the Hankook tire so Im running the Att at a 285x60x20 great traction wear is great rotate every oil change which is 7500 miles should get 75,000 out of set of tires you might want to look into it
When i started as a ford tech and seen these aluminum wheels with steel inside wheels that always did bother me I know its a cost effective thing but I feel they should at least offer 6 aluminum wheels.
Now im wondering what ply the tires are? Because I know some car carrier trucks are running 19.5 wheels but tires are rated as such and with that you could get those tires mounted next time you tires. Yes they do cost more but the upside is longer tire life. Just like years ago people put 22.5 semi wheels on duel wheel f350, 3500; trucks before it was cool.
Guys did that because buying semi tires lasted the life of the truck. You could probably look into that and upside as well as I have heard it gives the truck a more stable feel especially towing at the max weight.
Can't run dually aluminum because the hub studs don't stick through far enough
Yes true. But again they could still make longer studs still fit both aluminum wheels. Kenworth freightliner all them offer both dual aluminum steel inside is a cheaper alternative.
I’ve owned two f-450s I love the trucks but hate the 19.5s. They look good but they are hard to rotate like you said you can get a good rotate and the truck rides awesome then the next one will just about bounce to off the highway. The best thing I did was go with a direct bolt on 22” love them
My 2008 f450 has Alcoa stamped on them. My 2019 has the stamp on two of the wheels.
A stamp or a little sticker?
Ford does replace the rear rims I've had it done twice on my 2018 F450 it's called a laminate defect around the valve stem if it's 3 year 36 on your warranty
My 2017 F450 had real Alcoa wheels which was stated on the sticker and etched along with the size of the wheel on the inside. All mine were aluminum as well. Making it very easy to rotate. (Purchased my F450 in November 2016 btw)
They had to have been aftermarket. I confirmed with Alcoa that they stopped being the wheel supplier for the Ford F450/550 in 2010.
I had to buy a new rim for one of my semi trucks. The box said made in China. It’s a 24 inch rim. Box said Alcoa. I think they are making all the rims in China now. Sad we can’t make them I’m the States anymore
I have a 2018 f450 an I got 120,000 out of my tires . I rotate every 20,000 miles and run 110 psi and I have not had any problems.
Cabovers have high steer angles and constantly chew the shoulders off the tire. Especially the outer shoulder.
put some 1.5 degree alignment shims in the front axle it will drive much better and improve the edge wear on the front tires
I had valve stems leaking on all the wheels on the 2019 f350 due to corrosion.
Replaced them with regular rubber ones and problem solved.
Make America great again. Ha
I don't believe you can do that on the 19.5 wheels because of the pressure they run at 110 psi.
I have an f450 dump truck and have had two rubber valve stems blow out on me. One while I was sitting at the scale house loaded with gravel and had just paid for the load 10 minutes before closing time. Not fun. I won’t be running rubber stems anymore.
@@spatton7875 Rubber valve stems as far as I understand are only good for up to 65psi
M B 👍. Sounds about right. Only used them because the metal one got damaged by something and the tire shop didn’t have another one. They put the rubber one in to get me by and I didn’t get it replace before it blew out.
Rubber valve stems are less durable. Had an inexperienced tire guy try to put rubber valve stems on my trailer tires, until noticed them and told him that he’d better replace them with metal valve stems, immediately
So, question. You mention the wide stance axles. Does the 450 have a better turning radius than the 350 or are you just saying without this curtain axle, they would take a football field to turn around?
Can you do a videos on these topics. First, why can you not get an electronic rear locker on the dually? Second, why are you limited on Ford builds when you select Diesel engine and you also want to select a higher gear ratio. If you go with a 4.10 or 4.30 you have to switch from the Diesel engine to the gas engine.
Do the wheels really need to be that big to clear the brakes ? I'm not a fan of the current giant wheel short sidewall anesthetic on any vehicle. I want my sidewalls back !
Ps. I want manual transmissions and vent windows back too !
Just curious; adding valve extenders…could this help prevent the corrosion?
Up here in the rust belt the corrsion is even more fun the deal with. I have a '19 450 with the same rims and each rim has corrosion in a spot or two. I am thinking of switching to an actual Alcoa when mine start to look bad or loosing air.
Try using centermatic wheel balancers we use them on are semi
Nice truck. I'm a Ram owner but Ford does make some good looking trucks. Never would have guessed the inner wheels were steel compared to Aluminum for the outer wheels.
Mildly disappointing. They still look damn good and unless they fail, I'll still likely call them Alcoa's lol Good vid
When I was a kid I saved my money and bought a Haro Master freestyle bicycle because it was made of “4130 chromoly”. In my mind that was some space-age material. Imagine my heartbreak when I received the bike and it says “4130 chromoly steel”. Did that change anything about the bike? Of freaking course not.
JD I have the same Corrosion issue on my f450. I took it to ford and yes the bumper to bumper covers it. Mine are on order. 👍🏻
I also have a 2017 F350 that is having the same corrosion leaking issue. What is a good solution? I really don't want to drop a few grand for new wheels. The Alcoa valve stems look like a possible solution but will they work with TPMS? Very frustrating!
My dad had 3 out of 4 aluminum wheels replaced under warranty for that very issue. 800 bucks a pop is what ford charges for them
I walked into a Ford dealership looking to replace a rear rim on a 1990 for F-350 super cab dually, I asked for a price for the standard steel rim in gray metallic. They quoted me a price of $289, I replied that I wanted the price for a steel rim and not an aluminum rim, their reply was, that is the price a steel rim. I said forget it and went FleetPride and paid $65 for the same rim. R.H. Scales also had them for about the same money.
I bought 4 F450’s and 1 F350 this year all mine had ALCOA stickers on them.Did yours?They’re ok for the work trucks but I always take them off my daily driver and switch to an 18” wheel.
You said you had a vibration issue. We found a damper uner the rear bumper area. google ford f450 rear damper assembly for a picture, I can't attach one. Through my investigation I found this part is supposed to help negate/damper vibration/ hopping at certain speeds, when zero or light loads. Our vibration happens around 74-76 MPH. WE haven't tested this speed while trailering for safety reasons. We tow a 45ft 21K Fifth Wheel with a 4400 Hitch weight. Can anyone here comfirm or disprove my theory? Asking for your assessments. Thank you.
I think I have true Alcoa wheels on my 97 Ford F-350 and they look awesome and so do these and I’m seriously thinking about buying a f450 in a year or two and doing some hot shoting with it any advice on how to setup the truck for that or if a cab a chassis would be better ? My diesel mechanics teacher said if I do a pickup I can register it as a pick and I plan on daily driving it and maybe put the new cm truck beds hot shot bed on it
Interesting. I have a new f350 dually i bought last year. And my tires have been losing air..I thought it was probably the tires.. i just put new tire on and i just noticed they are still leaking.. first i have heard about this possible problem
Have the same 450 in Lariat trim. I love it and the turning radius. Please tell me which tires to get next. I am tired of the stock HSR's. Thank you!!
The first thing I did when I got my 450 was change the wheels to American Force 22” so I could get a wider tire and the ride is so much better and hauling weight is the same A much better tire also.
Ya I thought this was gonna be disappointing , I run 22” American force wheels with adapters I took the stock wheels off 2 days after I bought the truck go big or go home!!
All Alcoa rims have the little Alcoa stamp - I just assumed they were Ford sourced somewhere - I never once thought they were actual Alcoa rims as it didn't have the Alcoa stamp.
Ram 3500s have used genuine Alcoa 17s since 2010, not totally sure on the 4500-5500
Like Rancho Branded shocks are not actually Rancho, and majority of leather interiors are vinyl sides, backs with seat surface or the little insert in rear seats that is leather. Alot of careful wording on their part.
My 14 Ram 3500 DWR has factory Alcoa’s. They have the stickers and stamp.
I knew the wheels on the RAM medium duty were not Alcoa. They have Chrysler stamped on them. We've had to replace a wheel due to one of them being cracked.... They are much thinner than an actual Alcoa wheel.
That's good news because it means that if needed you should be able to find the exact wheel on Aliexpress for a good price. You will just have be willing to wait 6 weeks for delivery.
Have the same problem with my f350. All four outside wheels are leaking. Ford said to pound sand, they do not care. Totally disappointed in Ford on this. I loos around 10-20psi every night day. And I can't find an aftermarket wheel to replace it that is not oversize or stick out past finders.