Falloutkid90

So I have a em2 which is my daily driver. I was looking to up the size of the rims so I can get summer tires that actually fit. I have the stock 15 inch em1 wheels with 185/65r15 tire. I planned on going up to a 16 inch rim and getting some dunlop driezza summer tires to match. I noticed that my stock rims are about 18lbs each. I saw on tire rack 16 inch rims weighing about 15 lbs each. I know rotational mass is alot more the regular so I would be dropping alot more then 3 lbs per wheel which would supposedly equal better acceleration handling ect. But would this be worth it or noticable on a daily driver?

If I were to put my subwoofer in my trunk which probably weighs about 30 lbs or so. Would that conteract that weight of the lightweight wheels?

v4lu3s

I ran HX wheels for a long time, then later switched to a heavier but still lightweight 15 from Konig. I could definitely feel the difference.
Sprung weight in the trunk though is a very different matter than unsprung weight. the weight in the trunk will not take power to spin the way a wheel will.

Turk@TireRack

The reduction in weight will translate into a better feel in acceleration for sure, and as v4lu3s mentioned, the sprung weight of the sub won't counteract the reduction of unsprung weight in the wheels and tires.

Falloutkid90

Ok thats good to herem I thought lightweight wheels were one of those things used for weight reduction like a stripped interior or carbon fiber hood.

Im looking at these wheels on tire rack that are 16s 15.2 lbs each plus ill be able to run a summer tire on them. Sounds like they will be a big upgrade over the stocks 18 lbs wheels with the high performance all seasons.

thadon805

iTrader: (3)

I'd go with rota slipstream 16x7 good budget lightweight wheel for the money. If you are looking to spend a little more enkei rpf1 are always nice. Or check out hmotorsonline's instagram, they usually get volk te37 4x100 15's and 15's with or without tires in good used condition for a good price.

raverx3m

iTrader: (1)

You can find a set of racing harts or volks that are 10-11 lbs per wheel for around 600-1000 bucks
Much better than buying knockoffs for 400-500 bucks
Even a 5 lbs difference is noticeable when i switched from 16lbs wheels to 10.8 racing harts.
The acceleration in 5th gear on the freeway is massive difference. I dont have to douwnshift anymore to pass cars
And in general taking off a stop light you feel the difference right away

Btw who keeps deleting my replies from this thread. 3 of my replies been deleted with no explanation
Do you have a crush on me or something?

raverx3m

iTrader: (1)

heres a better example of wheel weight on a dyno. not a Honda but you get the idea

Dyno Runs - The effects of wheel/tire weights on wheel horsepower

it has pretty much same effect on acceleration at the quarter mile or anywhere else.

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

That information only helps someone understand that there's really no hp/tq changes from different wheel/tire combinations. That gives zero insight as to the actual performance gains/losses to changing one's unsprung rotational mass.

Hot Rod Magazine did a test based solely in drag racing, and their results netted supporting information: Light Wheels Vs Heavy Wheels - Wheel Tech - Comparison - Car Craft

raverx3m

iTrader: (1)

If there wasnt any difference then we all be rollin on 30lbs chrome wheels.
Yet even supercars design extremely lightweight wheels from the factory alot of times.
If weight wasnt the issue then we would have steel wheels instead of forged alluminum

According to your theory flywheel or any other rotating assembly weight wouldnt matter either
Yet people always looking for ways to reduce the ROTATING assembly weight in racecars

like i said before car feels noticeably faster with lighter wheels.
Not just my imagination.
if it was my first and only car ive driven i would doubt my "feel"
But i changed 3 sets of wheels in one day just to test this me and my buddy drove the car
I went from 29lbs antera wheels to konig villian 17 lbs to cp-035 10lbs
The difference is very noticeable

3 lbs per wheel definitely wont make a difference because the tires will be most likely wider for the aftermarket wheels.

junkyard racer

Some great info on wheel weight in this video from Tire Rack, one of the few people who do extensive testing on tires and wheels...
http://www.tirerack.com/videos/index...ab=Motorsports
http://www.tirerack.com/content/tire...tAffiliate=FA3

Basically, advantages with a lower wheel weight can't be measured, but can be felt. With more and more people watching their MPGs, I would like to see the wheel manufactures put some R&D into aero advantages of wheels.

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

Honda sort of did that with their hybrid Civic wheels. A lot of large surface area, narrow width designed to cut through air with little resistance.

raverx3m

iTrader: (1)

ok so what are the advantages of the following components?
lightweight pistons(forged)
lightweight rods(forged)
lightweight flywheel


its not that people never tested it its more like common sense
want to test it? add some weights to your bycicle wheels and see how quick you can accelerate with heavy *** wheels on a bike compared to light ones

this has been discussed so many times in every forum that has anything to do with anything rotating and being powered by anything
more so on physics and engineering forums

its not just the total weight of the wheel but how the weight Is distributed
I'm sure theres probably a calculator somewhere to show how much energy it takes to spin a wheel of certain weight.
to assume that there wouldn't be any difference in acceleration between a 25lb wheel and 10 lb wheel is kinda ridiculous

junkyard racer

In testing, wheels have not made an impact on lap times. If they made an impact on vehicle dynamics for the road and in any driving other than straight line, it would have shown in this type of testing. I agree, it seems that common sense says a lightweight wheel is better. Though it may seem as though it would make a difference, you can't argue facts when debating how it effects the actual vehicle. Everyone agrees however that a lightweight wheel does provide better feel, but a feel is not something that can be measured.

HRE did a great test on a dyno to discuss the impact of wheel weight. At the end of the day, unless you are straight line driving (which the OP is not doing) the weight of the wheel is practically insignificant.

When someone builds an engine, they are typically using forged components for strength and to to meet a certain measured spec such as compression or length/size, not for its weight. Reduced weight is a bi-product of forging and sizing. You don't shop for pistons and rods based on weight, typically.

For daily driving as the OP is discussing, I do not think weight is a significant impact. It's certainly nothing I would base a purchase on.

If you go over to the hyper miler forums where people modify their vehicles for high MPG, most agree that the wheel weight has the least significant impact. Tires play the larger roll in how effective the vehicle becomes from a wheel/tire swap and I think that is what the OP is referring to. Tire Rack made these statements fact in the video I posted above. They even elude to the idea that the info they discovered will be argued to the death, lol.

If I were buying wheels for a DD, I would base it on looks, construction, and size. If I were buying a wheel for track use, I would base my purchase on size and construction. Construction is the key word here. A flow formed wheel, forged wheel, etc will all by nature be stronger and more lightweight due to its construction. The weight factor is a bi-product to the processes.

Matt, I have been at round table discussions with some big name wheel manufactures. I anticipate aerodynamic wheel to hit the market in the future.

raverx3m

iTrader: (1)

that's kinda what I mean

most of the tests only take into account the total weight of the wheel with tire

the weight of the barrel on 2 15 lb wheels can be very different depending on the design


theres plenty of tests online to show that they do make a difference. not a massive difference but to say that it has no effect at all is ridiculous.
and to say that they only affect straight line is also ridiculous.
heavier wheel more inertia = less control from suspension...

I don't understand people arguing with physics. a lighter weight takes less power to spin up. also taking into account how far the weight is from center.
the barrel of the wheel is what makes a difference not the total weight. and forged wheel barrel is usually lighter than cast. depending on the design.

but since most of people when they say lighter wheel they mean going from a stock 18-18lb wheel to something like rota which Is 2-3 lbs lighter it makes no difference lol.

now if you are going from a 25lb 17 inch cement disk to a 11lb forged wheel you must have like no sense of acceleration at all to not notice the difference maybe your gyro is broken...

raverx3m

iTrader: (1)

if someone with computer skills could hack the tire balancing machine and turn it into a dyno for wheels we would have an answer to which wheels are actually better for acceleration.

but maybe we don't have to.
now that we have electric cars which don't rely on atmospheric conditions as much as gasoline engines we could get a good and valid acceleration test on a dyno and 1/4 mile

oneheadlight

Rotating mass of a solid, welcome to Calculus II. Can spout information that lighter wheels "don't matter" but the math proves anyone wrong. Lighter wheels get better fuel economy because the engine doesn't have to waste energy moving the wheel/tire combo more than necessary. So to say that fuel economy does not directly relate to power, is also incorrect. It does. If lighter weight helps fuel economy it also conserves power!

Simple idea, put 40lbs of weights on each of your feet, then walk around. Weight doesn't matter? Tell that to your thighs when they're on fire!

So yes, lighter weight wheels WILL result in a better acceleration, suspension reaction (quicker to respond), and an over all "lightness on its feet" feeling. If it didn't, then tell me why a lower geared, heavier wheel wearing, higher horsepower Civic EX did not beat out (0-60mph) a lighter wheel weight wearing, lower horsepower, taller geared Civic HX? hmmm could it really be that Calculus II with it's idea of Rotations of volumes and solids really works? Yup..

And that's why Honda engineers were paid well back then to lower the weight of wheels, etc. Welcome to math my fellow Honda members!

EKSedAndy

You can get lightweight wheels used for cheap if you look around, and aren't worried about having the trendiest / most fanboi styles. I picked up a set of genuine Rays 'RB Champs' for $400, and they weigh around 10 pounds each and are forged. Companies like Rays, Volk, etc. make many different kinds of wheels, some of which get really popular and people pay huge dollars for (TE37, for example), and others didn't sell well, didn't get popular, and can now be had through importers for a fraction of their price new.