MustangBatman1

I'm toying with the idea of getting rid of my saleen replicas for something much much lighter. Since I have been doing more and more power mods, I thought it was about time I did something to compliment them, as opposed to hindering them.

My wheels now are nearly 40lbs each (18x9/18x10). I was looking to go back to 17's that weigh under 16lbs each. I believe the factory 17's were somewhere between 20 and 30lbs?

I remember feeling a big difference in the way the car accelerated right after changing my wheels but I have no idea how much slower it actually made my car. Any idea how the lighter wheels would actually affect performance? just trying to see if they would actually be worth it.

Any help would be appreciated.

Hufenstang

It isnt nearly as important as some are led to believe. If you put all the formulas aside, the general idea seems to be for every 1lb or rotational mass the wheel provides it is equal to 2lbs of regular weight. So in your case if you dropped from 40lbs to 20lbs in each wheel then it would be an estimate of 160lbs~ . Put a 160lb person in your car and floor it and then have them get out and do it, its really hard to tell the difference once your blown unless you are being timed.

https://mustangforums.com/forum/show...t=wheel+weight

^^ forumlas if you want to work it out some.

Mudflap

Going with lighter wheels will reduce both rotational mass and unsprung weight, resulting in better performance. Simply put: the lighter the wheel, the easier it will turn. The difference you felt was certainly for real. For the best possible performance, you want to go with the smallest/lightest weight wheel possible. The people that spend a bunch of money upgrading performance parts, just to turn around and put heavy 20's on the car are working against themselves.

I believe the calculation is something like: each 1 lb of rotational mass removed from the car is equivalent to about 10 lbs in vehicle weight. So if you save 5 lbs per wheel, the performance difference is about the same as removing 200 lbs in vehicle weight. This can really add up... (these #s are from memory, so it would be a good idea to fact check it before dropping $2000, but I believe this is correct).

If you really want to take things to the extreme, look for some 17" Gram Lights, Volks, Speedline, OZ, etc. They will cost you though... I've paid as much as $450 /wheel for Volks in the past. It is more difficult to manufacture a wheel that is light as a feather AND strong. To keep things more economical, a good target would be to find some wheels that are lighter than stock at least by a little bit. Pay attention to tire weight as well, it does vary.

Some of the guys running really heavy 20's could probably cut their ETs by about 1/2 second by running some light 17's, depending on the exact savings per wheel/tire combo.

Check out step #2 in this article from Sport Compact Car mag:

http://www.nerocam.com/SCC_TAP.asp

Hufenstang

"believe the calculation is something like: each 1 lb of rotational mass removed from the car is equivalent to about 10 lbs in vehicle weight"

Thats what i was led to believe also, but those guys in that post i linked really know their stuff.. i would talk to them about it. Some of them have really worked the forumlas out and havnt even seen 1 tenth of a better time switching to 17lb wheels.

All i know is, i would switch to 17lb wheels in a heartbeat if i could shave some good time off i would love it.

Mudflap

I did a bit of search, the #s vary from 1lb, 4lb 5lb, 10lb, etc. I think what it comes down to is its hard to quantify. The general consensus I found from at least 5 different sources on the web was 10 lbs however.

I think the most useful indicator here is the article I linked. The SCC guys actually shaved .3 seconds off the quarter mile by reducing wheel weight by 13lbs at each corner. Anyone who has slapped big heavy wheels on their car and went for a ride afterwards can probably support this. It does in fact, make a difference. Physics don't lie. :P

Hufenstang

hmm i really want to buy some light wheels just to test back to back with my current wheels/tires. Im always looking for ways to cut my 1/4 down without having to buy bogarts..

Mudflap

Yeah it will help for sure, however it sort of comes down to how much its worth you. In my experience if you dig around, you should be able to find some decent wheels that are fairly light for the $. Pay attention to the tire weight as well, I've noticed that can vary quite a bit.

As for me, I'll stick with 17's when I replace mine, and I'll decide how much I'm willing to spend and do the best I can. My goal is always performance over bling factor, so I just need to find something I don't hate the looks of.

I noticed TireRack.com lets you sort by weight. You'll see the SSRs at the top, and they are awesome wheels, but $$$. The TR Motorsports MT1 is 16.5 lbs and $259/each, those don't look too bad I suppose, but I'd prefer fewer spokes myself.

Hufenstang

yea i agree.

i have a friend who has these in 18's, they weigh 19lbs each i believe he paid 300 per wheel. Ive seen them in person i didnt mind there look considering some of the light weight wheels i have seen.

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Wheel...&AID=10398365&

Mudflap

At 17 x 7.5 they are a little narrow, but the Konig Feather is 17lbs for $125/each. I suppose if you put the widest tire possible on there and found something very sticky, it could work. The supercharged guys probably couldn't get enough meat onto them no matter what though:

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...4.3&vid=011053

siberian.mist

sorry but both those links to rims posted look like they belong on a civic