[jlitman]

Does anyone know of a good source of information for the advantages of lightweight wheels -- meaning how much faster could one hope to get with, say, 15" wheels that weigh only 10 lbs vs. heavier 17" or 18" wheels.

Specifically, I'm interested in something like 1/4 mile times recorded for a given car (especially the Celica, obviously) with stock vs. lighter wheels?

I believe that Sport Compact Car Magazine published an article along these lines, but haven't had any luck tracking it down... and nothing on the web that I've found even comes close to reporting any hard data on the same car driven with two different sets of wheels.

Any help would be appreciated -- thanks!

-jl-

 

[Gas-n-Grease]

hmm... dont remember SCC publishing that information, but the first thing that came to my mind was the Sentra being stripped and tested on the 1/4 mile. But i can tell you if you had lighter wheels, your car will be more responsive on the throttle.

 

[AssFauLt]

are you seriously racing your car at the track? or you just want your car to be faster when a ricer revs at you?

decreasing the moment of inertia will make your car a little bit faster (both having lighter wheels overall and with smaller wheels the mass isn't as far away from the center).

exactly how much would depend on the specific wheel, its size and weight. also the tire weight is a factor and the amount of pressure needed in the tire, etc.

just be aware that some REALLY light weight wheels are also less strong because of it. i'm sure you can read lots of stories of people breaking their rota sub zeros. using a really light weight wheel for daily driving would be a bad idea.

if you really care about your track times, pick up a light pair for the track, but leave them off for daily driving.

 

[jlitman]

Originally posted by AssFauLt
are you seriously racing your car at the track? or you just want your car to be faster when a ricer revs at you?

decreasing the moment of inertia will make your car a little bit faster (both having lighter wheels overall and with smaller wheels the mass isn't as far away from the center).

exactly how much would depend on the specific wheel, its size and weight. also the tire weight is a factor and the amount of pressure needed in the tire, etc.

just be aware that some REALLY light weight wheels are also less strong because of it. i'm sure you can read lots of stories of people breaking their rota sub zeros. using a really light weight wheel for daily driving would be a bad idea.

if you really care about your track times, pick up a light pair for the track, but leave them off for daily driving.

Mostly I wanted lighter rims for my own amusement in regular driving conditions, but also to help with the occasional auto-x

I had been planning on buying a set of Motegi Trak lites, which are forged... that is until I realized how much tax I owed I had also considered the (much cheaper!) Rota Slipstreams, but was a bit leary of them given that they're cast. I haven't heard any horror stories about Rotas, but I don't doubt that they can and do break.

I guess after all of my searching for the lightest, sturdiest wheel that I could afford, it finally dawned on me that I had never actually seen one shred of evidence that the difference in speed was worth the money -- after all, half-decent racing wheels cost between $220 - $450 (or more!) per rim.

I have seen that cars lose 5- 10 whp on the dyno due to heavier rims, and thought one might hope to gain that much with lighter and smaller wheels -- especially considering how little torque our engines have.

However, again, I have never seen any real evidence based on data gathered from cars at the track, as opposed to theoretical benefits based on physics equations. I'm sure that those equations are correct, but they leave one with only a very vague idea of how much of an improvement one could hope for.

-jl-

 

[MicaCeli]

You car will accelerate faster with lighter wheels.....just like putting in a lighter FW and your engine revving up faster.

I have NEVER heard any problems with Slipstreams AND there was only one batch of Sub-zero's that had problems....other then that Rota makes some damn good wheels. I've had 2 sets already and my G/F is ready to buy a set for Auto-X in a month.

As for charts and stuff

 

[jlitman]

Originally posted by MicaCeli
You car will accelerate faster with lighter wheels.....just like putting in a lighter FW and your engine revving up faster.

I have NEVER heard any problems with Slipstreams AND there was only one batch of Sub-zero's that had problems....other then that Rota makes some damn good wheels. I've had 2 sets already and my G/F is ready to buy a set for Auto-X in a month.

Thanks! I'll save up and reconsider getting the slipstreams (11.88 lbs, BTW for a 15" -- subzeros are a wee bit heavier: 12.5 for 15") in the future.

Still wish I could find some sort of Rim A vs. Rim B comparison, much they way the Tire Rack does with tires ... oh well

Originally posted by MicaCeli
As for charts and stuff

 

[Tuppuguy]

I'm thinking of getting light rims later down the road. How light do these rims get? Also, i'm assuming 15" rims are best for performance correct? Could you guys post some nice looking light weight rims? Thanks

 

[MicaCeli]

Originally posted by Tuppuguy
I'm thinking of getting light rims later down the road. How light do these rims get? Also, i'm assuming 15" rims are best for performance correct? Could you guys post some nice looking light weight rims? Thanks

My 17's weigh 15.5lb's each. My Auto-X wheels weigh 12lb's per wheel in 15's. I'll get some pix later.

 

[5110]

Wierd question, do 15inch wheels fit on a gts, any brake clearance issues

 

[Kuz]

Originally posted by 5110
Wierd question, do 15inch wheels fit on a gts, any brake clearance issues

they fit fine...

 

[danGTS]

I do not have any before and after results with my 15 inches but ..

I do like my rota slipstream + 205/50R15 BFG drag radials for 1/4 mile .. They weight like 31 pounds each(on my unprecised balance). They are so damn light to me!!

 

[X-EVIL-X]

i just got some 17 x 8 volk te37s with parada's they weigh 34 pounds each.

 

[MicaCeli]

Originally posted by 5110
Wierd question, do 15inch wheels fit on a gts, any brake clearance issues

15" come stock on GT-S's.....the 16's are an option.