wheel weight difference?

[Michael Perez]

hey guys. im set on Enkei RPF1 17x8 either +35 or +45

i know these wheels are about 8 pounds lighter than stock for each wheel, but what kind of a difference does 8 pounds per wheel make for mpg, acceleration, and cornering?? cause its only about 32 pounds total weight.

Thanks, Mike

 

[webby]

you can take a look at the tirerack tech page where they tested different wheel weights & their results-
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=108

 

[Michael Perez]

thanks that was helpful

 

[Dar-Dar]

It also depends on the tires' thickness. You can lose more mpg if you get thicker tires than recommended.

 

[Michael Perez]

well im gonna use 215/45 the stock tires. thats why i dont wanna go too wide

 

[team3d]

hey guys. im set on Enkei RPF1 17x8 either +35 or +45

i know these wheels are about 8 pounds lighter than stock for each wheel, but what kind of a difference does 8 pounds per wheel make for mpg, acceleration, and cornering?? cause its only about 32 pounds total weight.

Thanks, Mike

Mike, imagine you jogging/running, you think u can run faster/efficient with heavier shoes or lighter shoes? Same with wheels...

 

[CivicCanuck]

That 8 pounds per wheel will do more to make the shocks control the tire and wheel movement better over bumps than affecting your mileage, acceleration and cornering. It would be like getting a free damper upgrade.

 

[Michael Perez]

I like what I'm hearing. Thanks guys.

 

[Nix]

You can read for hours about sprung/unsprung weight and the difference it will make in terms of handling/acceleration/and so on.

To sum it up quickly: Lighter is always better. Reducing unsprung weight, especially rotating mass like wheel and tire, will be noticeable and most effective. You will be able to accelerate quicker due to less inertia and mass being moved overall and your cornering may not be quicker necessarily but.... Transitions will be smoother and likely quicker since changing the direction of a lighter wheel is much easier.

There is a "loose" standard out there that every pound of unsprung weight removed is akin to removing 10lbs of static weight. So dropping 32lbs on your wheels is like removing 320lbs of concrete from the trunk. Im sure it is more like a squared product ratio where every the first lb gone is 10lbs and the next is 9.8lbs and so on. Diminishing returns at some point if you follow.

Also it has been proven that the effect of reducing the mass of a rotating object is inversely proportional to the diameter of the rotating object. A 10lb driveshaft has the same effect as a 5lb reduction if the diameter of the lighter shaft is increased.
(Keep the tire/wheel size the same as stock and lose weight for gains. A lighter wheel/tire combo in a +2 sizing will do nothing.)

Still.... Lighter is better. Will you feel it? Maybe... how sensitive is your butt dyno?

MPG? This will be more dependent on your tire choice than anything. A wider tire will add drag and likely offset minor gains in MPG from weight reduction. This is what I noticed first hand. Tire width and compound will also effect everything else more than a slightly lighter wheel. However....

Lighter is still better than heavy. Especially for wheels/tires.

 

[Michael Perez]

Thanks for the info. I'm new to all of this wheel and tire stuff so the more info and opinions the better

But Nix what's your take on centerline forged wheels I was brought on to them by a fellow member an I really like them for what they are. But there hasn't been anyone talking about them on here :/

 

[Dragos]

Personally i would go with same specs as stock or 18s again going for the same width and overall dimensions. 215 40 18 or maybe go a bit wider to 225. I am tempted by 19s for performance reasons but not sure if they will survive the bumpy roads we have here. They're not bad but not bump free either. Still the sky is the limit and many other combinations are possible. I prefer to keep around stock values for street driving and for the moment avoid mechanical changes. Too wide of a tire has pros and cons, and weight will also be one of the cons performance wise.

 

[Nix]

The Centerlines look like a decent wheel. I don't think they are very popular in the "tuner" scene and seem to be more marketed for muscle cars. I don't think you would go wrong with them although they do seem to have A LOT of chrome on their website. Their marketing is probably why you don't hear of them much on the civic forums.

What size are you thinking? A 17x7.5 is a nice size that will allow you to run the stock 215 tire until it wears out and then upgrade to a 225 wide and get some better grip and performance.

 

[Michael Perez]

They do have "Monsoon" wheels geared more towards passenger cars and smaller cars. Those are the only ones I have been looking at the rest, as u said, are for muscle cars and trucks. I was looking at their "excel" wheel in 17x7 cause I didn't see 7.5 :/ I'm gonna give them a call for a quote. Cause I really like the multi spoke polished wheel on a black car.

 

[Michael Perez]

Personally i would go with same specs as stock or 18s again going for the same width and overall dimensions. 215 40 18 or maybe go a bit wider to 225. I am tempted by 19s for performance reasons but not sure if they will survive the bumpy roads we have here. They're not bad but not bump free either. Still the sky is the limit and many other combinations are possible. I prefer to keep around stock values for street driving and for the moment avoid mechanical changes. Too wide of a tire has pros and cons, and weight will also be one of the cons performance wise.

I want to be at 17x7.5 or stock 7 with +40-45 offset to run the new stock tires and maybe upgrade to 225 down the road. I'm just having trouble finding and nice forged wheel that's light and won't break the bank :/

 

[Dragos]

I want to be at 17x7.5 or stock 7 with +40-45 offset to run the new stock tires and maybe upgrade to 225 down the road. I'm just having trouble finding and nice forged wheel that's light and won't break the bank :/

I know how that goes. Eventually I think I will save and go for some good quality ones later then buying cheap now though. I have seen too many pics of broken wheels A broken half price wheel is a bigger expense than a good expensive wheel that is in good shape.

 

[Michael Perez]

I stumbled upon a thread with all of those pics I was in shock. So I want something forged. Even tho Enkei makes a good cast wheel. But I'm really liking Centerline. Another member on here got quoted just under 1200 for a set of their "Excel" wheel in polished 17x7 +42 which is exactly what I'm looking for

 

[Michael Perez]

Also its forged out of 6061 and just at 15 pounds a wheel Dragos

 

[team3d]

centerline is pretty light weight

 

[Michael Perez]

I know I like it haha