Ever since I got winter wheels and tires on my Max, it really seems to pull a LOT harder under WOT. I had the OE 17" wheels & the 225/50 17 Potenzas and now have steel wheels and 215/55 16 Toyo Observes. I can tell you that the Observes are by far the better tire, even though they are siped and a true winter traction tire.

I'm more than certain that the steel wheels weigh quite a bit less than the OE wheels. Is this the reason why my car accelerates so much quicker? I switched wheels at 3K miles, is is possible that my engine is now past the "breaking in" period?

What is the ratio between wheel weight and acceleration? If I save lets say 60 pounds by using lighter wheels, will the acceleration difference be comparible if I had just lost 60 pounds inside the car?

Tony

 

i think it's like 1 lb. of wheel weight equals 8 lbs. of trunk/interior weight, but i'm not sure

 

its a combination of weight and where the weight is (moment of inertia)

2 wheels that weight the same, the one with more mass in the center (by the hub)is better for aceleration. It will take less force to turn.

Thats why a 18 may be slower than a 17 even if they weigh the same. 18s have more weight further out from the rim.

...but the smaller your sidewall the better cornering.

 

For ever 1lb off your rims, that is equal to taking out 8lbs of dead weight in the car. Having lighter rims will also produce more HP (Yes, its been proven in SCC magazines).

Smaller rims will give better acceleration but slow down your top end. Bigger rims will slow down the acceleration but give you better high end (maybe even a higher top speed).

Using bigger/smaller rims are very common in drag racing to change the transmission ratios. On my auto, when i drag w/ 15" rims (deflated to about 20psi), my car shifted at about6100rpms. When i use my 16" 300ZX rims (25psi) the car just about redlines. It altered my gear ratios but to exactly what, i dont know (I'm too lazy to figure it out).

 

So, if i get a rim weighing at 17lbs. as opposed to the (roughly) 27lbs 17" SE rims i'm saving myself not 40 but rather 320lbs!?!?

 

no need for the new year's diet either

 

Supposedly. There's some argument if the back wheels count since the car is FWD. I'd say they do.

Stereodude

 

That's interesting. I don't know if that's true, but it sounds believable. There is a huge difference in the acceleration in my car between the 17" AE wheels and the 16" steel winter wheels. It's amazing. I'm surprised there isn't more discussion on this since everyone is modding their engine to get the most speed possible and so little thought put towards wheel selection. I know I will re-think my choice of new wheels now.

Tony

 

ive heard anywhere between 6-8lbs.

 

Yep, I bet it is the reason I ran a 16.3 (auto) at the track this past summer. 17' wheels when others (GXEs) are running mid 15s.

 

This is exactly why I think it's so funny when guys add fancy 18s and such. They are pretty much negating all their performance mods. Sometimes their modified Maxima will even be slower than stock. I got rid of my 17s because they were too heavy (47lb wheel/tire). I got a set of lightweight 16" Kosei K1s (38lbs wheel/tire). With lighter rims your car will be quicker, ride better, stop better, and handle better. There's really no trade off.


Dave

 

like theMax pointed out, it also depends on *where* the weight is... if you get a rim that's 3 pounds less, but all of that weight comes from the hub, then it won't gain as much as if it came from the outer rim.... I could even see where a rim that weighs less actually hurts you if it moved more weight to the outside. It's not likely, but it's possible.

 

damn I am keeping my 15" steelies

 

Exactly.

 

I say get 19 inch 2 piece forged wheels that weigh <20 lbs. And a 50 shot.