I was thinking about my first mod -- getting new wheels. I would prefer function over looks, so wanted to get the lightest wheels that I could get within my budget (about $1000 for 4 wheels). My tires (stock P225/55HR17 Continental ContiTouringContact CV95) are fairly new, so I do not want to change them. I was looking for the same size wheels as the stock i.e. 17"x7".

One of the reasons behind looking for lighter wheels was to get better MPG. I had the impression that the lighter my wheels are, better will be my MPG (other things being equal). But then I stepped over this article "Road Wheel Weights Can Affect Your Vehicle's Show...and Go" (http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/...jsp?techid=108) in Tirerack.com where in one of their experiments, a lighter wheeled BMW 3 series achieves worse MPG than the same BMW with heavier stock wheels.

This is counter-intuitive to me. Why would MPG not increase with decrease in the weight of wheels, everything else remaining same?


Edit: Due to some reason the link I posted doesn't work sometimes. If you search in google with -- tirerack "Road Wheel Weights Can Affect Your Vehicle's Show" -- the first link that comes up is the article I was referring to. Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

My mileage has always been a little less than my wifes. I thought maybe it was because I have 20" rims. Guess it might be because I push it a little harder.

 

the lesser rotational mass [rims] the less work the tranny has to do to propel the car thus less work on the engine to spin the drive train components

 

But what about this point

a lighter wheeled BMW 3 series achieves worse MPG than the same BMW with heavier stock wheels.

 

If you're going to stay with 17's keep the stocks.

I cant picture an aftermarket 17 looking right on such a bulky looking car.

I will say my winter setup (17" 350Z factories and 225/55 Blizzaks) is a night and day difference in MPG compared to my 20's.

my .02

 

kc..but the 17's are snows .. right?

 

[quote=KCmaxx;6270253]If you're going to stay with 17's keep the stocks.

I cant picture an aftermarket 17 looking right on such a bulky looking car.

I will say my winter setup (17" 350Z factories and 225/55 Blizzaks) is a night and day difference in MPG compared to my 20's.

I agree that aftermarket 17'' rims would look a little odd on a car as bulky as the maxima...Im sure though that the size/weight on the wheels will make some difference in the mpg that your getting. and the light weight 18'' -19'' rims are way out of the $1000 price range

 

The stock wheels (rims only) weigh about 25 lbs each. I can get Kosei K1 TS wheels (17x7, 36mm offset) that weigh 14.1 lbs and cost only $149 each (+ shippping) at Tirerack.com. So keeping the same tires, I can reduce the total wheel weight by almost 44 lbs spending about $600. Isn't that a good mod as far as performance is concerned?

I think I can get even lighter wheels within $1000 if I look around a little more. BTW, here is a link to the Kosei wheels http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Wheel...All&sort=Brand . They don't look bad IMO.

 

if you really like that whell, get them in 18's. the lip will make them look smaller than they are. My personal opinion is the same as the others above......the max is too bulky of a car for those to work well style wise. performance most definetly, but not stlye

 

Maybe that same energy spent on getting heavier wheels moving also helps out during cruising because of the stored energy leading to less throttling loss and hence better mileage.

 

Yes, that might be one reason. But then what is the optimum weight of a wheel+tire for our max to get the best MPG?

Any Physics majors here...

 

In my quest for wheels, I found this:
http://www.modbargains.com/product.a...o%5FType%5F346

I can get these 19"x8.5" wheels for less than $175 each (+ $99 shipping for 4). Each of them weighs 24 lbs while my stock 17"x7" weighs 25 lbs. So I am not increasing weight but getting looks. Let me know what you guys think.

Also, if I go with bigger wheels (from 17" to 19"), do I have to adjust my speedometer or anything else? My car has TPMS.

What is the bolt pattern in our stock wheels? These wheels have 5x120 bolt pattern.

The offset is ET-35/15. Which one whould I choose? Again, I would prefer performance over looks.

 

http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCal...?action=submit

Tells difference in speedometer for sizes.

 

Thanks redls1

 

yes you will achieve higher MPG with lighter rims. I went up 1-2 MPG depending on conditions.

 

Xoomer, you have nice wheels. What size and weight are those?

 

NISMO 19x8, very light at around 21Lbs. (I think 20.7) but don't quote me.

If you just pick them up after handling OEM 18's you will be nicely surprised.

 

My max has TPMS. If I buy new wheels and transfer my existing tires to them, how do I transfer the TPMS?

 

i believe if your careful enough, u can remove and reinstall on the new rims. i know that discount tire sells replacement tpms sensors.