Lightweight Wheels = Good?
Thread Starter
Donating Maxima.org Member
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 42
Lightweight Wheels = Good?
I've got some American Racing 18" Chromes on my Maxima, i'd say they weigh about 35lbs or so apiece.
I've been thinking about getting some 20-25 lb wheels, i'm steering away from the 12-18 lb range just because they bend so easily.
I was reading somewhere that for each additional pound you add to your stock wheel, it adds around 300 lbs of resistance.
Is anyone able to state from experience a noticable difference of any kind when switching to a wheel that's 10-15 pounds lighter than what you had?
Thanks,
-KIK
I've been thinking about getting some 20-25 lb wheels, i'm steering away from the 12-18 lb range just because they bend so easily.
I was reading somewhere that for each additional pound you add to your stock wheel, it adds around 300 lbs of resistance.
Is anyone able to state from experience a noticable difference of any kind when switching to a wheel that's 10-15 pounds lighter than what you had?
Thanks,
-KIK
I used to have a set of 2k Maxima wheels , 17". Now I got a set of 17" Rota Sub-Zeros. The difference is night and day. It's interesting to see how much slower your car is with heavy wheels which means that it makes your drivetrain work a lot harder which is not good at all.
Originally Posted by kik
I was reading somewhere that for each additional pound you add to your stock wheel, it adds around 300 lbs of resistance.
-KIK
-KIK
the general rule is... (and this is general cause it really depends on the moment of inertia which is a function weight distribution versus radius) for each pound you add to the wheel it's has the effect of adding 5-8 pounds of weight to the car (times 4). so shave 3 or 4 pounds off the weight of the rims and it will make the car feel a little quicker.. if you're really paying attention. Lightweight rims generally will break easier but good brands should hold up (and be very expensive) stock rims are fairly light and hold up quite well (cause oem has to.) 18" chrome american racing rims are a good way to slow your car down
(they are made of low quality metal so they had to use more to make them strong enough, therefore heavier) I'd go with some decent 17"s if you're worried about acceleration, but still want to look good (plus tires are so much cheaper for 17's!!)
i want some light rims. i would love to get some ssr comps. sigh... the list goes on and on..
Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 50
From: Palm Bay, Florida
Lighter wheels are good. As rotating masses, the car will "feel" each pound more.
The only substitute for added horsepower is a lighter car. My mostly-stock 85 Rx-7 (101 HP!) reached 155-165HP through some decent mods, but it wasn't until I lightened my car by about 150 pounds (my 7 weighs about 2100 pounds now) that I was able to take my wife when she was driving the Maxima
The only substitute for added horsepower is a lighter car. My mostly-stock 85 Rx-7 (101 HP!) reached 155-165HP through some decent mods, but it wasn't until I lightened my car by about 150 pounds (my 7 weighs about 2100 pounds now) that I was able to take my wife when she was driving the Maxima
You will definatly wonder why you ever had heavy wheels in the first place. I installed ssr comps on my 93 ser (about 8-10lbs) and you wouldnt believe the difference compaired to the stock wheels!
Thread Starter
Donating Maxima.org Member
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 42
Originally Posted by the_3d_man
where the hell did you read that...
the general rule is... (and this is general cause it really depends on the moment of inertia which is a function weight distribution versus radius) for each pound you add to the wheel it's has the effect of adding 5-8 pounds of weight to the car (times 4). so shave 3 or 4 pounds off the weight of the rims and it will make the car feel a little quicker.. if you're really paying attention. Lightweight rims generally will break easier but good brands should hold up (and be very expensive) stock rims are fairly light and hold up quite well (cause oem has to.) 18" chrome american racing rims are a good way to slow your car down (they are made of low quality metal so they had to use more to make them strong enough, therefore heavier) I'd go with some decent 17"s if you're worried about acceleration, but still want to look good (plus tires are so much cheaper for 17's!!)
the general rule is... (and this is general cause it really depends on the moment of inertia which is a function weight distribution versus radius) for each pound you add to the wheel it's has the effect of adding 5-8 pounds of weight to the car (times 4). so shave 3 or 4 pounds off the weight of the rims and it will make the car feel a little quicker.. if you're really paying attention. Lightweight rims generally will break easier but good brands should hold up (and be very expensive) stock rims are fairly light and hold up quite well (cause oem has to.) 18" chrome american racing rims are a good way to slow your car down
(they are made of low quality metal so they had to use more to make them strong enough, therefore heavier) I'd go with some decent 17"s if you're worried about acceleration, but still want to look good (plus tires are so much cheaper for 17's!!)So the general idea I get is: i'll notice a 15lb rim however, 25lbs will be hardly noticable vs the ~35lbs my current rims weigh. This is everyday driving BTW.
I suppose I was hoping to you guys would say "WOW, the difference is UNBELIEVABLE", but obviously that's not happening unless I go with some high-end alloy rims (10-17lbs). I think i'll just remove the 120LB sub-box from my trunk from time to time, and call it a day, for now.
Thanks for the input.
KIK
Thread Starter
Donating Maxima.org Member
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 42
I figure a new set will run me close to a grand. After some reconsideration, I think i'd rather replace my catback muffler system from an org GD (current one is almost rusted through, used to live in Ohio). That should be about 800$ or so installed. I'm also about 70% looks, 30% performance, so, trying to balance things out.
Also, I recently replaced my suspension with illumina's (on 3/3) + progress springs and i'm very satisfied with the handling. So I think it would make sense to focus on some other aspect of the car.
KIK
Also, I recently replaced my suspension with illumina's (on 3/3) + progress springs and i'm very satisfied with the handling. So I think it would make sense to focus on some other aspect of the car.
KIK
ya i got some rx7 rims 15.4 a rim, i think lightweight is the way to go. Rota or another stock rim might be good for cheap. I couldnt see spending 2k just on my rims, unless i made 2k a week!
are the stock rims alone not around 19 to 20lbs? mabe 21lbs at the most?
am i really going to notice a few lbs off... most rims 16" or so are going to be anywhere from 15 to 20lbs - lightweight ones.
i belive that loosing the sidewall of the tires would be better for autocross because there is less movement in the sidewall. however the larger diameter will cause a slight drop in hp because its a higher rim and takes more to turn it (i would guess based on dyno runs - i have seen this (usually happens with bigger brakes too)) - (yes im talking to reduce the sidewall you have to increase the rim side ie 18" or so).
but for horsepower and speed a smaller rim and lighter weight would be recomended (doesnt it make sense?)
of course keeping the weight down with the larger rim would help alot and make it differnt from stock im assuming (in the hp area).
anyways... on that... im looking for an 18" rim thats from 16 to 19lbs or their abouts. is FORGED a good rim manufacturing process to get? (by that i mean are forged rims stronger?).
am i really going to notice a few lbs off... most rims 16" or so are going to be anywhere from 15 to 20lbs - lightweight ones.
i belive that loosing the sidewall of the tires would be better for autocross because there is less movement in the sidewall. however the larger diameter will cause a slight drop in hp because its a higher rim and takes more to turn it (i would guess based on dyno runs - i have seen this (usually happens with bigger brakes too)) - (yes im talking to reduce the sidewall you have to increase the rim side ie 18" or so).
but for horsepower and speed a smaller rim and lighter weight would be recomended (doesnt it make sense?)
of course keeping the weight down with the larger rim would help alot and make it differnt from stock im assuming (in the hp area).
anyways... on that... im looking for an 18" rim thats from 16 to 19lbs or their abouts. is FORGED a good rim manufacturing process to get? (by that i mean are forged rims stronger?).
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 17
Originally Posted by kik
I was reading somewhere that for each additional pound you add to your stock wheel, it adds around 300 lbs of resistance.
actually i believe its for every additional 10 pounds of rotational mass = ~100 pounds of resistance......
300 pounds of resistance for one pound of rotational mass is a far stretch
Originally Posted by Maximasaresweet
actually i believe its for every additional 10 pounds of rotational mass = ~100 pounds of resistance......
300 pounds of resistance for one pound of rotational mass is a far stretch
300 pounds of resistance for one pound of rotational mass is a far stretch
Originally Posted by mindlessoath
i belive that loosing the sidewall of the tires would be better for autocross because there is less movement in the sidewall. however the larger diameter will cause a slight drop in hp because its a higher rim and takes more to turn it (i would guess based on dyno runs - i have seen this (usually happens with bigger brakes too)) - (yes im talking to reduce the sidewall you have to increase the rim side ie 18" or so).
but for horsepower and speed a smaller rim and lighter weight would be recomended (doesnt it make sense?)
but for horsepower and speed a smaller rim and lighter weight would be recomended (doesnt it make sense?)
............
Originally Posted by Supermax95
ssr's are light as hell and are VERY durable
But yeah SSRs are sweet and I still want a set.
18" GT2s ftw..
Originally Posted by MorpheusZero
Except for the part where they bend...