I've read a topic in this forum about wheel weight and performance, however I didn't fully understand if gains could be noticed. I went from 26lb stock rims to 18lb aftermarket. any thoughts?

You should be able to notice that much of weight loss at the wheels. Less weight out on the corners makes your engine work less, which will not give you any more HP, but will free up HP lost throughout the drivetrain and in this case your axles.

While the effect of eliminating that much rotating weight would probably show up in your ET's and MPH's, I doubt that you'd notice anything through your "butt-meter" in otherwise uninstrumented normal driving. Consider that this weight reduction only amounts to about a 2% effect as it affects acceleration. And that includes the rotational effects.

You might, however, notice some improvement in effective grip over rough pavement under all situations (acceleration, braking, and cornering). The springs have an easier time of getting a lighter wheel & tire back down into firm contact with the ground and will accomplish that task in a little less time.

Norm

I think you will notice it in 1st gear. I sure noticed when I switched from 53lb 17 wheel/tire combo to a 39lb 15" wheel/tire combo.