Light Weight Wheels

[suicidal2af]

I know if I searched a little longer I could probably find the weight of the stock swirlies. But I don't think in the wheelweights.com site that its lists the 16" wheels and the other DSM parts weight page seems to have been taken down. Probably worth mentioning in this thread?

IIRC, most stock DSM wheels are 24-26lbs.

I just ordered some RSL Elites, I'll weigh them when they come in. Expecting ~18lbs for 17x7.

 

[shleppy]

I know that the tire rack lists that the ssr's weight around 13.5 lbs, but they surprisingly mis-list the weight on some products: for example they list the 235/45/17 kumho mx's as being 24 lbs, when they are actually 20 lbs according to kumho. I contacted tire rack to see who was correct, and they admitted the mistake. So, I'll take the oem's specification info on their products instead of the tire rack's. This places the ssr's at 1.4 lbs less then the K1 TS, and .5 wider. It's still alot of money for the a little less weight and the potential to run a wider tire, but I wanted to ensure correct info on wheel weights.

 

[jtmcinder]

IIRC, most stock DSM wheels are 24-26lbs.

The two wheels that matter are the Eclipse (straight-spoke) and Talon (swirlie) 17x6.5s. The Eclipse wheels weigh 25# and the Talons weigh 27#.

- Jtoby

 

[suicidal2af]

The two wheels that matter are the Eclipse (straight-spoke) and Talon (swirlie) 17x6.5s. The Eclipse wheels weigh 25# and the Talons weigh 27#.

- Jtoby

I disagree. The larger sidewall afforded by my 16" 2ga swirlies will make for an excellent snow tire

But they sure are some heavy sumbitches.

 

[wret]

Update: I wrote to Motegi Racing and asked about the Trak Lites. They do offer a 17x8 with a +45mm offset and a bolt pattern of 5x114.3. The fit might be a little too close for 245/40/17's. There is a vendor sell a ton of Trak Lites on ebay including a 17x8 with a +42 offset. I wrote back to Motegi to ask if this could be an error. No response yet but I'll post it if I get it.

I also wrote to Falken and asked about the possibility of an RT-615 in 245/40/17. No dice. The have a 235 and a 255 and no plans to make a 245.

Edit: That was fast. Motegi says they do NOT make a 17x8, 5x114.3 pcd Trak Lite wheel in +42 offset.

 

[drivemusicnow]

To run a 17X8 wheel you'd have to be at a 32mm or so offset correct? (thinking 245 wide tire)

Is it different for 1gs?

 

[Turbo Shogun]

I'm running a 17x8 +35 with a 235/40/17 and there's no rubbing, although I am getting very close ...

Tried running a 17x8.5 +48, and it looked like rubbage. So I returned them ... I liked those rims, too. Volk Racing GR-Cs.

 

[wret]

To run a 17X8 wheel you'd have to be at a 32mm or so offset correct? (thinking 245 wide tire)

Is it different for 1gs?

For a performance oriented 2g setup that is still a daily driver, +40mm offset is about perfect. This will leave just enough room for 245's and still keep them under the fenders (almost). I have no clue where the offset "sweet spot" is on a 1g.

 

[wret]

Update: I wrote to Motegi Racing and asked about the Trak Lites. They do offer a 17x8 with a +45mm offset and a bolt pattern of 5x114.3. The fit might be a little too close for 245/40/17's. There is a vendor sell a ton of Trak Lites on ebay including a 17x8 with a +42 offset. I wrote back to Motegi to ask if this could be an error. No response yet but I'll post it if I get it.

I also wrote to Falken and asked about the possibility of an RT-615 in 245/40/17. No dice. The have a 235 and a 255 and no plans to make a 245.

Edit: That was fast. Motegi says they do NOT make a 17x8, 5x114.3 pcd Trak Lite wheel in +42 offset.

I contacted the ebay vendor. He admitted he had made a mistake and changed the listing. +45mm

 

[jim97gst]

I also wrote to Falken and asked about the possibility of an RT-615 in 245/40/17. No dice. The have a 235 and a 255 and no plans to make a 245.

If the RT-615s are like the Azenis Sports, the 235s should be as wide or wider than most other manufacturers 245s. Although it looks like the 235 will only come in 235/40/17. That may be a shorter tire than you want to go with.

They do have 245 but in 245/45/17 which is probably too tall with typical offset and lowering.

Damn Falken. They finally come out with an Azenis Sport replacement with lots of new sizes, but not with the perfect DSM size.

 

[tstkl]

this is exactly what im looking for too, but im not sure which offset to get, i havent put much time into looking for rims since i wont be buying in the near future, but what i want is a 17x8 for my 1g, and i was thinking 255/40/17zr pirrelli pzero asimmeco/directionalias or whatever the hell they are called...it seems like on that first link (wheelweights.net or something) most of the lightest wheels are magnisium, is that a lot more expensive or something? like the "dymag callaway corvette" 17x8s they have there are 12.9 lbs, but no pcd or offset listed...and the volks below that are the same weight, but 18x8.5 wheels... mg also... so are they worth it?

 

[wret]

There are some strong cast aluminum wheels out there for a decent price. For those needing lower weight/higher strength and are willing to pay about twice as much, there is forged aluminum. From a purely dollars vs. performance gain standpoint, one would never buy magnesium wheels for DSM. The value of the wheels would probably be more than the car.

 

[tstkl]

There are some strong cast aluminum wheels out there for a decent price. For those needing lower weight/higher strength and are willing to pay about twice as much, there is forged aluminum. From a purely dollars vs. performance gain standpoint, one would never buy magnesium wheels for DSM. The value of the wheels would probably be more than the car.

your forgetting the value of these cars in the eyes of a dsmer

 

[almostquick]

what about Weld's like the Prostars or Draglites. I think they weigh around 13 lbs for a 15X7, could be wrong though.

 

[1FAST2G]

Anybody run Velox PG-5S? They are 17x7 and weigh 12.5lbs. They look exactly the same and the track lites but weigh 2lbs less per wheel. I've been wanting to get these rims for a while now. They are forged.

 

[Ludachris]

There are some strong cast aluminum wheels out there for a decent price. For those needing lower weight/higher strength and are willing to pay about twice as much, there is forged aluminum. From a purely dollars vs. performance gain standpoint, one would never buy magnesium wheels for DSM. The value of the wheels would probably be more than the car.

Has anyone here used (or heard of) CCW's? I've seen them used at a number of autoX's by a lot of Porsches and M3s. I looked them up and they price them at $1900 per set for the competition wheels. These might be the way to go - they're custom built so you should be able to specify your offset. When I'm ready for a set of track wheels, I might consider these. I don't know their weight though...

http://www.ccwheel.com/files/wheelprofiles-model.php?id=classic

 

[Flash]

Chris, those are going to be my next set of wheels. I saw them on the white, wingless Titan Motorsports Supra and they look awesome!

 

[drivemusicnow]

$1900 for wheels?!? and thats the "Track" version. Not sure what exactly the differences between the street and track are other than the centercaps and bolts...

I do think they look pretty sweet though. if only i could win a large amount of money while not doing anthing....

 

[D_Eclipse9916]

FD rims. 13 lbs. Thats a good answer for track rims. Only 200 bucks for a set too!

 

[Ludachris]

$1900 for wheels?!? and thats the "Track" version.

Well, yeah I know to DSMers, that sounds pretty expensive. But that's probably about average price for good track wheels. It's only a good price if you have the money and need good wheels I guess.

I really like the idea that I can choose my specs instead of taking whatever some manufacturer makes available for mass market production. That's worth the price to me.

 

[drivemusicnow]

FD rims. 13 lbs. Thats a good answer for track rims. Only 200 bucks for a set too!

Except they crack at times. Not that they aren't good for the price, which they are.


Luda,

Check out the team dynamics wheels I posted. They are actual racing wheels, that aren't quite as light as some others, however you basically have the option to specify exactly what you want. They are used in some of the GB racing teams (talk to Mitch, Suparata, about them)

They typically about 17-19 lbs for their different sized/backspaced wheels in a 17 inch size. I think the quote I got was 18.4 lbs for their 17x9 in a 32 offset I think... don't quote me...
Not quite as light as a true racing wheel, but very strong.

 

[Zero Bar]

If the wheel is just a little too wide, you could always get a spacer kit. Thats what I did, and no clearance issues now.

 

[ACM]

I have 18x10.5" CCWs on my 95 - they a pretty common wheel in auto-x, and, I believe, in road racing as well.

They're pretty heavy - make sure to specify the fully lightened versions when ordering. Mine were ~25lbs as delivered, dropping to about 22lbs with the additional lightening. From what I can see most of the weight is in the rim shells, exactly where you don't want it. The upside is they're bomb-proof, and are perfectly suitable for street use.

Charles

Has anyone here used (or heard of) CCW's? I've seen them used at a number of autoX's by a lot of Porsches and M3s. I looked them up and they price them at $1900 per set for the competition wheels. These might be the way to go - they're custom built so you should be able to specify your offset. When I'm ready for a set of track wheels, I might consider these. I don't know their weight though...

http://www.ccwheel.com/files/wheelprofiles-model.php?id=classic

 

[mavisky]

I don't think I've ever heard a bad thing said about CCW wheels in my life. They're a little on the pricey side, but not bad at all considering their strength and classic good looks. Not sure my bank account could support them though.

 

[bjones18]

I have 17" X 7" Motegi Trak Lites and I lovem'. They're forged so and weigh in at 14.5 Lbs. They've damn near eliminated my wheel hop and are considerably strong. ...I paid around $1500 to get them with tires mounted and balanced.

Did you change tires also? That may have had more impact on wheel hop/traction.

I am amazed at how much $$$ people will spend to save 3lbs on a wheel. The wheel is only part of unsprung weight:

Approximate numbers:
Tire: 22 lbs
Wheel 20
Knuckle 9
Bearing 7
Hub 6
Rotor 10
Caliper 10

About 84lbs without including part of the suspension component weights. So, taking 3 lbs out of your wheel results in less than 4% reduction in unsprung mass! Wheel hop frequency being sqrt (k/m) wheel hop frequency doesn't change much.

As for radius of gyration... Your tire tread is the farthest from the axis of rotation.

16 inch wheel/tires will be the light and have the lower rotating inertia and still fit over the brake package compared with 17s & 18s.

As for the cast vs forged debate... forged wheels allow thiner cross-sections. Porosity in castings require thicker rim sections to reduce air-loss through the rim WTF