I have read some about the weight of wheels and its influence on acceleration. When I purchased my car a little over a year ago, it came with Enkei Aegis wheels (specs in sig). I love the way they look, but when I looked them up online, I found that they are 24 lbs each. If I remember correctly, the stock FD wheels only weigh around 16 lbs each. I have heard people say that unsprung weight huts performance 4 times as much as sprung weight. Also, I know getting bigger wheels means you add wider tires as well which I would assume would be heavier. Also going with a smaller diameter would bring the weight closer to the center, and thus easier to rotate.

My question then is: If I were to buy new wheels which were around 16 lbs and 17 inches in diameter, would I notice a significant performance increase? Obviously, I would need something wide enough in the back (at least 9.5) because otherwise, I would have no traction. If you assume that the weight of my tires wouldn't change (even though sizing would be different), I would lose 6 lbs of unsprung weight per corner. Using the 4x methodology, I would lose 24 lbs of weight per corner which equals 96 lbs total. I would think that this would be quite significant.

Those of you who have gone from stock wheels to aftermarket or from heavy *** aftermarket wheels to light performance wheels, do you notice any performance gain/loss? How much change in weight was made per corner?

Thanks in advance for the info!

 

I really don't think it makes enough difference on the street. To me, the bling factor is more important on the street than the small amounts of performance I am losing. For the track I would use the stockers. In your case, in which I have seen the sickness of your car, you should consider buying wheels such as the CCW wheels for track use. You can get 18x10 at all four corners. If you don't plan on tracking the car, I really don't think the ends justify the means.

 

i know my gram lights weigh considerably more than the stockers, but i really can't feel a major drop in performance. the car feels 'heavier' driving down the road, but it feels more solid on the hghway. as far as straight line, i can't really tell. it still spins the 285's in 2nd with no prob, so they can't be too heavy

 

I think a big difference (5+ lbs) in wheel+tire weight is noticeable, and not in a subtle way. However, you are going to end up with something heavier than stock if you need more rubber -- a reality we cannot escape. Acceleration is not the only effect, and it isn't even the most important if your car makes a lot of power. Ride comfort suffers substantially with heavy wheel+tire assemblies, and handling (grip when the surface is a little bumpy) also suffers.

My wheel+tires are heavier than stock. I wish they weren't but I need more rubber, so there's nothing I can do about it.

-Max

 

I have heard that 1lb of rotating weight is comparable to 10lbs of non-rotating weight. Seems plausable to me, because I noticed a difference in drag times going from wheels with a variance of a few lbs.

 

I personally believe the ratio to be between 1:1 and 1:2 (IOW: it isn't 10:1), but I still think it is rather noticeable when I switch between my different wheels. It isn't a subtle difference. Related story: I don't know how much the Olds Aurora wheels weigh, but I once drove a friend's Aurora and the wheel weight was a bit of a holy-crap factor for me. This wasn't a local-circuit run, either, it was just to go buy beer for the evening.

-Max

 

I seem to remember a post by goodfellaFD3S in which he found himself driving on his stock wheels instead of his blingin' Fikses. He posted that he could definitely tell a difference not just in acceleration but general feel of the car with the heavier Fikses, it just felt that little bit slower. He noticed this just driving "normally", he didn't have to go to a dragstrip or roadcourse to notice.

 

You guys can do a search for my recent Toyo/Enkei review in this section. I compared feel between the 38 lb stockers and the 43-45 lb Toyo/Enkei combo.

As a brief summary, yes it is quite noticeable in daily street driving.

 

I'm still considering this issue. I may be able to get some 17x9.5s SSR Competitions which weigh around 16 lbs. If anyone has further feedback, please post up!

 

Had this setup, except with 8.5 wides up front with 245/45-17 and 9.5 wides rear with 275/40-17s. Tires were Hoosier R3S03s. Going 9.5 wides all around with 255/40-17 or 275/40-17 will be ideal for quick laptimes. You won't find a lighter wheel than the SSR Competition. Matched with a Hoosier R3S03--you won't fine a lighter/stickier wheel/tire combination. There's a reason why you see Grand Am Cup BMW E46 M3s with these wheels. They're light, strong, and relatively inexpensive (compared with Volks).

 

Not an FD, but went from stockers about 27# for just the wheel to lighter GAB Sport @ 15# a wheel.

I don't recall feeling any significant change in acceleration, but the "reaction" of the suspension was very noticable.
This pretty much mimics the thread started by rynberg about the Toyo/Enkei combo.
I've swapped back and forth a few times between the wheel sets, and the change is significant.

The car just reacts faster with the lighter wheels.
Bump and dips in the road would illicit a "thud" from the heavier wheels, but a "bang" from the lighter wheels.
The chassis would change directions in transitions a lot faster with the lighter wheels.
Versus the heavier wheels, it seems the car would hesistate for a split second before progressively changing direction.
I managed to get a lot of good data on the two sets, as I was driving them on almost identical roads over weeks on each stretch.



-Ted

 

KEEP THE AEGIS'S!!! They look so friggin sweet on your FD, Piano Prodigy.

When I went from the wheels my car came with (American Ricing 15's ) to my current wheels (sig) I noticed an ever so slight difference in the way the car felt. It wasn't a whole lot different but those AR's weighed a whole hell of a lot more than my current ARBET's.

 

The Aegis are my fav FD wheel, but they only come in a friggin 8.5"!!!

if they had a 9.5, thats what I would have on my ride. Its about 250-300EA to have them widened :-(

 

One of my old roomates had an integra he put some bling-blingin' 18' chrome rims on. His car was noticably way slower.

 

Actually, they come in a few sizes including 10" and 9.5" which is what I have. Below is a link:

http://streetdreams.org/display.php?...40302ac0142bb3

 

The lighter the car is, the more you will notice. If you shave 5lbs per corner, it is akin to approximately a 40lb. weight reduction. Not extremely noticeable, but the handling of the car will become lighter.

The Miata crowd **** bricks over 2-3lbs, so if you can get lighter rims, go for it. SSR Comps are great rims, BTW.

 

um but you also drop Rotating Mass as well........

 

I notice a big difference b/w the stockers and my SSR comps (17x8.5 and 17x9.5). It's not only the wheel weight differece to be concerned with, but the tire weight as well. I have potenza S03's (I've heard that they are heavy... never weighed them). So even though I have light rims, the extra wieght of the rubber is quite noticable.

 

I agree. The heavier rubber is at the perimeter of the rotating mass. Therefore it takes more energy to get it moving, turn it, and to slow it down.