[SheVroomsThrough03]

alright guys, so i've browsed google and the search feature here, have 2 questions 1 of which has been partially answered but still a tad confused hope you guys can help clear this up.
my SVT wheels are over 20lbs, a set of wheels im looking at are barely over 14lbs.
1:will the lighter wheel be easily bent?
2: has anyone else here ran a substantially lighter wheel and noticed a dramatic difference in mpg, and or take-off/acceleration
i think i copy&pasted this right, but these are the wheels in question
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Whee...se&filterNew=All&filterWeight=All&sort=Weight

 

[rambleon84]

There is plenty to read up on lighter weight wheels on the net.
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=108

Also plenty to read on how the wheel is made, not all lighter wheels are created equal
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=90 (id assume the wheels you linked to are gravity cast wheels)

Same for wheel/tire size
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/effects-of-upsized-wheels-and-tires-tested

the tires you use can make a difference too, i have seen the same size tires +/- a couple of pounds different.




If you do 100% highway driving, you will not notice much if any difference in mpg/acceleration. You will probably feel more road bumps and imperfections as a heavy wheel will adsorb the road more. If you are doing all city driving and track events, lighter will make more of an impact in those metrics.

 

[thenorm]

alright guys, so i've browsed google and the search feature here, have 2 questions 1 of which has been partially answered but still a tad confused hope you guys can help clear this up.
my SVT wheels are over 20lbs, a set of wheels im looking at are barely over 14lbs.
1:will the lighter wheel be easily bent?
2: has anyone else here ran a substantially lighter wheel and noticed a dramatic difference in mpg, and or take-off/acceleration

TR wheels are tirerack in house brand. essentially cheap lighter knockoffs. I havent heard of any problems with quality.

considering your high 1st gear, you will notice extra acceleration due to the lower weight.

I disagree with RambleOn. i think a lighter wheel (lower unsprung weight) will lessen road impacts, as the springs and dampers dont have to work as hard to control tire movements.

I've noticed when switchin from my heavy summer wheels to my tiny winter wheels that the whole car is more comfortable and is more sprightly.

 

[sailor]

Those wheels were just introduced this year, odd to see them as a closeout so soon.

Yes, how they're made has a large effect on strength. Light & strong requires more expensive production methods.

For the best results when it's bumpy, you want to reduce "unsprung weight". That's anything which ISN'T supported by the car's springs, like wheels/tires - brakes - suspension. Solid rear axle on RWD cars is an example of a LOT of unsprung weight, so much momentum involved there it can't follow the bumps well & tends to hop/bounce.

Reducing rotational weight (mass) helps with acceleration/deceleration as there's less power needed to spin it up to speed or slow it down. Heavier wheels need more HP/better brakes to respond at the same rate as lighter ones.

Norm & rambleon are both correct IMHO, just referring to different circumstances & feelings. A heavy wheel has enough momentum to keep small bumps isolated to the tire, so less is felt in the car. Once you get to the larger ones however, a lighter wheel moves easier so the suspension can do a better job of absorbing the impact & keeping the wheel following the road surface with less force transmitted to the car body.

 

[Levi05]

Norm & rambleon are both correct IMHO, just referring to different circumstances & feelings. A heavy wheel has enough momentum to keep small bumps isolated to the tire, so less is felt in the car. Once you get to the larger ones however, a lighter wheel moves easier so the suspension can do a better job of absorbing the impact & keeping the wheel following the road surface with less force transmitted to the car body.

I agree with this too.

Also, if you switch from 17s to 16s (but keep same tire diameter) you can get more air and rubber between the road and your wheel. That'll better protect your wheels from damage, make the ride more comfortable, and may make it handle better.
It'll also move the aluminum mass 1/2inch closer to the axle, thereby reducing the power needed to rotate the wheel.[race]

I switched from 16s to 15s, saved about 40lbs. It made it less jarring over bumps and had no negative affects on handling. I like it.

 

[SheVroomsThrough03]

ok awesome replies! so my thoughts are about accurate. lighter is better, but cheaper = cheap quality. smaller rim + bigger tire = better odds at not losing to a mild pot hole. but what thenorm said about the TR wheels make me nervous, i also worry if i corner to hard on cheaper wheels, that might warp/bend them? is that a ridiculous thought? otherwise looks like im going for a lighter 16" from my 21.5lb svt 17" wheels. but think i might steer clear of the mentioned rim above.

 

[mac.mogul]

You won't "warp" a wheel and its going to take an impact of some kind to bend it.

As long as you're not jumping curbs or diving into potholes, lighter wheels will be fine.

 

[rambleon84]

You won't "warp" a wheel and its going to take an impact of some kind to bend it.

As long as you're not jumping curbs or diving into potholes, lighter wheels will be fine.

Right, I have lighter forged wheels and lighter cast wheels. Both have seen plenty of bumps and normal driving conditions (aka, not perfect roads and things id rather have avoided if i could,) no bends/cracks.

 

[sailor]

The 17" size has a good selection of performance tires avail., good for a dedicated Summer set.

When I threw SVT wheels on mine there wasn't much availability of performance tires for the light 15"s I'd been looking at, that situation has improved recently.

 

[felixthecat]

Lighter unsprung weight= is what you want. You can do that w/ lighter brakes, 2 piece rotors, calipers, tubular A-arms, ect. It all adds up. Don't forget about tire weight.

 

[SheVroomsThrough03]

The 17" size has a good selection of performance tires avail., good for a dedicated Summer set.

When I threw SVT wheels on mine there wasn't much availability of performance tires for the light 15"s I'd been looking at, that situation has improved recently.

yes, but performance isn't really what im going for at the moment, im just tired of going from 15-20mph to having to dramatically slow down to 3-4mph over speedbumps in parking lots.or sudden low spots and or pot holes on the road and hear that instant metal clang sound, be it from my down pipe, or the rim pinching the tire and hitting asphalt. i know im not gonna fly through a pot hole @ 55mph with a 16" rim, but at least i can better cushion the bump with more room to have a thicker tire. currently running Good year Eagle RSA tires. i love'em for around here in York PA. did great last winter, does nice in the rain, and all the back roads here, i feel confident in these tires. they might not be the best, but i enjoy them for $120 per.

 

[sailor]

Must be the downpipe....

Wheel won't make that noise.

Only mentioned performance tire selection because you were looking for lighter weight 17's to start, and asking about bending wheels with high speed cornering.

that doesn't imply grocery getter all seasons on smaller rims for easy driving...


Now if you were looking for winter wheels I might not have thought about performance tires at all.

 

[thenorm]

You won't "warp" a wheel and its going to take an impact of some kind to bend it.

As long as you're not jumping curbs or diving into potholes, lighter wheels will be fine.

exactly. i would only be concerned with breaking wheels in Rally racing situations. i bet your driving is perfectly acceptable for TR wheels.

another benefit of the cheaper TR wheels is that on the off chance that you happen to bend one, it wont cost much to replace.

 

[SheVroomsThrough03]

exactly. i would only be concerned with breaking wheels in Rally racing situations. i bet your driving is perfectly acceptable for TR wheels.

another benefit of the cheaper TR wheels is that on the off chance that you happen to bend one, it wont cost much to replace.

i had 3 bent SVT wheels, 2 of which i know my wife did because she doesn't understand its not her Explorer, even blew a tire out from one of the incidents. and the 3rd wheel i dont know if i bought it that way or what? but i've already replaced 1 wheel and tire. before i realized, "wow, i could get lighter wheels as a better performer, and make'em smaller for bigger tires to be a better shock absorber.

 

[mac.mogul]

Or get a new wife...

 

[sailor]

^^^^ but that's MORE expensive....

I DID eventually convince mine that running a tire flat was why it popped.


Long time ago now...

 

[Blue5ive]

Forgot wether or not all 16" wheels will clear the svt front brakes?

 

[felixthecat]

Forgot wether or not all 16" wheels will clear the svt front brakes?

IK the stock 16'' alloys will. Not sure about others.

 

[sailor]

!5" - only a few fit over SVT brakes

16" - Should be OK