rims weights and power

[Bart001]

Does anyone know if its true you get 1 hp for ever 1lb you take outta the rim weight...
If soo.. does anyone know the weight of the aluminum rims on a 95GT... and any Light replacement rims?

[bobgagt]

My 17's are real light... 16lbs a piece... I'm not sure how it weighs out hp wise and or if it makes a difference....

[Azrael]

The more mass the axle has to turn equals less power put to the ground. I doubt you'll make HP gains from switching to lighter rims but you can see a difference in 1/4 times. Some aftermarket rims are heavyier than the stock ones. But can be offset with performance tires which are usually considerably lighter than all seasons.

A good post about this was made at GAGT.com here: http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37003

[Matt95GT]

Originally posted by bobgagt
My 17's are real light... 16lbs a piece...

Ditto. ;)

92-95 GT 16" 5-spokes weighed in at 40 lbs. each with stock sized tire. My 'lightweight' 17's with 215/45/17 tires weigh in at 38 lbs. each. The less rotational mass the better, however I wouldn't expect any gains nor would I get them specificly to quicken my acceleration. (well, unless you downsize to lightweight 14's with drag radials or something) My goal was to decrease sidewall flex by going to a larger wheel and lower profile tire while not adding significant weight. It seems it worked out well... the car seems to perform about the same, but adds some more ability in the twisties. :thumbup:

[bobgagt]

Originally posted by Matt95GT
My goal was to decrease sidewall flex by going to a larger wheel and lower profile tire while not adding significant weight. It seems it worked out well... the car seems to perform about the same, but adds some more ability in the twisties. :thumbup:

And plus, they look HOT! :D

[Rayz]

Originally posted by Matt95GT
Ditto. ;)

My goal was to decrease sidewall flex by going to a larger wheel and lower profile tire while not adding significant weight. It seems it worked out well... the car seems to perform about the same, but adds some more ability in the twisties. :thumbup:
It also helps reduce unsprung weight. Less unsprung weight results in better handling, braking and steering, all of which can help the car go faster, particularly in turns and over bumps.

[schweppe23]

every pound you decrease in wheel weight is equiv. to pulling 4 pounds off the body. My 17's are 13.5 pounds apiece. I think with my tire rim combo i saved like 3 pounds at each corner. Thats like pulling 50lbs out of the car. I like to think it helped some ;)

[TA^Guy]

One can't honestly say that one pound of unsprung weigh results in one hp because each motor and vehicle is different.

I'm sure removing one pound of unsprung weight will result in 1hp on a 80hp car.

Same goes for reducing one pound from a wheel that weights 60pounds.

Some will also say for every 100 pounds you remove from the car is like getting 10hp. Each vehicle will differ.
Originally posted by schweppe23
every pound you decrease in wheel weight is equiv. to pulling 4 pounds off the body. My 17's are 13.5 pounds apiece. I think with my tire rim combo i saved like 3 pounds at each corner. Thats like pulling 50lbs out of the car. I like to think it helped some ;)
:agree:

[Pte Socks]

Hmm, ive been looking into rims myself. I just dont really know what is leightweight and what is not. Im looking at 17's and 18's and originally, around 18-19lbs. I dont want ot increas my weight and want to decreas it as much as possible. Any ideas on some good looking rims that are pretty lightweight that dont cost me a fortune. Rims are pretty much low priority for me, but they would be nice to know about.

[schweppe23]

centerline rpms

[Azrael]

13.5 lbs a rim is nice...the one's I ordered are 22.5 lbs! I hope the tires I get keep things at least even with the stock weight.

[voyager]

i just installed rota slipstreams a week ago - 13.5lbs each in 16" - i only payed $500 shipped from machiii.net.

what did you pay for your centerlines schweppe? i kinda wanted 17's for the handling difference, but lightweight ones i looked at were out of my price range.

you won't 'gain' any horsepower with lightweight rims.. but you'll get better power transfer. you might call it 'effective' hp gain; if you can knock off .05s from your 60ft time, it's just as good as having 10 more hp at the crank.

i've seen a noticeable difference in off-the-line acceleration and although i want to wait and get more data, my mpg looks like it's increased by about 1 in the city. handling feels more responsive.

[bobgagt]

Voyager you got any pics?

[voyager]

hmm.. this site (http://www.machv.com/centerlinerpm.html) says the centerlines are 14.6lbs each, and um.. well, way out of my price range. kick butt rims though. very nice.

i only have one shoddy pic right now.. i'll post a better one sometime tomorrow once the sun returns. car is filthy, needs new lugnuts, axle bolt is to be ground down to allow centercap fitment, etc.. anyway here's my car:
http://tinypic.com/1j857k

[TA^Guy]

voyager they don't look too bad but I think I'd put some white reflective rim tape around the outter edge or something.
Originally posted by Neo-Blue99GASE
Hmm, ive been looking into rims myself. I just dont really know what is leightweight and what is not. Im looking at 17's and 18's and originally, around 18-19lbs. I dont want ot increas my weight and want to decreas it as much as possible. Any ideas on some good looking rims that are pretty lightweight that dont cost me a fortune. Rims are pretty much low priority for me, but they would be nice to know about.
If your really worried about wieght that much purchase a 15 or 16" wheel. The larger you go the heavier they get.

[Pte Socks]

Yea, I have a problem, I want 17's or 18's if I could get them, but I also dont want to add any rotational mass and increase my times. So basically, from what everyone is saying, I should look at a nice 17" rim that weighs roughly 17-18 lbs or so. That with some nice BF KDWS's be a good combo for looks and performance.

[DontPassTheFence]

Originally posted by voyager
hmm.. this site (http://www.machv.com/centerlinerpm.html) says the centerlines are 14.6lbs each, and um.. well, way out of my price range. kick butt rims though. very nice.

i only have one shoddy pic right now.. i'll post a better one sometime tomorrow once the sun returns. car is filthy, needs new lugnuts, axle bolt is to be ground down to allow centercap fitment, etc.. anyway here's my car:
http://tinypic.com/1j857k

I love your car sooo much! I almost has a Z in my hands, thats my second fav car next to the 96-98 GAGTs.
Get on of those that had the Quad, wooo hooo!
Its really all about the Quad engines. GM actually did something right there.

[matts]

my theory.......have enough horsepower that you don't have to worry about wheel weight :P


but just in case i want to shave a few pounds i've got some Weld Draglite's in the shed. just need to be cleaned up with a nice set of DOT dragslicks wrapped around them


for a truck i know, shut up