Why you want light wheels
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Why you want light wheels
I was doing some research with some formulas. If you have a 15" steel wheel vs a 15" aluminum wheel you save over 14 lbs each which mutlpy by four that is 56lbs
Wheels are rotating mass/unsprung weight. Every 1 lb reduction in rotating mass is equivalent to an approximately 8 lb reduction in static weight. With lighter weight wheels, you will benefit from increased fuel savings, quicker braking, improved tire wear and better acceleration
Also I read that every 100lbs is like 10% more fuel economy.
Wheels are rotating mass/unsprung weight. Every 1 lb reduction in rotating mass is equivalent to an approximately 8 lb reduction in static weight. With lighter weight wheels, you will benefit from increased fuel savings, quicker braking, improved tire wear and better acceleration
Also I read that every 100lbs is like 10% more fuel economy.
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Wtf? 8 lbs of static weight?! I thought it was just 4...nice!
That would make my theoretical weight savings of 200 or so instead of 100
That would make my theoretical weight savings of 200 or so instead of 100
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Originally Posted by Whaazup17
Also I read that every 100 lbs is like 10% more fuel economy.
100% increase on 15mpg car would be 30mpg.
100% increase on 30mpg car would be 60mpg.
100% increase on 60mpg car would be 120mpg.
You could do this with a 3,800 lb car, make it into a 800 lb car, and get 120 mpg? No.
Somewhere, it breaks down, because gas mileage isn't entirely dependent on the car's weight. ESPECIALLY not highway mileage.
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Originally Posted by Whaazup17
I was doing some research with some formulas. If you have a 15" steel wheel vs a 15" aluminum wheel you save over 14 lbs each which mutlpy by four that is 56lbs
Wheels are rotating mass/unsprung weight. Every 1 lb reduction in rotating mass is equivalent to an approximately 8 lb reduction in static weight. With lighter weight wheels, you will benefit from increased fuel savings, quicker braking, improved tire wear and better acceleration
Also I read that every 100lbs is like 10% more fuel economy.
Wheels are rotating mass/unsprung weight. Every 1 lb reduction in rotating mass is equivalent to an approximately 8 lb reduction in static weight. With lighter weight wheels, you will benefit from increased fuel savings, quicker braking, improved tire wear and better acceleration
Also I read that every 100lbs is like 10% more fuel economy.
A great start, but not entirely accurate.
Wheel manufacturers should list wheel's moments of inertia (basically, a measurement of resistance to rotation) along with static mass. I'm really surprised that this is not done, although it might put a damper on the movement towards larger and larger wheels. A wheel that is lighter than a smaller diameter wheel can have an adverse effect on acceleration/ braking (ie, changes in angular speed) if the amount of mass is concentrated further from the axis of rotation. This effect is increased by the square of its distance.
Strictly speaking, a reduction in the total mass of the wheel will improve suspension response, but it is important to factor in inertia too.
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