Oppo Educate Me: Lightweight wheels

"Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras" (jegoingout) 07/02/2016 at 10:50 • Filed to: TIME TO LEARN

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I’ve never run wheels on any car that were drastically lighter than OEM wheels. I found a set of wheels that are 14.6 lbs, that’s quite lighter than the stock 23lb Si wheels I have now.

Are there any dangers or potiental red flags with running wheels that much lighter than stock?

Much love and thanks wise Oppo’s

MarquetteLa > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 07/02/2016 at 11:01

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You’ll be in danger of having slightly higher MPGs and slightly lower track times. GO FOR IT

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 07/02/2016 at 11:02

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Better ride compliance and less moment of inertia when accelerating.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 07/02/2016 at 11:02

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Lighter = Better

Weaker = Worse

Stronger = Better

Cheaper Quality = Worse

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 07/02/2016 at 11:03

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They will give you better performance and mileage. Maybe if they are cheap they might be less durable but if they are decent quality that wont be an issue.

Shmevans > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 07/02/2016 at 11:03

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The only dangers I can think of would be speeding tickets.

Seriously though, reducing unsprung weight on a relatively low power car is one of (if not, the) best things you can do performance-wise. Only thing you should be mindful of is that replica (reps) wheels can be made to a lesser quality and are more likely to fail randomly. Think of them as much as safety items as performance or aesthetic ones.

Have fun!

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 07/02/2016 at 11:05

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all bonuses, with the possible exception that cheap-ass light wheels may be more delicate than OEM, than again, in my experience OEM wheels are often made of soft alloys and bend like a stick of warm butter when confronted with potholes.

Shmevans > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 07/02/2016 at 11:10

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That’s the point though remember. They bend more easily and are ruined, sure, but they don’t shatter suddenly and send you over a guardrail.

sony1492 > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 07/02/2016 at 11:12

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The steering will have a little less weight to it, but there shouldnt be any danger other than the potential for cracking, and thats dependant on what rim you buy. Do research, expensive rims fail too.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 07/02/2016 at 11:29

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From strictly a physics perspective, it’s all positive. Do watch out not only for cheap wheels but for spindly ones...the narrower the spoke and the fewer of them the more likely that wheel damage would be structural. This is one reason a lot of track wheel designs (Enkei RPF1, 949 Racing 6UL) have parallel spokes...an engineering compromise between material strength and light weight.

In all honesty, the chance of cracking a spoke on the street is extremely low. That said, keeping the diameter down and choosing a design with more spokes from a reputable brand keeps it lower still.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Shmevans 07/02/2016 at 11:37

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safety, shmafety. I want my wheels to fail in a hail of hardened-alloy shards!

Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 07/02/2016 at 11:44

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Just remember the triangle of wheels:

Light

Strong

Cheap

Pick two.

petebmwm > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 07/02/2016 at 11:44

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what kind of wheel are you looking at? odds are one of can tell you about it.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > petebmwm 07/02/2016 at 11:55

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Ill be posting the options in another post, I’m still browsing for now