Is 12lb total difference in weight going to affect a lot?
 

So I am looking at some wheel that weights 20 lbs. This is my option 1.

My option 2 has 23 lbs, so total difference for a set of 4 would be 12 lbs.

Will 12 lbs make a difference a lot?

What's ideal wheel weight for BRZ?

Maybe you can feel it but it won't change much. Lighter should be better but in tests I've seen, the difference was much smaller than I'd ever imagine. Probably don't want to go heavier than stock though.

More is always better. More weight in the corners would give better rotational mass to keep the speed higher and stay that way for longer.
They should have come at least in at 25 lbs OEM but due to average fuel economy standard laws, they had to go lighter.

More cheese. More money. More rotating mass. End conversation

You aren't going to take a half second off of your 0-60 times with a lighter wheel, and you likely won't improve your lap times by much either unless you're already fairly experienced.

HOWEVER, even a complete n00b will notice a few pounds of difference in wheel weight at highway speeds. Spinning wheels generate a lot of rotational inertia. You know how the wheels on a bicycle keep you upright when you're moving? Or how a gyroscope can be balanced on your finger when it's spinning, and resists your attempts to knock it over? That's what your wheels are doing when they're spinning. Heavier wheels/tires exaggerate that force, which results in a heavier steering feel.

I remember back when I was using cheap, heavy steelies for my winter tires, just how big of a difference it made. At higher than city speeds, it felt like the power steering was dying. It's not a HUGE difference, and it won't really affect anything in your DD, but it DOES detract from the "light and nimble" feel of the car when the steering gets harder to turn, as it feels like the car is less interested in darting back and forth.

Will it make a difference? Of course. Will you be able to tell? I have no idea how sensitive your butt dyno is, but chances are, no.

Ideal weight for what?






The ideal weight for:


Value = heavy


Track = The lightest and strongest wheel


DD = What ever you can justify/afford.


I spent more on my tires than I did my wheels. $1000 > $700 They weigh approx. 20lbs each. They are a little heavier than stock, but look fantastic, are wider, and are 18's which have more tires available. I chose MPSS.

I'm surprised people are playing along.

Stang70Fastback: THE biggest feel change with winter tires probably came from (possibly) their higher side profile and more then probably from much softer compound & sidewalls. Even on very same wheel most winter and all season tires will rob lot of steering sharpness.
Lighter wheels can be felt a bit and they can improve performance a bit .. but only slightly. In many cases below what they may cost. From another viewpoint though .. if one decides to change wheels anyway for looks reason, to add some individual touch, why not look for if new wheels will be lighter too to reasonable extent? (forged wheels, even while the lightest, rarely are worth their high price. But lighter cast wheels .. or used forged ones in good condition .. why not?)

You should ask yourself this question WITH tire weights included.

Tires make a bigger difference if you are nitpicking.

Good Samaritan Syndrome?
Haven't read all the other threads?

Hey it's our new favorite person khcho19 :popcorn:

now i miss that dude who used to ask random questions that made you fall off your chair..........I just don't seem to remember his name >__>

ludwigMUTHAFUCKINmiles

There is a very big difference, though, between steering weight, and steering response. I'm talking about the former; you're talking about the latter. You're absolutely right. The softer winter compound, combined with taller, siped tread blocks, and a taller, softer sidewall, add up to very "mushy" feeling with a huge delay in the vehicle's response to steering input.

However, that doesn't make the steering wheel harder to turn. In fact, it actually makes it easier to turn, as the forces being imparted back through the steering wheel build up more gradually (and also have far lower limits due to the lower lateral grip.) I'm referring to the steering effort required, not the actual response to a given degree of steering input.

The steelies were heavy (IIRC, 25 lb vs my stock wheels, which are 18.4 lb - as I have a Series.Blue), and the overall difference in weight resulted in a very noticeable increase in the amount of steering effort required at higher speeds, due to the increased rotational inertia.

I don't disagree with you. I have three sets of wheels. My stock 17x7 wheels are 18.4 lb. When I bought some summer DD wheels, I went up to 18x9. I wanted to keep it relatively light, but looks also mattered, and for DD use, I wasn't going to lose sleep over a few lb, so I bought wheels that weigh 20 lb. I'm happy with that, as it's still lighter than the stock wheels (though they're larger, so the weight is technically a bit further out, where it counts for more... not to mention that the 255/35R18 tires are a few lb heavier as well.) When I bought my autocross wheels, I stuck with 17x9, and bought wheels that weigh 17.4 lb, where the extra weight would be noticeable in a sport that's basically endless back-and-forth sawing of the wheel.

It's all about priorities. I was just answering his question about whether or not there was a noticeable difference :)