Wheel weight, will I notice it?
 

I'm looking to upgrade to a 18x8.5 square setup, with Enkei RPF1 or Rays 57Xtreme's being my options.

After a bit of homework, it looks like the Enkei's weigh in around 18.5 lbs and the Rays 20.4 lbs. If I recall correctly, the stock wheel/tire combo is around 43lbs so hopefully i'll be at or under it with either setup?

FYI, I'm not racing this car often so I'm only concerned that the driving feel will be noticeably changed. Appreciate any feedback

Can someone confirm the stock weight being 43 lbs? IIRC stock wheels are 20.6 and tires are 20 lbs.

You might notice the feel but you aren't likely to notice in objective performance. Not from the weight anyways

You'll probably feel some differences like slightly heavier steering, and more grip (depending on tires), maybe slightly slower acceleration, but most of that I would say would be due to just getting wider wheels more than the weight of the wheels themselves.

Looks like you're correct. Around 41lbs or less.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18950


I could go with the RPF1, they just don't seem to go as well with the Asphalt color, which in my opinion the hardest one to select wheels for.

I have a good range of wheels, from Meisters that are more almost 10kg, to se37ks that are 6.6, and ssr's that are 4.9.

It is noticeable, but it's not massive.

I wouldn't spend thousands chasing a wheel that's slightly lighter, put it that way. Get the lightest you can.

This should be evaluated properly if there's not a lot of wheel/tire change experience.

Even without moving the car, you can feel a big difference between 215 contact patch and 235+ contact patch.

In the end, the wheel weight differences depend on what you're using to evaluate, and what the rest of your car is going to be like. Significantly heavier on stock shocks? You'll know. Minimal weight gain or slight loss, and JRZ coilovers? You'll know. But there's a large gray area in between that may not make any difference at all.

And more importantly OP: do you have enough driving skills to know the difference between a 45lb wheel/tire setup, vs a 50lb wheel/tire setup?

-alex

Honestly, no I do not. Which is why I am hoping to stick around stock or slightly less. I think the Rays look a helluva lot better than the RPF1, which is enough to get me to spend my hard earned money. I just don't want to feel like I'm driving a Corolla all of the sudden.