Do lightweight wheels make the car faster?

[Gunman]

Originally Posted by nextcar

3) Light wheels can flex more contributing to slower lap times - ideally you want very strong, light wheels.

At a former team that I worked for, we tested different wheels, and with multiple drivers, running multiple laps, and not telling the driver which wheels were on the car. The lap times, and driver feedback showed a clear difference in how the car reacted to different wheels, stiffness being the difference.

[DAEMANO]

Originally Posted by Gunman

At a former team that I worked for, we tested different wheels, and with multiple drivers, running multiple laps, and not telling the driver which wheels were on the car. The lap times, and driver feedback showed a clear difference in how the car reacted to different wheels, stiffness being the difference.

Seconded. Everything that I've read suggest the same. STRONG wheels are the fastest. Light mostly only countss if also strong (unsprung weight matters though, so LIGHT + STRONG is best).

[Yardjass]

Too bad there isn't a whole lot of info out there on how rigid different lightweight wheels are relative to each other. I'd love to see if you lose anything when you for example, go RPF1 over one of the slightly heavier but still relatively lightweight options. Also, I'm sure the differences between Roturds, XXR's, and the real wheels they're copying would be entertaining to say the least.

[cjny]

It makes sense that stiffness would be important, but stiffness and strength are not the same thing. Strength tells you how hard you can abuse your wheels before they break or permanently bend. Stiffness tells you how much the wheel flexes during cornering.

[reeves]

Originally Posted by Impureclient

In 2000, there was a recall for SUV tires they made for Ford Explorers.

As far as those new Indy 500s, there isn't a negative review online and I've been reading through everything I could find online.
Either people like them or love them who have used them. Pretty sure that's what I'm trying next.

Recalled only after almost 50 deaths, resulting from tread separation from the tire. After several investigations & a Senate hearing, it was found that Firestone knew about the problem dating back to 1994, but tried to hide it. They even admitted to ramping up production to "dilute the failure rate".

Ford didn't help either with their initial recommended tire pressure of 26 psi, to give the Explorer a more 'comfortable' ride.. which resulted in more wear & flexing of the sidewalls, leading to overheated tires.

Sorry didn't mean to derail this thread.. I just knew someone who was almost hurt in an accident from those bad Firestone tires, so I still get worked up thinking about it.

The Firehawk does look promising, so I hope it works for you. I do hope Firestone has cleaned up their act, but I'll be waiting to spend my money on the new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S.

[nikitopo]

Originally Posted by Gunman

At a former team that I worked for, we tested different wheels, and with multiple drivers, running multiple laps, and not telling the driver which wheels were on the car. The lap times, and driver feedback showed a clear difference in how the car reacted to different wheels, stiffness being the difference.

Originally Posted by DAEMANO

Seconded. Everything that I've read suggest the same. STRONG wheels are the fastest. Light mostly only countss if also strong (unsprung weight matters though, so LIGHT + STRONG is best).

Originally Posted by Yardjass

Too bad there isn't a whole lot of info out there on how rigid different lightweight wheels are relative to each other. I'd love to see if you lose anything when you for example, go RPF1 over one of the slightly heavier but still relatively lightweight options. Also, I'm sure the differences between Roturds, XXR's, and the real wheels they're copying would be entertaining to say the least.

Yes, you are right. The stiffness of the rim is extremely important. Personally, I want to focus on cornering and I have a very stiff and high strength rim (Enkei RS05).

Regarding the question on the RPF1, you can find such information in Enkei's Japan site (http://www.enkei.co.jp/). Here are some comparisons between different rims:

RPF1


RS05

[churchx]

Of course, ones with higher budget can get forged wheels that are both as strong/stiff as stiffer cast wheels, yet weight as much or less as lightest cast ones. Win-win everywhere but at wallet.

[cueball89]

Enkei did some rigidity testing a few years ago with 2 sets of the same wheel. One set was lightened by approximately 4lbs.

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=479110