Wheel weight choices

1fast03pony

1fast03pony

Member
Jul 1, 2003
749
0
17
New york
#1
Yep, another wheel thread

I love the FR500's and the steeda ultralite II's

However the steeda ultralite II's 18" only come in 18x9.5, and I want an 18x10 wheel in the back for my 295/35/18 Kuhmos

The FR500s are something like 30lbs each...
Steedas are around 22lbs

Is this a huge difference in performance?
Where the hell can I find decent wheels for my mustang that are lighter?

but the fr500 deep dishes :drool:

wish they were lighter :(
 
#2
Every one lb of rotational mass is really like adding 10 lbs of weight to the car. So get the lightest wheels you can get, because an 8 lb difference is huge. I had a big set of chrome wheels on my car (18's) and they were so heavy, not a performance wheel at all, I downgraded to a stock set of 15 inch mustang wheels and the difference was night and day! I ditched those cause they looked like hell and got a set of 17" bullets, and I am happy with those, but going from the 15 to the 17 I noticed a loss in acceleration.
 
#3
You noticed a loss in acceleration most probably because the overall diamater of the wheel+tire was smaller, thus giving you more effective gear. You also have to remember tires have weight too, its not just the wheel.

If you think about it this way, 1 lb of unsprung weight is about 3 lbs of sprung weight and 1 lb of rotational mass is 10 lbs of sprung mass. And 100 lbs lighter is about 0.1 faster in the quarter. Now Each of the wheels are about 10 lbs heavier, plus you will have a bit wider of a tire, which adds weight, so 10 lbs is a good measure. Thats about 400 lbs of effective weiht or almost half a second in the quarter by getting heavy rims over light ones.
 
#5
if you increase the overall height of the wheel tire combo then that is like going to a numerically lower gear ratio. so you want to keep the overall height the same with 18's as you would with 17's

one major problem with the bigger rims is the loss of sidewall. this hurts traction off the line.
 
#6
Meh, i say go for what you like and what looks good. My car has heavy ass chrome 18" chrome cobra r's and i still managed a 13.86@101. I really doubt that with stock 17's id be .5 faster like ponysarepretty said. C'mon now, a 13.36 pass with an x-pipe and catback? I wish but no dice on that one. I could see maybe a 13.6 with stock light 17's, but not that big of a difference
 
#7
ponysarepretty said:
You noticed a loss in acceleration most probably because the overall diamater of the wheel+tire was smaller, thus giving you more effective gear. You also have to remember tires have weight too, its not just the wheel.

If you think about it this way, 1 lb of unsprung weight is about 3 lbs of sprung weight and 1 lb of rotational mass is 10 lbs of sprung mass. And 100 lbs lighter is about 0.1 faster in the quarter. Now Each of the wheels are about 10 lbs heavier, plus you will have a bit wider of a tire, which adds weight, so 10 lbs is a good measure. Thats about 400 lbs of effective weiht or almost half a second in the quarter by getting heavy rims over light ones.
Click to expand...
That sounds right on paper, but in reality, there are more factors to consider than that. Switching over to a set of wheels and tires alone that weight an additional 10lbs a piece isn't going to knock a half second of your time. I'd bet it would equal to half of that in reality.
 
#8
I ran 17x9 cobra rs at the track with 275/40s and ran a 14.0 then i got a saleen 18x10 out back and ran a 14.8 which was the best of 4 runs so you can see the performance difference. I am also looking to sell my saleens and run a lighter 17 or 18 this summer unless i get the 2001 cobra vert:D i want because then i wont be able to run at the track. but i really dont think having a 18x10 helps out for nothin unless say yur running like 450+ rwhp to gain traction at the track with drag radials. They look great but performance wise go for somethin around 20lbs a piece a rim.
 
#9
Dope 97GT said:
I ran 17x9 cobra rs at the track with 275/40s and ran a 14.0 then i got a saleen 18x10 out back and ran a 14.8 which was the best of 4 runs so you can see the performance difference. I am also looking to sell my saleens and run a lighter 17 or 18 this summer unless i get the 2001 cobra vert:D i want because then i wont be able to run at the track. but i really dont think having a 18x10 helps out for nothin unless say yur running like 450+ rwhp to gain traction at the track with drag radials. They look great but performance wise go for somethin around 20lbs a piece a rim.
Click to expand...
What were your 60ft times with both sets of tires? What were the track conditions like? What was the temperature and barometric pressure like on either day? Was there a head or tail wind on either day? Did your driving style change at all...even in the slightest? Like I said...too many variables. I'm sure the rotational mass is going to provide a bit of a disadvantage, but not to that extent. I mean.....with this reasoning, you're gaining more of an advantage with a set of wheels than you are with a set of PnP heads. :D
 
#11
Well since i dont have a scanner ill try to post the times the best i can

W/18s------------W/17s
R/T: .839---------R/T: .617
60': 2.107--------60": 2.223
1/8: 9.532--------1/8: 9.187
1/4:14.887--------1/4: 14.056
MPH: 92.72-------MPH: 100.92
Humidity: 77------ Humidity:75
Temp: 78---------- Temp: 73

NO WIND
But as soon as i put on them chrome 18x10s i couldnt spin em through second and i can chirp third with the 17s. You may not think the wheels make a big difference but it throughs off gearing and the power a lot. I have the times to prove that.
 
#12
Dope 97GT said:
Well since i dont have a scanner ill try to post the times the best i can

W/18s------------W/17s
R/T: .839---------R/T: .617
60': 2.107--------60": 2.223
1/8: 9.532--------1/8: 9.187
1/4:14.887--------1/4: 14.056
MPH: 92.72-------MPH: 100.92
Humidity: 77------ Humidity:75
Temp: 78---------- Temp: 73

NO WIND
But as soon as i put on them chrome 18x10s i couldnt spin em through second and i can chirp third with the 17s. You may not think the wheels make a big difference but it throughs off gearing and the power a lot. I have the times to prove that.
Click to expand...
If you lost .8 because of wheels, then there's something really wrong. Also, not spinning them through 2nd is actually better. I have 18's and im lowered and if my time went from a 13.86 to a 13.06 with some 17's, then id be ordering them now.
Its obvious that you give up some acceleration with 18's, but the appearance and handling make it worth it IMO
 
#13
well u know that when u get under 14s the time is a lot harder to lower but i do think you would take some time off if you went to a 17 that wasnt silver or just put some stock rims with DRs on. I know some people may not like this but why do u think u see hondas at the track that are runnin like 15s. Weight makes a huge difference. In my probe gt that i had i took my system out and went from a 16.7 to 15.4 so i am a true believer about the additional weight making a difference. Also i know a guy that was runnin like a 14.1:rlaugh: with a full system in a 03 cobra that was all stock.
 
#17
Dope 97GT said:
You might have a problem fittin 295s on a 9.5" wheel on tirerack.com you can see the specs for tires and for a BFG KDW2 295/35/18 and the suggested size is on a 10-11.5" rim. But it could work.
Click to expand...
I have 285's on a 9.5" wheel and could easily put on a 295.
 
#18
I love the look of the FR500's silver deep dish so i ordered em

im willing to sacrifice the little drawback of weight for a badass wheel....

18x10 out back for the 295/35's and 18x9 up front for my 265/35's

pics to come...
 
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