light wheels save gas?

[initial s14]

do they really help minimize your gas consumption or does it make you run faster? or it just doesnt make any difference especially if you go to a bigger diameter.. i mean by goin 17 or 18..you are still slow?

[wootwoot]

The less the assembly weighs the better gas mileage you will get. You will also acclerate and brake faster. The size doesnt matter as long as you stay as the same overall diameter.

[mrmephistopheles]

The size doesnt matter as long as you stay as the same overall diameter.
Not exactly. Rotational inertia changes when wheel diameter changes.

[S14DB]

At the same weight the 18" rim will put more drag than the 17 cause the weight is farther out on the rim. The farther out the weight the harder it is to rotate. This is also true with big brake kits that stuff a bigger rotor into the stock caliper. Honda's have shown to lose 10hp stock with the AEM big brake kit that's 2lbs lighter than stock but the weight is 1" farther out.

So, Wheel weight and diameter do have a effect on performance.

[raen419]

man, i've been preaching this since like.....2001....
and people STILL don't listen....

[pignosecoupe]

It is a fairly simple equasion:


(((A*B)/3.14)*C)+(A/(B*C)) (D-(E/F))
--------------------------------- - --------------- = X (difference in HP)
((3.14/B)*A)-(C*(B/(C+A) 3.14+(F+D)

See, Simple((ish) kinda)

[mistaanime]

eh....doesn't matter..in big or small wheels..you probably will save a little bit of gas..but you probably can't even tell the difference.

[Pank]

Honda's have shown to lose 10hp stock with the AEM big brake kit that's 2lbs lighter than stock but the weight is 1" farther out.


holy shit, that is a LOT more than I thought.

[WanganRunner]

Don't buy lighter wheels, just diet.

[Phlip]

It is a fairly simple equasion:


(((A*B)/3.14)*C)+(A/(B*C)) (D-(E/F))
--------------------------------- - --------------- = X (difference in HP)
((3.14/B)*A)-(C*(B/(C+A) 3.14+(F+D)

See, Simple((ish) kinda)
Simple my ass, say that in english

Don't buy lighter wheels, just diet.
NEVER, I enjoy eating what I wanna eat and drinking what I wanna drink...
*opens a beer*

[Flybert]

Honda's have shown to lose 10hp stock with the AEM big brake kit that's 2lbs lighter than stock but the weight is 1" farther out.

Weight has nothing to do with horsepower. Less weight can make your car go faster but it won't give your engine more horsepower.

Light, smaller diameter wheels will definitely help with around town gas mileage where you are constantly accelerating and decelerating. As for highway driving, that's a different story. The rotational inertia of heavier, larger diameter wheels could possibly help gas mileage on the highway since you don't have to accelerate and decelerate as much.

[Drunk Bastard]

Simple my ass, say that in english


NEVER, I enjoy eating what I wanna eat and drinking what I wanna drink...
*opens a beer*

werd, i drank two pitchers already today

[raen419]

um....flybert, i think he was referring to wheel hp, not crank.
and "freeing up" horsepower or drivetrain loss should be the terms used....not GAINING hp.

[[email protected]]

u dont have to diet urself... just put ur car on a diet. take out back seats, passenger seats, strip the interior etc.

a lot of ppl i meet that are really into drifting all say u need to put ur car on a diet to get rid of extra weight. but losing a couple pounds urself couldnt hurt :)

[raen419]

unsprung weight is still a major problem for braking/acceleration.
getting rid of your interior or replacing w/ light weight parts isn't going to do as much good as lighter wheels w/ less rotating diameter.

[S14DB]

Wheel HP. I could give a fuck what you make at the crank. It's all how you put it down...

[raen419]

yup.

speaking of all this, and i know this is a thread jack, but it's kind of on-topic....

has anyone ever heard of a lightened underdrive pulley shortening an engine's life?
a friend of mine (who's a mechanic) said the lighter pulley can cause vibrations in the engine that aren't there w/ the heavier stock pulley.
it makes sense, but it doesn't....any ideas?

[HyperTek]

in theory, light weight girlfriend also saves gas, so choose your lady wisely.

Be more worried about wind resistance.. cars without a/c and windows down causes more wind resistance then a car running a/c... I like A/C, its hot in Socal, drive with your windows up and a/c on, saves more gas then people who strip it and run windows all the way down *like a parachute*

Body kits aint helpen either, unless they cut down wind drag.

[KoukiMonster]

and running your a/c saves gas?

okay..

[S14DB]

On most modern 134a systems it does. Hypertek is right.