Preface:
Since weight is the mortal enemy of performance and more so unsprung weight, then adding rotational forces....light wheels and tires make a huge impact on all areas of setting up a fast car, acceleration, braking, handling, and include things like wear and tare on the chassis from bushings to the actual unibody....and effect fuel mileage, in a race car than can mean winning or losing a race......
This is far more significant than sometimes considered but if you look into any serious racing program weight is always the most important and most costly in the super high end of things especially but it also matters to us, even if we do not fully realize it.
SO, what do we do, we dig in, find the lightest wheels and tires that fit our needs and go forth knowing we made a wise decision based on real performance, simple as that.
-----------------
This will be updated, adjusted, etc as the inputs come in, always open to good ideas and more so to real world experience, never to old to learn.
-----------------
Rules of the road for inputs:
Minimum width is 7"
Maximum width is 9" for those willing to work over the fenders, etc....
Maximum weight:
15" wheels, under 14lbs
16" wheels, under 16lbs
17" wheels, under 18lbs
-Actual weight per wheel in the particular offset absolutely required, see below about how to weigh wheels.
-A wheel that takes a large amount of balance weights can be penalized for such an issue.
-An 18lb wheel is not really a light weight wheel in a 17x8 or so, borderline but with so few wheels in 4x108 we have to have at least enough leeway to include a reasonable amount of choices, I highly recommend under 17lbs, less is even better
Under $300 per wheel
-You really do not gain anything but bragging rights spending more in most all cases I can imagine, no matter what some may spend on advertising.
17" max diameter:
-Because we simple do not have room for 18's due to gearing issues and rubber band tires which are not the best way to go.
Max width, 9":
Because that will take considerable effort, wider will take massive effort, wider will be considered if you can do so with some sort of reasonable effort, of course
Tires:
-This is about real performance and most often stance is about getting attention instead, we are real performance guys, right? lets keep it that way, no super stretch allowed.
-Any tire you want to list is fine as long as a real performance tire, summer only, all season, winter, track....
Alternate bolt patterns:
-BY ALL MEANS, it is a relatively low cost way to open up a new world of low cost, light weight, well built wheels and more tire choices.
Pictures:
-Of course, submit them, subject to editing.
Photoshop:
-NEGATIVE, not allowed, unless it can be proven to be a real solution within these parameters.
Slammed:
-Same as stance, if you really want real performance you will not slam you car, it simply does not equate so of little use on this thread.
I do not know how low we can go and have proper suspension geometry yet but some are working on that and I will as well then we can figure it out and let everyone know. Unlike some we will measure including tire diameter, etc, not just how far a pinch weld is from the ground.
Other ways to save weight:
-Aluminum valve stems
-Light weight lug nuts(my favorite is the Gorilla short length, open end, spline drive, cheap, strong and easy to use, a bit of security, nearly as low in weight as a set of aluminum close end nuts I have, never one single issue, track, street. etc....
Hub Centric:
-True hub centric is preferred of course.
-Rings work just fine but have to be tight tolerance and metal as plastics melts on the track, I know from experience.
-------------
HOW TO WEIGH A WHEEL:
-Best, certified scale calibrated to weight lower weight items accurately is the best.
-Bathroom scale will be allowed if care is taken and stated it was a bathroom scale, subject to correction when more accurate data is available.
-How to use a batchroom scale,
The most accurate way to use a bathroom scale is to put it on a level and solid surface so it will not rock, zero it out then weigh yourself, then yourself holding the wheels and subtract the difference.
Repeat this at least one more time, if off repeat a third or fourth time until you get a stable reading, if that does not happen then average all the results.
If access to more than one scale please use as many scales as you can and let it be known per scale and averaged.
-----------------
That is all I can think for now, let's make this a one stop place to really get to the point of picking the best wheels for your application, if performance is the goal. If you have other priorities then please start your own or contribute to an ongoing thread.
Have a great new week!
Rick
Since weight is the mortal enemy of performance and more so unsprung weight, then adding rotational forces....light wheels and tires make a huge impact on all areas of setting up a fast car, acceleration, braking, handling, and include things like wear and tare on the chassis from bushings to the actual unibody....and effect fuel mileage, in a race car than can mean winning or losing a race......
This is far more significant than sometimes considered but if you look into any serious racing program weight is always the most important and most costly in the super high end of things especially but it also matters to us, even if we do not fully realize it.
SO, what do we do, we dig in, find the lightest wheels and tires that fit our needs and go forth knowing we made a wise decision based on real performance, simple as that.
-----------------
This will be updated, adjusted, etc as the inputs come in, always open to good ideas and more so to real world experience, never to old to learn.
-----------------
Rules of the road for inputs:
Minimum width is 7"
Maximum width is 9" for those willing to work over the fenders, etc....
Maximum weight:
15" wheels, under 14lbs
16" wheels, under 16lbs
17" wheels, under 18lbs
-Actual weight per wheel in the particular offset absolutely required, see below about how to weigh wheels.
-A wheel that takes a large amount of balance weights can be penalized for such an issue.
-An 18lb wheel is not really a light weight wheel in a 17x8 or so, borderline but with so few wheels in 4x108 we have to have at least enough leeway to include a reasonable amount of choices, I highly recommend under 17lbs, less is even better
Under $300 per wheel
-You really do not gain anything but bragging rights spending more in most all cases I can imagine, no matter what some may spend on advertising.
17" max diameter:
-Because we simple do not have room for 18's due to gearing issues and rubber band tires which are not the best way to go.
Max width, 9":
Because that will take considerable effort, wider will take massive effort, wider will be considered if you can do so with some sort of reasonable effort, of course
Tires:
-This is about real performance and most often stance is about getting attention instead, we are real performance guys, right? lets keep it that way, no super stretch allowed.
-Any tire you want to list is fine as long as a real performance tire, summer only, all season, winter, track....
Alternate bolt patterns:
-BY ALL MEANS, it is a relatively low cost way to open up a new world of low cost, light weight, well built wheels and more tire choices.
Pictures:
-Of course, submit them, subject to editing.
Photoshop:
-NEGATIVE, not allowed, unless it can be proven to be a real solution within these parameters.
Slammed:
-Same as stance, if you really want real performance you will not slam you car, it simply does not equate so of little use on this thread.
I do not know how low we can go and have proper suspension geometry yet but some are working on that and I will as well then we can figure it out and let everyone know. Unlike some we will measure including tire diameter, etc, not just how far a pinch weld is from the ground.
Other ways to save weight:
-Aluminum valve stems
-Light weight lug nuts(my favorite is the Gorilla short length, open end, spline drive, cheap, strong and easy to use, a bit of security, nearly as low in weight as a set of aluminum close end nuts I have, never one single issue, track, street. etc....
Hub Centric:
-True hub centric is preferred of course.
-Rings work just fine but have to be tight tolerance and metal as plastics melts on the track, I know from experience.
-------------
HOW TO WEIGH A WHEEL:
-Best, certified scale calibrated to weight lower weight items accurately is the best.
-Bathroom scale will be allowed if care is taken and stated it was a bathroom scale, subject to correction when more accurate data is available.
-How to use a batchroom scale,
The most accurate way to use a bathroom scale is to put it on a level and solid surface so it will not rock, zero it out then weigh yourself, then yourself holding the wheels and subtract the difference.
Repeat this at least one more time, if off repeat a third or fourth time until you get a stable reading, if that does not happen then average all the results.
If access to more than one scale please use as many scales as you can and let it be known per scale and averaged.
-----------------
That is all I can think for now, let's make this a one stop place to really get to the point of picking the best wheels for your application, if performance is the goal. If you have other priorities then please start your own or contribute to an ongoing thread.
Have a great new week!
Rick
![[twothumb]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_twothumbs.gif "Two Thumbs [twothumb]"){kind=icon}
