Moving to lighter wheels and tires

[Nyati]

Thanks for jumping in. Were the wheels you replaced steel? What size were they?

Hadn't thought about a shorter braking distance, but it makes sense.

Yes- they were steel wheels with plastic hubcaps.

Thanks for jumping in. Were the wheels you replaced steel? What size were they?

Hadn't thought about a shorter braking distance, but it makes sense.

Got them from Tire Rack. Night & Day the ride and braking distance

 

[Jetronic]

here's my Enkei's:

Well, I have a 17" clone of these

 

[eljefino]

Jeebus. 29 lb wheels. The wheels and tires on my Jeep weigh 160 lbs each.

The stock Bundt aluminum wheel and hankook H727 185/75r14 for my w123 weighed 30 lbs together as an assembly. And that car had a fantastic ride.

 

[Shel_B]

The stock Bundt aluminum wheel and hankook H727 185/75r14 for my w123 weighed 30 lbs together as an assembly. And that car had a fantastic ride.

It's in great part due to the ratio of sprung to unsprung weight.

 

[meep]

Good to know ... thanks! Which model Enkeis did you get? I saw a beautiful set of white Enkies on a white Camry/Lexus a while back ... man, did I drool ... had never seen white wheels before ... stunning!

I went with the tsr-6 and are very pleased with them. They are stock diameter and width with a difference of 5mm offset. They poke out just a touch more. I was concerned about not messing up the scrub radius, but after the change I think these are actually more neutral in scrub than the stockers, which pulled a touch away from a tire with low air or a rough spot on the road.

the Lexus specs 18” wheels. I would have gone with 17 if possible but the only 17s stated to fit had a ton of offset to clear the brake calipers. It would look better with 17 and wouldn’t react as strongly to bumps and imperfections.

TSR-6 | Enkei Wheels

enkei.com

they clean easily during a wash.

i also found a set of momo wheels which matched factory dimensions, and almost got them instead (the Lexus was really limited in oem-similar specs) but I’m glad I went with these. Note that lighter wheels do come with a cost of reduced strength. Read up on if they are gravity forged, pressure forged, etc.. These newer enkeis have some process where they are forged then stretched out and it’s supposed to increase their durability. I haven’t buried mine in a pothole so I don’t know how sturdy they will be. Certainly with a smaller size like a 17 or less it would be more durable.

let us know what you end up with!

m

 

[Nyati]

The stock Bundt aluminum wheel and hankook H727 185/75r14 for my w123 weighed 30 lbs together as an assembly. And that car had a fantastic ride.

Those Bundt wheels are forged by Fuchs. Very good wheels.

 

[Nyati]

I have forged Forgeline wheels on my wife’s Mercedes. 18x10s R and 18x9s F. They are about 24 lbs - about 6 lbs a wheel less than stock.

 

[pezzy84]

My departed '12 TDI Sportwagen when I replaced tires the ones I went with were 4 lbs lighter each and even then the difference was quite noticeable in steering feel (lighter) and improved ride quality. I imagine there will be a notable difference if you are dropping 11 lbs per corner.

 

[mightymousetech]

Every year when I switch from the summer 18’s to winter 17’s and back show that a small change in rotating weight makes a huge difference.

 

[krzyss]

Is it weight or wheel diameter?
Hard to imagine 18" wheels to have lower rotational inertia than 17", even if they are lighter. The barrel, where I think a lot of mass of the wheel is, is further away.

Krzyś

 

[IndyIan]

The stock Bundt aluminum wheel and hankook H727 185/75r14 for my w123 weighed 30 lbs together as an assembly. And that car had a fantastic ride.

+1 Do some research on which light factory wheels fit on your car. Some are quite light and very cheap. My lowly Focus comes with 15lb 15" wheels for example and with 18lb 65 series tires it rides as good as you can hope for.