tires and wheels Reducing Weight

[allbim]

I'm always thinking about reducing my 02's weight and wondering who makes the lightest 15" wheels.

[AceAndrew]

Well, I bet these guys could make the lightest 15" wheel if you called them up and had some pretty deep pockets ... 

http://www.smw.com/en/

 

Or if you wanted something off the shelf you could try some 15x3.5 bbs drag wheels, they're pretty light.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ultra-Rare-BBS-RE830-15x3-5-4x100-Lightweight-Skinny-Drag-Wheels-Integra-Civic-/261283633663

 

If you want something even cheaper and lighter then you'd probably need to sacrifice durability a bit and get creative with mounting them.

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/621017637/15_inch_bicycle_wheel.html

[John_in_VA]

Does putting the driver on a diet equate to similar gains?  I know this is not unsprung weight, but everyone seems intent on tearing out the interior vs. pushing away from the table.

[Rocan]

Miata 15" wheels are cheap and very very light.

[NickVyse]

easiest way to reduce weight on a 15" wheel is to loose a couple of inches!

[M3M3M3]

LOL...the lightness of the wheel is directly related to how light you want your wallet to be...

 

but for cheap the d-force and kosei k-1's are pretty light. 13lbs or so.  iirc.  i have both.

 

how far along is the weight loss program for the rest of the car?  there are so many other places to cut.

[steve k.]

Miata 15" wheels are cheap and very very light.

 

 

Proper Miata wheels unfortunately do not for a 2002. The rest depends on the size of the wheel that you want.my 15x10 CCW wheels are under 15lb.  most custom wheels manufacturers will be able to get you a wheel in any size you want. The weight will depend on the strength. if you want a show wheel, then nothing is needed. Racing wheels might be heavier to support the loads.

 

easiest way to reduce weight on a 15" wheel is to loose a couple of inches!

But you will probably gain it back in the weight in the tire  

 

steve k.

[allbim]

easiest way to reduce weight on a 15" wheel is to loose a couple of inches!

What? At the wheels or at my belt?

[allbim]

For those of you who never thunk about this:

Because a rotating mass, like a wheel or a flywheel in a car is accelerated in both a linear and circular way at the same time, reducing wheel weight or any other rotating mass affects the cars performance more than reducing a non-rotating mass.  

[Rocan]

Not only are wheels rotating mass, but they are unsprung mass as well, and a reduction in unsprung mass improves the handling dramatically. 

[allbim]

LOL...the lightness of the wheel is directly related to how light you want your wallet to be...

 

but for cheap the d-force and kosei k-1's are pretty light. 13lbs or so.  iirc.  i have both.

 

how far along is the weight loss program for the rest of the car?  there are so many other places to cut.

 

So far I have only removed the headliner.

[steve k.]

So far I have only removed the headliner.

 

are you building a race car or is this a daly driver? 

[NickVyse]

So far I have only removed the headliner.

 

try emptying the ash tray as well :-)

[allbim]

steve k,

The car will probably never go on a track, but the engine and suspension have been modified and the car has a lot of power.  I occasionally do some very spirited driving when I feel I can get away with it and certainly don't want to worry about breaking a wheel.  I have already have a bit of anxiety about breaking a stub axle.

 

 

 

NickVyse,

I forgot, I also got rid of the ashtray and I'm keeping windshield washer and brake fluid levels to a minimum.  

Edited October 8, 2013 by allbim

[Rocan]

If it's a street car, don't bother. Heck, adding some weight (in the form of sound deadening) would make the car be so much more enjoyable for the street. You'll never truly realize the benefits of reducing small bits of weight, especially on the street. What you will realize, however, is that weight loss comes with increased noise and decreased comfort. Our 2002's are already some of the lightest vehicles on the street (mainly because they are bare bones; no silly "safety features" to weigh them down ). Sure, some lightweight wheels and lightweight rotors will improve the handling quite a bit, but as far as reducing sprung mass (IE, ripping out the interior), just don't bother.