Originally posted by ToltecSVT:
well again, you are right. you put a 240 pounder in my car and i will feel the difference. the car will be slower and have a nasty tilt to it now, give me 6 lbs less wheel weight and can i *feel* the difference? i'm interested in actual real world feel not numbers. when you got your lighter rims did your car feel faster, tighter.... for intance, my winter tire setup (195 - 70 - 15 on 15" steelies) is about 5 lbs more per tire than my stock 16's and i can't tell the different except that my excelleration *feels* better with my winter setup (probably because they have 20 cm thinner footprint).



A resounding YES!

I'll spare you the scientific details, but:

I went from 19.5 lb, 15" stockers to 22.5 lb, 16's and immediately, the car felt like a pig in acceleration, braking, and handling. Ride was rough, too. All this from a 3 lb gain per wheel.

I switched back to the 15's, and driving was fun again. I sold that first set of wheels, and got 16" Kosei K-1's at 15.5 lbs each. With a 4lb reduction at each corner, it felt like I had dropped in an SVT motor. Front tires kept squealing at the "Go" light. Handling was light, nimble, and precise. Braking felt more under control, and the ride was stable and sure. Grip improved on rough surfaces, because of the tires, of course, but also because the suspension was allowed to follow the bumps more effectively, keeping the tires in contact with the road.

Now, general rules of thumb:

1. Weight=bad
2. Shaving weight better than adding power. (Every pound removed has a greater benefit than the last one. Just the opposite of the "diminishing returns" witnessed during engine mods.)
3. Removing 1 lb from the wheels is like removing 1.7 lbs from the static, sprung weight of the car.
4. IOW, wheels are the single most effective target of weight reduction on the whole vehicle.

Function before fashion. '96 Contour SE "Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998